One of the songs performed at this weekend's big Broadway Showcase production was Stronger from Finding Neverland and it became a bit of theme for this group of 43 middle and high school drama students this year! After the middle school play got cancelled twice, and the Showcase got delayed once, and one discouraging matinee to a group of peers went badly...they all indeed came out stronger and better having gone through the trials!
We're once again feeling thankful for the way our directors and school crafted a safe way for our kids to still perform. This time it was an hour long, 12 song show full of favorite movie and musical numbers. Either one or both of our girls were in ten of the numbers. To keep the audiences small for social distancing, they ended up performing EIGHT times! There were many hurdles and some exhaustion, but the end product was something they were all proud of.
So, here are way too many pictures of most the numbers that one of the directors (a great photographer) snapped and shared with us:
Another Day of Sun from La La Land. Super cute and catchy!
Sit Down You're Rocking the Boat from Guys and Dolls. So full of color and fun choreography! And featuring Ella's good friend, Ben, a senior who has never sung or danced on stage before!
She's in Love from The Little Mermaid. A crowd favorite, and the song Ella had her big solo in!
The first of Delia's four Aladdin numbers--
Babcack, Omar, Aladdin, Kassim. This song tells the story of the four friends who "pound the pavement" and "pass the turban" in Agrabah. Delia played Kassim and, in my biased opinion, stole the stage. She is a strong singer and dancer and she captures the eye of the audience with her confidence and joy. We were SO proud and SO happy to see her and her middle school castmates finally getting to bring parts of this year-long Aladdin production to life!
Aladdin had the most amazing costumes already, so Jasmine and the Genie got to show them off in the famous
Friend Like Me and
I Can Show You the World numbers also.
Stick to the Status Quo from High School Musical had both girls getting to sing, dance, AND act as part of their respective cliques. Ella had fun being a skater girl and dumbfoundedly asking her buddy if her cello was "A SAW?!" (Possibly one of her favorite lines ever.)
Loathing from Wicked had both girls in the chorus also, hilariously fangirling over Belinda.
One of my favorites,
One Day More from Les Mis, gave me chills with how good the solos and vocals were!
And then the big finale was the whole cast on stage dancing their hearts out to Believer from Shrek. Incorporated into the choreography were the bows and, though the audiences were intentionally kept small, the cheers were abundant for these talented and resilient kids!
My good friend Donna (Ben's mom) was my date to 4 of the shows. Our kids log hours together as the Robotics team programmers. We giggled watching them exercise the other side of their brains dancing on stage together, and calling them QUADRUPLE threats-- they sing, dance, act, AND write code! :)
Some pictures of the kids with their friends-- above Delia with BFFs Kate and Cailyn, below Delia with two of her favorite little fans from church, Jade and Selah.
Delia with someone she really enjoyed getting to know through this production, senior Abby. One of the very best parts of this endeavor was seeing the friendships form across the grade levels since middle school and high school was mixed together. It is such a blessing to see my kids find good, solid mentors and role models in the classes above them and drama has always afforded them that opportunity.
Above, Ella with boyfriend Evan and below with some of her best friends, Ben, Ruth and Marina.
And some proud family shots after the closing show!
Since August we've been tied up with twice weekly play practices. My kids have ripped through pants and scraped skin sliding across the stage for the choreography; they've filled in for others countless times; balanced drama practices and Robotics meetings happening at the same time; and even learned how to pick themselves up and shake it off when one performance goes badly and the next one is an hour away. Drama comes with so many life lessons that have nothing to do with the actual performance. This one was all about perseverance and strength! And while learning to sing, dance and persevere, they also made some pretty special new friendships. Delia received this amazing note, from Emma and Liam, the two senior emcees, that meant more to her than all the applause, flowers and praise! How does this kind of earnest encouragement and affirmation of talents not just make your heart soar?! These drama kids, so full of goodness, kindness, and the desire to glorify God with their immense talents, are the salt and light of the school, I believe. They are the best of our student body.
