From the eyes of a mother ....

I am a mother of 4 wonderful children whom all enjoy performing. In the fall of 09 three of my children and myself auditioned for "Seussical" through "Southwest Theater Project." We all had a part and aside from missing one of my children who was in a show at "Stages" we had an amazing adventure. I learned a few things from this experience. The best lesson was that I found a connection with my children ranging from 7-16. Next, I learned how much effort it took to be a part of a show and how it made every aspect of my life become more clear. I am a stay at home mother and a PT nanny. Life seemed to have more adventure, more meaning and it seemed to find a nice flow aside from running like crazy ... in other words, I found a good challenge. Over the summer I saw an audition post for "SemiDarkness" with YPC for their fringe. I could tell the story line had a twisted humor and I wanted to learn more. We tried to get to the auditions but the timing never worked so I was able to get my older three in for callbacks. I am the type of (what some may call "annoying") parent that wants to stay involved in what the children are doing. At the time my twins were 12 and I wanted to make sure it was a "safe" environment as we had never worked with YPC. All I can tell you is that my children have 21 shows and at least 6 theaters under our belts .... in the last 3 years I have learned so much! So in the end, if you asked me what show was I most proud of, that is easy, "SemiDarkness" with YPC. The beautiful thing about working with a variety of theatre groups is that you always take something away from each new director or theatre. I am becoming a bit bias about YPC, I just can't help it! I had the honor to work with Jacie Knight in "Afternoon of the elves" last fall, I was very impressed with her connection to a show, her passion, her love for each child that passes through her door for an audition or in a show. She is honest with a kind heart and in the end, she trusts, believes and respects each child simply for who they are. I am far from looking for brownie points, I do not need any, like I stated before ... there are many theatres, we live in a city with more live theater per ca pita then NYC, this is just a wonderful theater.

There is a reason they have a following, why they are popular, why when one can leave they keep coming back. YPC is an addiction for the average theater kid! With that said, my children had their eyes on auditioning for "Mean." They asked to go to the script readings and if I only had a recorder in the car after these you would understand why this show was on their radar. Really, who has not had to deal with a bully! The week of the auditions was going to be hard. We all closed in the show "Honk" that me and the four children were in, we had a 19 yr old move in and the stress was at the top. That Monday after school I had the older 3 and our new border working on songs and monologues. Our youngest felt left out but was ready for the break, being a duckling for 4 weeks and doing 4 shows in one weekend had that 8 yr old worn out! The house rang with excitement as I was read monologue after monologue and heard pop songs ranging from the Beatles to Katy Perry. There is something to be said about watching them focus in so hard on something they want to achieve, and knowing that in the end it could be a disappointment. When we got there my children pushed me into auditioning. I did not mind but needed to think about the commitment. So here I was, me, my three older babies and our new boarder! In the end, we all made it in. I am the Principle with about 8 lines! My twins are ensemble, my son ... after a few issues with his school ... is Josh and our boarder is Austin. At dinner last night we were talking about the show and I was giggling about my 8 lines and the twins then had to top that off with their 1 lines. Funny, it has nothing to do about the lines, it does not matter, it is only about the show, about being a part of history, making an impact, sending a message and simply teaching or reaching out to a few people. There was a chance to walk away knowing you have a small role or little lines but then who would make up that village to walk with others? To witness hate or love? One line or one hundred lines, the message is sent via being present.

I am now proud, yet again, to be a part of this adventure. To stamp a spot in this world. To walk with my children while working together, to talk and connect over an issue that is on the front burner. We are all learning to love and respect a little more thanks to YPC (and mostly Rita!)