This past weekend was the local children's theater play. They performed Jungle Book, a very male-dominated show. This seemed like the perfect opportunity for #1 to get a role in the play. He, however, thought this was a perfect time to learn how to be on the Tech Crew. Even after much cajolling, he would not give in to audition for a part. So he joined the tech crew.
He spent the last 6 Saturdays working all day at the theater building sets, painting, and learning important skills like drilling and attaching hinges. Given the illness that affected me in February and the long road to recovery in March, I actually was glad that he had been adamant about not auditioning.
But then, sad day, he was not chosen to help with the backstage part of the play. That is evidently what he had been hoping for. It was the reason that he so willingly did all of that manual labor, and then plltt, his dream was gone. This play only had a few, perhaps 7, props, so a large backstage crew was unnecessary.
I, however, had expected to be driving him to play practices and shows, so I went ahead and signed up to be on the make-up committee. That is my normal post, and I enjoy it. I like talking to all of the kids, transforming them into princesses, birds, lions, or monkeys while they sit transfixed looking in the mirror. I have been doing it so long, that I know my job, where to find supplies, how to quiet the children, etc.
But this time, I wasn't there out of required duties. I was an unwilling volunteer.
Well not really unwilling, I did want to help, but somehow I ended up giving more of myself than I planned. Friday night's performance was a half hour away when the lead make-up person asked who was planning to stay backstage and fix make-up during the show. There were a lot of wolves and monkeys in this show, and little kids tend to scratch their faces, thus smearing said wolves and monkeys into oblivion. No one volunteered.
Finally one woman, a grandmother of an actor!, offered to stay. I couldn't let that happen. So I offered to stay and take care of any incidences since I didn't have a kid in the play and I didn't have any family attending. Yes, I saved the day.
But I don't know if it counts. See, God loves a cheerful giver, even a giver of time, and I wasn't too happy about it to say the least. I wanted to see the play, to support the kids that I know and love, but I didn't want to have to go to Saturday's performance. I wanted to go do make-up on Saturday and then leave so that I could have most of the day to myself. The grumbling that was going on inside my brain would have put a volcano to shame. Thankfully no hot lava spewed forth to embarrass me.
I actually got to see most of the play on Friday night since the monkeys didn't go on until almost intermission, and I put in my time on Saturday and then headed home. Many people commented about what a nice person I am to help with make-up out of the goodness of my heart. How glad I am that the stage mirror is not a remnant from Snow White, for it certainly would have told the Ugly Truth.
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