Mosquito's and Flytraps

You can imagine my surprise a couple weeks ago when Jennette informed me that she was taking Max and Olivia to audition for a play. I knew I had already underestimated Jennette's love for outdoor theater earlier this summer but I never thought Jennette had much "stage mom" in her. It was hard to believe that with her friend Challey coming to visit for the next two weeks and Cub Scout day camp the following week that Jennette would sign herself up for rehearsals and all that a play would involve. So everything made much more sense when she explained that it was only a one week commitment. They were auditioning on Monday, with rehearsals starting immediately through Thurs, and then two performances on Friday. Maybe it's the cynic in me but then I immediately assumed that there would be some financial catch to this (especially since all this was happening at the Grand Opera house in downtown Wilmington which is a pretty nice venue).

Amazingly enough there was no catch, and they passed the auditions and were suddenly cast members in "The Frog Prince." The production was put on by the Missoula Children's theater and is part of a nation-wide theater program for school children, using minimal and talented staff, parent volunteers, and a clever use of production equipment. Max was a "mosquito" and Olivia a "venus fly trap." The music was catchy, the costumes cute, the kids cuter, everyone had generous stage time and I was amazed how much they could remember from just 4 days of rehearsals. Olivia and Max had a blast and I think this will be part of many summers to come.

Oliva was so excited for the performance that she wore her costume around the house.

Max the mosquito (& his friend, Naomi, as the toad)

Who's ready for a cast party?

Have I mentioned that we have a new video camera so we can upload videos? Here's our first attempts: