Behind the Black Curtain
November 14
My hands are still kind of shaking, so writing this down before I go to sleep is probably the only way I will stop replaying the whole seventy minutes in my head.
Tonight was the opening performance of the middle school fall showcase. Everyone in the cast was running around backstage in their half-finished costumes, fixing their makeup, or doing strange vocal warm-ups in the hallway near the water fountain. Meanwhile, I was tucked into the narrow sound alcove behind the stage-left curtain, staring at a rented sound mixer, two ancient auxiliary cables, and a taped-down cue sheet with more highlighter on it than actual words. Being on the sound crew sounds simple when Mr. Henderson explains it during tech week. He made it seem like you just wait for a line of dialogue, push a plastic slider or hit a spacebar, and let the speakers do the heavy lifting. That is not how it felt tonight.
- alcove:
- A small, recessed section or nook set back from a larger room.
- auxiliary:
- Providing supplementary or backup support; often describes secondary audio cables or inputs.
- monologue:
- A long speech delivered by a single actor in a play or performance.
- fader:
- A sliding control on a soundboard used to adjust volume smoothly.
- intercom:
- An electrical two-way communication system with a microphone and loudspeaker or headset.
- transmitter:
- An electronic device that sends radio or audio signals through the air.
- curtain call:
- The appearance of performers at the end of a show to acknowledge audience applause.
One passage, many ways to practice
Reading-skill questions, word work and writing prompts — all built from this text.
Main Idea
Identify the central idea and explain how important details develop it.
Context Clues
Use clues in the passage to work out what words mean. A separate printable Vocabulary worksheet is also available.
Summarize
Select, organize, and restate the most important information without adding opinion.
Point of View
Identify who presents the text and analyze how perspective shapes what the reader receives.
Purpose
Analyze what the author aims to do and how choices serve audience and purpose.
Structure
Analyze how sections and organizational choices build the text's ideas or effects.
Language & Tone
Interpret nonliteral language and analyze how word choice shapes tone and meaning.
Writing Prompts
Use the passage as a springboard for short written responses, from personal reflection to evidence-based arguments.
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Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1What specific job was the narrator assigned to complete during the fall showcase?
- 2Why was Cue 17 considered such a critical moment in the one-act play?
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About this diary entry passage for 6th Grade
“Behind the Black Curtain” is a diary entry reading passage about Backstage Sound Crew Experience, written for 6th Grade. It takes about 6 minutes to read (906 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.