Growing Up

My son is playing an extra in his high school musical, The Sound of Music. It's really kind of fun to see his interest grow in this area. I tried earlier this year to get him to watch the movie version and it didn't hold his interest; but put it on stage with a bunch of his friends and suddenly musicals are cool.

Also cool was his sudden catapult into a speaking role. One of the other students in the cast called in sick. He told me that the director rushed backstage, thrust a script into his hands and said, "You're the butler tonight!" He really had to think on his feet then. What made it especially nice is that my parents were down to see the show, so we got to see more of him on stage than originally planned. He did a fine job, displaying much grace under pressure.

Another highlight of the show for me was that a former student of mine (when I was teaching in the STAR program for Gavilan) was playing the lead, Captain Von Trapp. When I first met this boy, he was an outsider with awkward social skills and little confidence in his abilities. We took him under our wing and by the end of three weeks he was interacting freely with the other students and performing confidently on stage. And today he was up there on stage more confident and talented than ever. I couldn't be more proud than if I were his mother.

My son tells me that the students are talking excitedly about next year. They want to do musicals like Sweeney Todd or The Producers. I hope they're not too disappointed. It's a pity, but I don't think many parents would approve of those productions. Isn't it more important that these kids are excited about learning? Shouldn't we be thrilled that they are discovering a kind of theatre that resonates deeply in them, that speaks to their senses of humor and catharsis?