it's the hard knock life!

Greta is just right of center in the gray apron and brown boots

last weekend, Greta performed in her first-ever musical, the school performance of Annie Jr! she had been eagerly biding her time until she was old enough to participate -- the cast is exclusively 4th through 8th graders, and we have been so impressed by the previous years' productions (The Music Man Jr and The Sound of Music Jr). musical theater is in her blood: my sister Kira is a working actor with a musical theater degree, and my aunt just retired after a career of teaching middle school chorus and is still actively involved with her local musical theater community. both of them helped Greta prepare for her audition and I know their coaching not only improved the technical aspects of her audition, but also helped her feel confident and mentally prepared! 

for previous shows, the 4th grade participants have almost exclusively been part of the ensemble, with named character roles going to the older kids. this year, the 4th grade class was all abuzz as the director told them he would likely be casting several 4th graders as orphans. with visions of Broadway marquee lights shining in her eyes, Greta set her sights high and wanted to try out for the part of Annie! 

whether or not they wanted to try out for a character or ensemble role, girls were all required to read the part of Annie for a few different scenes. Kira helped her with the cadence and inflections, as well as tapping into emotion and really getting into character. they also had to sing the last few lines of "Tomorrow". the audition segment began with a tricky pick-up entrance and Auntie Kris helped her drill when to breathe so she'd be ready to sing and clearly articulate the "wh" sound for the first word. she also gave her some good advice for what to wear (comfortable, solid colored clothes; shirts with logos or phrases can be distracting) and for what to actually do when she enters the audition (come in, say a general hello and make eye contact with each of the adjudicators, pick a spot on the wall above the adjudicators' heads to focus on during the song, stand still and don't fidget, then say thank you afterwards). 

Elizabeth practiced too

the auditions were held on a Saturday morning in February. I signed up Greta for an 8:30 AM slot as she was playing in a basketball tournament that weekend and we needed to be at the host school to warm up by 10:30 (they ended up coming in third overall and brought home the school's first basketball trophy!). but back to the audition - we came into the narthex of the church where auditions were held and immediately I was transported back in time to various piano and viola competitions of years past. the room was full of the same nervous excitement and energy. we could see into the front of the church where the music teachers were sitting; the auditioner would stand with their back to us but we could see the teachers' faces. we couldn't hear any spoken words, but we could hear the piano and bits of song especially when kids hit the high notes. the kids lined up at the door and as soon as one came out, the next one would go in, exchanging little words of encouragement and nervous laughter as they passed each other. 

before they entered the audition, they filled out a form indicating if they wanted to try out for a particular spoken part or if they preferred to be part of the ensemble. I really appreciated that they provided the audition rubric for the kids too, so they had a sense of how they were being evaluated. 

when it was Greta's turn, as with the other auditioners, I couldn't hear anything during the spoken dialogue. but when the music started, all of a sudden you could hear her voice beautifully supported and clear even through the closed doors. I could see the music teachers' faces all light up and when she finished the selection, one of them exclaimed something and they all laughed (Greta told me later that she said, "where has that voice been all this time?") and Greta shrugged in the way only tweens can. she came out beaming and a few of her friends who were waiting for their turns gave her huge hugs.

four days later, the cast list was posted, and Greta got the perfect part for her: Pepper, the sassiest orphan! she had several speaking lines and a few solo measures in various songs. two other fourth graders were also cast as character orphans, and the role of Annie went to a seventh-grade student who was fantastic. once Greta realized how much work it would take to prepare for the role of Annie, she was relieved that her initial wish did not come true. ;) 

the kids rehearsed diligently over the next few months and before we knew it, tech week was upon us. they put in almost twenty hours of rehearsal time in the five days leading up to opening night. Greta was understandably tired by the end but truly loved every minute, and she said it was so much fun to put the show together with mics, music, costumes, makeup, and props on the high school auditorium stage. 

tech week glamor shots (she added eyeshadow "dirt" for the actual performances)

on opening night (Thursday), Nick went to the show with Cecilia while I stayed home with the babies. he is not a musical theater fan, but confessed to me later that he teared up a few times! they put on a truly incredible show for an elementary/middle school production. he took the girls out to eat afterwards and when they came home, Greta was still flying high on adrenaline. she told me she wasn't nervous at all to have the audience there (testament again to how well the directors prepared the kids!) and said, "Every time the audience clapped or laughed, I felt all warm and gooey inside! I loved it!"

the following photos are from the school Facebook page so forgive the poor resolution!

I wish I could say this facial expression required practice in rehearsals... but I'm afraid it came quite naturally!

once again with the face (far right) -- she played it up to the max!

sweet messages after the first performance!

the next night (Friday), I brought the babies along to watch. we snagged seats close to the front so Elizabeth could see. she was so excited to see her beloved Gaga on stage and I kept her mostly quiet with a steady supply of snacks. all of the kids did so well, and at the final curtain call, the audience immediately gave them a standing ovation! Nick was able to make the end of the show and we went out to our local Italian eatery for a late dinner. 

she was so surprised and excited to see her shout-outs in the program

it was pure luck that I chose seats on the far right -- I didn't know the orphans would come out to this section of the stage for this scene at Warbucks' mansion!

then, close to midnight on Friday, Kira arrived after driving all the way up from North Carolina! it was so sweet of her to come and support Greta. as per usual at our house, she got more than she bargained for and was also able to cheer for Cecilia for the first game of her soccer tournament Saturday morning. (more on that later!).

Saturday was the closing performance at 1 PM. Joe and Sabrina drove out for this as well, so we had a robust cheering section! I enjoyed seeing multiple performances and was truly impressed by how well the kids flowed with variations in how the audience responded. some highlights of the show included cameo appearances by a priest and a novice on our school faculty, and the adorable (real!) dog who played Sandy! it was also so much fun to see many of the kids I know through sports blossom in an entirely different way under the stage lights!

the snow machine and the actual dog were amazing touches! this photo captures him looking a little skittish but during the performances he was grinning, mouth open, tail wagging, loving every minute! 

cameo by the school's Latin teacher, one of our Oratorian priests -- see the cassock?

"give me a Pepper face"

 

ultimately, I am so grateful that Greta had this opportunity to learn and perform with her classmates under the incredible direction of our music teachers. the music and arts education our children receive is a fundamental component of their classical curriculum, and as the music director said before the performance, we are teaching them to prioritize the good, the true, and the beautiful. and those are lessons they will take with them for the rest of their lives!