T is for Theatre

Today's guest blogger is my cousin Deborah. As kids, we rarely saw one another, due to that whole living-in-different-states thing. Now... well, we still rarely see each other in person, but thanks to the miracles of Facebook, Twitter, and email, we at least communicate! Today, she tells us about her-- and her daughter's-- recent experiences with the theatre.

I am a wife, mom, student, Sunday school teacher, and Girl Scout leader.  But for the past two years, I have donned another title for Edna Hill Middle School in Brentwood, California (the one in Northern California, not the OJ one): costume lead. I have never felt like I could do anything well, but when my oldest got into theater in sixth grade, I started to help backstage and making costumes. The next fall, the lady who made them before needed a break. The director asked me if I would organize the costumes for Beauty and the Beast. I agreed and a hidden talent emerged.

These costumes really are amazing, Deborah!

For the first play we rented most of the costumes, and made a few. The next play, we made about half the costumes from scratch, and used leftover inventory from other shows for the rest. For the last show I did (which ended its run late Saturday night), we had no inventory for anyone but the narrators-- 5 out of 65 kids-- and had to make the rest. I can’t tell you the pride that comes from handing a child a costume and seeing their face light up in wonder.

I can’t talk about theater without talking about my shining star, Abigail (my oldest daughter). In sixth grade she was a shy little girl who couldn’t talk to adults. She had trouble auditioning one on one with Mr. Schneider. She got bit parts the first few years: a goblin in Bah Humbug, a townsperson/Farmer from American Gothic in Music Man, the bookseller/Beast double for Beauty and the Beast, and Annette (a made up part—one of Cha-Cha's friends) in Grease. Her eighth grade year she really got the chance to shine as the Scarecrow in Wizard of Oz, and Sultana in Aladdin. She has really come out of her shell and blossomed as a performer and young woman. She has made lifelong friends that share the same interests, and found her dream: She wants to be either an actress or a drama teacher so she can help others realize their potential. I am so immensely proud of her.

Theater has been so kind to our family, letting us do what we love-- me designing and making beautiful costumes, and her performing. I can’t wait for another year when Anny (my younger daughter) gets to sixth grade and gets her chance to shine. And neither can she.

Who knew my daughter finding her dream would help me find mine-- designing costumes for theater groups. I have offers from a few paid groups for a few costumes. Maybe this will be my calling.