Rehearsal and Performance

I am so proud of Kayla. So proud of her during rehearsals and during the Snow White play - wardrobe malfunction and all.

I had no idea what to expect out of this whole experience. I had no idea what to expect from Kayla. Rehearsing for a play was new for both of us. It was a whirlwind week ... but so fun!

Rehearsals on Tue and Wed were 2 hrs. Rehearsal on Thur was 4 hrs with 1/2 hr snack break. On Fri they were there for 4 hrs with a 1/2 snack break and then immediately performed the play. They were there from 2:30 until 7:45: whew!

I was the only parent who stayed for the rehearsals. Everyone else dropped their kids off and left. Yes, I can be a bit of a 'helicopter mom' at times. As I said, we've never done this before so I didn't know what to expect from Kayla.This was a new environment and new adults and kids that she would be with. Several questions went through my mind.

Would she listen and pay attention?
Would she follow directions?
Would she be impulsive and run around instead of sitting still?
Would she focus?
Would she talk and disrupt?
What would she do during the times her group wasn't actively involved in rehearsals (when they weren't on stage).
Would she get bored and decide to wander off?

I have to say - she blew my fears out of the water.

Not to say that my fears weren't valid. Case in point: This week she is at Vacation Bible School. On the 2nd day she told me she ran away and they chased her. Yes, one of the adults confirmed her story. Another volunteer took her to the bathroom and then she bolted. Ran for the steps and went up the balcony in the sanctuary and hid. Testing boundaries? I have no idea; she's not usually such a runner anymore.

So I stayed throughout most of the rehearsals to keep an eye on her and intercede if I needed to. Which I didn't. The 2nd day I went out of the gym where they were rehearsing and sat in the lounge area. She only opened the door once with Kelly running after her telling her that her mother was sitting right out there. Kayla only wanted her water though; she didn't realize I had left her bottle inside.

During their 4-hr rehearsal on the third day I waited until after they had their snack break before I went to get myself something to eat. She had been doing so well sitting in the theater all that time. Most of the time it wasn't her group's turn to rehearse so they had to sit in the theater chairs quietly watching ... and waiting ... and waiting. She did so great. She stayed in her seat. She was quiet. She was captivated by the acting going on on the stage.

Just one little snag when I left to get something to eat and came back to find her still sitting in the seat when her group was on stage rehearsing. When I asked why she wasn't up there I was told because she wanted to be on stage sitting next to Snow White. Sigh ...

She re-enacted scenes at home. She quoted other characters' lines. Seriously, I was surprised when we were driving home and, unprompted, she said the turtle's line, "What's the hurry? Wait for me?" (Pause) and then continued on, "Slow and steady wins the race." And she remembered every word.

She learned her cues, and hand motions, and the group song.

During the performance she had a wardrobe malfunction. The frog foot came off her shoe. I was so proud of her for staying in character and continuing on with the scene instead of getting up and going to find someone to fix it (which I can imagine her doing). She didn't yell out that the foot came off, she didn't yell out that she needed help. She just held it up so we could see that it came off.

And I admit it took every bit of this 'helicopter mom' to keep my butt in my seat! Because I wanted to help. I wanted to quietly walk up to the front of that stage and fix the foot for her...because I wanted to make sure she stayed seated. We hadn't talked about what to do in a situation like that. But somehow, she just knew. She knew to remain seated with her cast mates.

She took off the huge frog gloves and attempted to fix it herself. It came off again, the second time she was on stage. Thankfully, the last time she was on stage she was without the frog feet so they wouldn't have to distract her anymore.

Here is Kayla's first acting gig:

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And with a clearer picture, here she is during the group song. She doesn't take after me as I would lip-synch! She's a bit off in her timing, but she did it. And if you listen closely you can hear Kayla's voice singing. Singing along like everyone else. So proud of her.

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I have a feeling there will be more plays in her future!