All this week Zoe has been practicing and going to rehearsals all morning. It started Monday when she auditioned for the Youth Center’s play Jack and the Bean Stalk. I signed her up for the theater camp put on by the Missoula Children’s Theater group; there were 60 kids signed up! Anyway, she auditioned by saying some lines, showing she could learn a song, and do some dances. When I picked up I found she had been given a part as a Wonder bean! …as were all the other 6 year olds… 😉 She was super excited, though she said she was trying for the part of the Golden Harp but it was only available to someone 8 and older.
Well, today was show day! She went in to the Oclub at 10am to get her costume and do a dress rehearsal. Bryan, Avi and I showed up at 1:40 so we could get a good seat for the 2:00 show. It was already filling out, but the front seat was available for us. And, promptly at 2, the show began! This was it, Zoe’s first real theatrical performance! She has truly enjoyed and never complained about all the rehearsals all week. She has been so funny and secretive about certain things, like I had to wait to see the set; she refused to tell me about it.
The play used quite a bit of artistic license with the Jack and the Beanstalk story, including Zoe’s part as one of the thirteen Wonder Beans. They were traded to Jack for his cow by the circus owner…so there were lots of circus parts, too. The beans were funny as they would “Jump, jump, jump, jump” and “bump, bump, bump, bump”… “oh so green, Oh so keen, we’re the wonders beans” But of course they wouldn’t do tricks for Jack. Zoe seemed to be having a blast. She smiled and jumped and bumped and knew her lines. It was so great! The whole play was well done – lots of parts for lots of kids; many were skill-based instead of relying on lines. The narrator was one of the two leaders who came as part of the Missoula Theater troupe. The set was basic and fun. The costumes were super cute.
The big finale included all 60 of the actors and then they did an organized photo shoot of the whole group and each set of kids – the Wonder Beans, the circus group, the merchants, the farmers, the lead roles. Cake and punch, too, while we waited for them to change and check in their costume.
Zoe said she loved the whole thing, but did feel a little nervous at the start. I would not have known…she just looked to being having fun the whole time. I will need to search out some other theater options for her I think!
