I have never sung in public (except Gilbert and Sullivan on stage), but my first performance ever was the worst disaster I have have had on a stage, and nearly put me off everything for life. I was 4 years old, and we had this pageant, where there were 7 boy rabbits and 7 girl mushrooms, and they would dance around, and then it would start to rain, and the rabbits would take cover underneath the mushrooms. Got the setup? I was the 7th rabbit. On the day of the pageant, the 7th mushroom got sick, AND NOBODY TOLD ME. We all got out on stage, and danced around, and then it started raining, and everyone got under their mushroom but me. I was left alone in the middle of the stage in my rabbit suit, weeping and howling. I have never trusted girl mushrooms, 4th grade schoolteachers, or much of anything since.
It is only a short bunny hop from that to Greek tragedy, folks.
Yours, Peter T.