Thursday, May 17, 2012

In Search Of The One

Emma has always been our little performer.  She loves to sing and dance and perform for people.  So we have tried to give her an outlet for this by signing her up for different theater opportunities.  This year we had her in a Rapunzel play and a Stake play: In Search of the One.

Auditions were all the way back in December or January.  I was getting Emma ready for her audition when Macey said that she wanted to try, too.  Even though it was "Emma's Thing" I really did not see any harm in letting her come.

Emma got a little part in the Stake play -- she was Emma Fielding, the daughter of one of the Ward Missionaries in the play.  Macey got a part in the Children's Choir and since Emma's part was not until the very end of the play, I put Emma in the Children's Choir as well.

After months of rehearsals and shuttling kids back and forth, the play was finally on!  My parents came to see it, and we were excited to see the girls.  I had seen bits and pieces of the play, but never the whole thing.

The night that we went, I had a babysitter come and watch Molly & Braden.  She had gone to the play the night before, and I asked her if she liked it.  She said that she did but her favorite part was Macey.

Macey?  Macey was on stage for three minutes.  How could she be someone's favorite part?

But then we went to the play, and I found out.  Macey sings.  Loudly.  And she forms each and every word carefully.  And loudly.  And a wee bit out of tune.  Okay, a lot.  She was just plainly awesome.

The play had five live performances, and the last night I stayed to watch the girls sing one last time.  Emma was perfect on stage.  Perfect smile.  Perfect voice.  Perfect stage presence.  Perfect.  Macey was awesome in her imperfection.

Before the play started, the Stage Director came to thank me for letting the girls be a part of the play and she told me that Macey completely made the Children's Choir.  And when Garry picked them all up at the end of the play, he said that Macey was treated like a rock star by the cast.

I guess you never know what a child's "thing" is until you let them try.




4 comments:

Tara @ Tales of a Trophy Wife said...

Don't you wish we could hold on to the ability to sing out loudly, proudly and off-key:)

On Father's Day, the primary sang and several people commented that Spencer made the day for them, but for quit opposite reasons. He was 2 heads taller than any other kid up there and just kind of mumbled the words. He so needs to turn 12.

Jennifer Griffith said...

Great post. I love that you've got a child who sings with such quality. I've got a son that way, too. It's the best. Very insightful story--fun to read. Thanks!

Unknown said...

That's awesome!

Lisa said...

Hi, I have an idea for a blog post. You've seen the trailer for the "Alive Inside" documentary? Very old people in nursing homes who seem nearly comatose get all spunky and talkative when they listen to music that they loved in their youth. You can watch it here: http://vimeo.com/10926284 Warning: You will probably cry, but they'll be happy tears.

Ok, so my blog post idea is for you (and maybe lots of other people) to post their lists of "What To Put On My iPad When I'm in the Nursing Home." See, I'm slightly worried that well-meaning young'uns will just ASSUME that since I grew up in the 80s, I'm going to want to listen to Tiffany and Peter Cetera and "Careless Whisper" over and over again. (Oh man, how I hate "Careless Whisper.") So I think it's important to record your preferences while you still have the chance. For posterity, see?

So, what would spunk YOU up in the nursing home?