Early in the year, I was asked to be a stage manager for a children's production of Guys and Dolls Jr. with Upstage theater for Youth. And with that, I have now found my new favorite thing: children's theater! I ended up being stage manager, production assistant, assistant costumer, assistant set designer and painter, and hair and makeup artist. It was quite an undertaking. I ended up being exhausted at the end of it all, but it was worth it.
In rehearsals for guys and dolls i met many wonderful kids. Many were talented, many weren't quite there yet. I saw many that actually reminded me of myself when i was younger. Kids that weren't sure of themselfs. When i was a kid, I felt I really didn't have a place. I was not very pretty. Not ugly, but kindof different looking. I was not a part of the popular crowd, but I wasn't completely in the social reject group. I was weird, I sang songs wherever I went. Dancing through the halls of school. Watching old movies like, Singin in the Rain, Arsenic and Old Lace, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, and R&H's Cinderella. I seemed to float in a cloud of indifference to most of the cliches in my school. I was lucky enough to have some wonderful friends that stuck with me, but I still found myself feeling a little....lost.
Then, Bonneville Jr High School's production of Aladdin Jr. waltzed into my life. I wasn't put in a large role. Just ensemble and a small phrase solo, but, I found my people!! I had always been kindof a shy person, whether others thought so or not. But when I was on stage, I didn't have to be self concious, self depricating me. I could be an exotic bellydancer (like i was in Aladdin), I could be a sarcastic nun, or a fair young maiden who could catch the eye of any handsome pirate. I could be whoever I wanted to be. And that built confidence. In myself, in my ablilities, and, most importantly, it gave me friends that understood me.
By the end of Guys and Dolls, all of my great kids had grown. They sang out loud and proud, nailed their lines, and had a blast onstage. The unsure little kids I had been introduced to 2 months before were gone. In their place were confident showstoppers who had learn to love themselves, and how to let their hair down and have fun.
I am so thankful now to have passed this addiction down to my siblings, (who, I might add, are extremely talented in their own right) It's and addiction I hope to one day pass down to my children. They are already making leaps and bounds learning the tricks of the trade, and I love watching them have fun, and be clowns, or whatever they want to be.
Theater/music/performing really does change lives. If you don't believe me, try it. I garentee you'll find I'm right!
