Aug7

at the school show.

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one of my favorite things

is to go to school shows

i love every kind of kid up there

 bored

nervous

awkward

moving

bouncing

spinning

hiding in back

 overly enthusiastic

staring straight ahead

giggling

belting it out

faking the lyrics

wearing mismatched shoes

in a fancy outfit

whispering to a stage neighbor

giving it their all

waving to family

looking proud

non-stop smiling

have their own rhythm different from the rest

whether

dancing

singing

acting

playing anything that makes a musical sound

performance art

athletic feats

comedy

any kind of talent show

poetry reading

costumed or not.

i am all in.

—

“sometimes I was in school plays,

but only when the kid they’d originally picked got sick and they asked me to substitute.”

-peter falk

—

“i remember acting in a school play about the melting pot when I was very little.

there was a great big pot onstage.

on the other side of the pot was a little girl who had dark hair,

and she and i were representing the italians.

and i thought: is that what an italian looked like?”

-al pacino

—

“i did a school play when I was 10 where I played a cold germ infecting a whole classroom of kids.

the play was called ‘Piffle It’s Only a Sniffle.’

i’d never had so much fun. It was a thrill.”

-kim cattrall

56 responses »

  1. I totally get you, Beth. It is amazing how difficult they all experience their performance: from great excitement to complete nervousness with everything in between. I remember how difficult we all were when I was a kid or a teenager and then when my kids performed. How lovely that you brought this up.

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  3. AND each and every one of those parents, sitting bolt upright and mouthing the words we’ve practiced at home with our kids, and remembering to breathe when their (one) line is safely delivered. Whew!

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  5. In the seventh grade I played a snail in a school play of Peter Pan. Not that there was ever a snail in Peter Pan, but there weren’t enough roles to go around, so they invented a few more.

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  13. I was Joseph in the school Nativity play when I was around 8 years old. It was put on at 4pm and my parents were both working, so never saw my stage debut. And the girl playing Mary kept kissing me! 🙂
    Best wishes, Pete.

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  14. How I loved watching my son acting in his plays, and then two grandchildren with their various performances. I marveled at their bravery, I who was too shy to ever do anything in front of a crowd.

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  18. Oh man… My nieces and nephew went to an English school and they put on plays and shows. I swear, I’d get teary-eyed every single time. Especially watching Jennifer very determinately doing her steps with zero coordination. My kids and other nieces and nephew went to French school where they sadly did no such thing. I think it’s an important part of the school curriculum!

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  20. This brought back so many memories Beth. I still remember my grandson when he was in 1st grade. His class was on bleachers and he would disappear by sitting down. Then he would pop up, look around then sit back down. 🤣

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  21. I like learning this fact about you, Beth. I’m the same way. Some people want to see a band of well-trained soldiers. I live for the kid who is in their own little world, singing his heart out and gyrating his body in ways that would make a contortionist jealous. 🤣

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  22. Lovely post.
    Brought back such lovely memories of rehearsals, behind the scene moments of getting the little ones ready to on stage and then the performance!
    I remember my nervous, five-year-old dressed in a white shirt, black bow tie and black trousers for his debut as one of the carol singers for his kindergarten, Christmas show.

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