There is huge amounts of time spent putting on a theater show.  Auditions were in May.  Practice started the first of June.  3 times a week.  2-3 hours a practice.  The week of the show there is practice every single day from Saturday through Wednesday.  Sunday we were there for almost 6 hours.  Then there is the actual shows; 4 of them this show.  Each one us having to arrive hours before curtain goes up.  Saturday we were there from noon to 10:30 PM.

Plus Keilee practices at home for at least an hour each day.  She always wants to know her lines by the 2nd practice.  Which is crazy but that is how she likes to roll.

There is blocking to learn [that is your place on the stage for you non-theater people :)], huge choreography numbers and costume fittings.

There is hair and makeup.  There was huge makeup for this show.  The kids had to be transformed into cats, dogs, geese and a mouse.

There were newspaper interviews.  Keilee spoke to 3 different papers for this show.  There are pictures to be posed for.

And it isn’t all just Keilee’s practices.  I always work backstage and there is set direction I have to learn, typing up our list of what needs to be placed where and when.  There is all that driving to practice.  Around 20 minutes one way.  Which isn’t that bad compared to some I know.  There is running around finding the perfect cat leggings, white gloves, jewelry, tights and more.

There is exhausted Mom and Kei after long practices and getting home at 10:00 or later.  Then Keilee had to take a shower and dry her hair and roll it on 20 sponge rollers because this show calls for curly hair.

But then… on show day…there is magic.

Fun with the Kittens and Final Bow…

I watched one show from the front.  In an actual chair instead of getting a side view from backstage.  I watched my child shine on stage.  Doing something she loves so much.  I watched her face change with the different emotions.  I watched her “Mother” her kittens instinctively.  I watch her ‘fall in love’ with Thomas O’Malley.  And I knew I was watching her future.  A future Keilee that will meet a boy and flirt and fall in love and have babies and nurture and take care of them.  And it made me so happy.  And so sad.

Some of Keilee’s dearest and best friends. She loves these kids so much.

Some of the people who came to see her.  I didn’t have a chance to take a picture of everyone who came.

Some of my favorite shots.  Keilee knitted Cat hats for all her kittens plus the youngest girl in the show.  Also see the Duchess cupcakes one of the Moms made? Awesome!

My favorite picture….

So another play over.  But what wonderful memories we will have from this one.  I think this is one of my top 3 favorite of all time.  It may be my favorite but I’ll have to think about that. 🙂

Next week it is back to reality…well reality Homeschool Girls style.

Homeschool Rocks,
Karen

“You really, really, really have to love what you are going to do in theater because it is an unmerciful life. It’s six days a week. It’s eight performances a week. And that’s doing the exact same thing over and over and over again.”  ~Harvey Fierstein