I still have lots of blogging catch up to do, but I've decided to tackle the backlog from both ends by going back and forth between current blogs and catch up blogs. Today you get a current blog, courtesy of our recent "road to hell"...
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When Hallie started high school the only thing I really, truly wished for her was that she'd find a friend. Yes, I wished she would grow intellectually. Yes, I wished she would do well academically. Yes, I wished she'd find the subject(s) at which she excelled and figure out which paths - college, major, profession, etc. - she hoped to travel following high school. But most of all I wanted her to find PEOPLE.
In the first draft of this post, I wrote what quickly snowballed into an essay about Hallie's social experiences freshman and sophomore years. In the second (this) draft of this post, I deleted most of that essay, deciding that those stories weren't mine to tell.
I can share the summary, however, which is that finding people and her place in high school took Hallie a long time. Participating in last January's High School Musical helped her find the right path, but the journey was slow. It wasn't until this fall, when she auditioned for and received an incredible role in Hadestown, that she finally found herself having the kind of high school experience with the kind of people I'd wished for her years ago.
Many of us on the Booster Club Board and Musical Committee joked that this show was cursed from the start. I won't go into all of the details, but the fact that a show - any show - made it to the stage at all is impressive. The fact that the show ended up being, according to many patrons, the best Consol musical they'd ever seen, is downright miraculous.
Every detail - the immersive front of house experience, the layered and meticulously-crafted set, the carefully curated costumes, the innovatively choreographed dances, the captivating musical accompaniment, the perfectly designed lights and sound - came together in the most spectacular way. And the incredible talent... The chorus provided depth and significance. The leads made me want to sing again. The moments that mattered - those moments that make or break a show's story - were breathtaking.
I don't know that I've ever felt...is sadder the right word?...when a show wrapped. Knowing I couldn't see it again (even after I watched most of four shows and all of two dress rehearsals) made me feel kind of like how I felt when Will played his last game as a Lad last spring.
I'm so proud of the cast - including my girl - and crew who worked ridiculously hard to bring Hadestown to the stage...and I'm so grateful to all of these extroverted theater kids who have helped Hallie feel like she has a place in the great big world that is high school.
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Also, a HUGE thank you to Hallie's friends, my friends, and some of our family members who showed up big for our girl. We love you.
