My daughter just completed six performances of Guys and Dolls with
Polaris Productions, a theater company dedicated to giving kids the opportunity
to experience performing and working together as a theater community.
The months leading up to this weekend have been a blur of rehearsals and
the accompanying logistics, and I am happy to report that the days and
weeks and schedules were well worth it, both for my daughter and for us.
We enjoyed a weekend of shows, and she was positively gleeful (until,
of course, it was over, and she had to return to the reality of homework
and the prospect of no more rehearsals with her new community of friends).
What I do for a living (and what I didn't do for most of a year) is not
so different--working with a team to create something that gets
applause, live or otherwise. Sometimes, things go perfectly. Often,
things go wrong--a forgotten line or a scenic piece that won't work quite
smoothly--but the team works beyond what doesn't work--works together to
make that magic that gets the applause. There may be solo moments of
glory, but the excitement lies largely in the team effort.
I can see why my daughter is sad to see this ending. For these few
months, she stretched her own abilities and got to work with other kid
(and adult) performers and a creative and technical team that pulled off
a full weekend of fantastic shows. I know from experience how hard it
will be to find that again. Thankfully, I also know from experience that
it can be found--maybe not the same, but still good--so I'm not
worried. She'll be back at rehearsals and back on a stage before we know
it.
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