Sunday, June 23, 2013

Closing Today: Sound of Music and Another Chapter

Our last Sound of Music performance is today, 2pm. With that, the show closes. And so does a remarkable chapter in my life. Serafina is resting this morning, playing a video game and watching the DVD of the show videoed earlier in the run. I'm  messing around over at the computer, finding myself turning often to watch the show, and pretending not to watch when things well up. It may be harder to get through the day than I ever imagined...

Two firsts today for both Serafina and me: striking the show and a cast party. The strike is basically putting the theatre back the way we found it three months ago before all this started (auditions were mid-March and the first reading was March 25). On our way out the door from last night's show, Serafina cleared her dressing room desk of all the "decorations" she had brought from home. It was no big deal to her. It was all I could do to hold it together. It's been such a great experience.

There is no way we can say thank you enough to the SLO Little Theatre and all the people who made this show happen. Accu-awesome bunch, they are! Lynn and I have enjoyed theatre all our lives, and Lynn has had her share of on-stage experiences (though, interestingly enough, I never saw any of them). Until now, I had no idea what it took to put on a production. Oh sure, we can all imagine what it takes, enjoying theatre from the seats and knowing that somehow you owe a debt of gratitude to the folks who brought you this look into the human experience. I submit, however, that until you do it, until you become a member of a family hell-bent on putting up the best show possible and working tirelessly for months to do just that, you just don't get it. I get it now.

Well, I get some of it. We may never know just how far our show family went out of their way to guide and assist their 7-year-old Gretl and their novice geezer, Franz. They've had to cope with all manner of happenings, from mic transmitters being dropped in the toilet to "what's a spike?".

I'm not sure how saying auf wiedersehen tonight will go.

Circle up one last time, on three... "Sound of Music!"

Later, after the closing show:

Striking... with light sabers?!

So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, good-bye...




Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Last Day of School

It was a very good day to be my last as a teacher. The parents set up a great brunch for both 5th/6th grade classes first thing in the morning. Then we listened to senior presentations by the first two graduating seniors of SLO Classical Academy (I was impressed), followed by recess, and then the last hour or so was with just "my class". We opened the time capsule we "buried" on the first day of school last Fall and got a kick out of seeing whose favorite book had changed, or movie, or least and most favorite subjects. Art and Science picked up many fans this year! Only one had changed their mind about who to elect as U.S. President. We played a bunch of Minute to Win It games, Snaps, Moon Club, and the like. And before we knew it, the last day was history. I wore a tie every day at school, and one of my scholars made the pictured origami shirt and tie for me. If I was going to teach but a couple years of my life, these would be the two to do. Now on to full time at the railroad...