Dramatic Shifts

I had this plan all in place for our Winter activities, and then a new development threw it all out of whack. In a good way, mind you. Last year A&N took acting classes at N Stage, and I thought it was a great experience, mainly because they got to hang out with a diverse and quirky group of kids (the theater crowd), but also they had to endure some challenges and hard work that ended up in an effort that was both fun and rewarding, especially for A, who I think was born to be on stage.

Anyway, they canceled the program last year. The two people who ran the program, JD and MG, did a fabulous job, and I think they are really talented people who are excellent at molding and teaching children how to act. It’s not all fun and games, which I think turned A off at first, but she grew to appreciate it.

Now I don’t know the whole story, but I’m guessing there was some drama (no pun intended) behind the scenes, because there was a bit of a shakeup at the company, and eventually JD and MG left and formed their own program. I learned about the program a few months ago, and asked the kids if they were interested. A said definitely, N said no thanks, but he did express interest in doing stage production.

I contacted MG and she was very enthusiastic. The group is an ensemble, where they learn drama and eventually put on a production. I enrolled A, and we were all set to go this weekend, until I realized we had a time conflict and were going to miss a few classes. Also, we are planning on going away and would miss even more.

The nail in the coffin was that the kid’s music teacher, JB, was planning a Spring musical, and had saved a slot for A. Rehearsals were to begin on the Friday, and would continue until Spring. I was also spoke with the wonderful folks at the community theater and they, too, were planning a late Spring show, like last year’s brilliant production, and there was no way A&N were going to miss out on that.

So what to do? On the one hand, MG and JD are the real deal, they teach genuine dramatic theory and are really good at what they do. Plus, they have an eclectic group of talented kids. On the other hand, the school musical involves a lot of kids from previous productions, so A gets to see a lot of her buddies, and she has tons of fun with it.

In the end, because we were going to miss so many Sundays, and we did have other opportunities on tap, I had to inform MG and that we weren’t going to do the ensemble, which is a total bummer because again, they are the real deal, and I think they do a great job.

At least now our lives won’t be as crazy, and getting to and from the school play will be much easier. Plus, JB doesn’t mess around, she is very serious about her projects, and she is immensely talented (she plays practically every instrument on the planet), so the kids will be challenged and rewarded.

I think it all worked out. The kids will miss out on certain things, but gain a lot in other areas. That’s what life is all about, right? Plus, it will give me a chance to make rice crispy treats for the play, my reason for being.

We’ll see how this goes, talk to me in a month or two. Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks to Julie Elliott-Abshire for the pic.