Young Thespian

So when I was little, every summer a team from Missoula Children's Theater would come to our town and put on a play for school-age kids, in which auditions are Monday morning, then rehearsals through the week, then two performances on Saturday. And I loved it, and it was great.

So since we've moved back here, we go see the performance each summer, and this year was the first year that Elsie is old enough to do it. Now, Elsie--by nature--is super shy/anxious about a lot of things. And whenever we told her that she could be in the play, she never wanted to, because of her shyness.

In her kindergarten, though, they had a Christmas program, and that was her first "on-stage performance" situation that wasn't a Primary program, and she learned her songs and parts, and when the time came, she did an awesome job. So after that, she realized that performing is fun!

Since her school was run by the Yavapai-Apache nation, they commemorate the 1875 Exodus of the Yavapai and Apache people, which was when they were forced to walk from their land in the Verde Valley, 180 miles to the San Carlos reservation, before finally being allowed to come back 25 years later (at which point white people had taken over their land). So they do an Exodus Play at the kindergarten every year, and Elsie was in it.

She was a villager who cried when the soldiers came...

And rounded everyone up.

Then when they were taken to San Carlos, they weren't allowed to speak in their native language.

Then at the end, they were finally allowed to return home, and wore the camp dresses they had learned to make from petticoats that were discarded by officers' wives.

After the play, Jacob was glad Elsie made it back safe.

Elsie in her camp dress, which one of the Tribe members made for her to wear (but not to keep, unfortunately)

So that went really well, and after school, Elsie was super excited to do the Missoula play, which was "Robin Hood." They have a few main character parts, then a lot of group parts that are divided by size/age, and the smallest kids played skunks that keep the Royal Guards from catching Robin Hood.

As a plus, there were two boys from her Primary class, plus a girl from her school that were fellow skunks, and she had a blast!

So we love watching her perform, and we're glad she's getting a little farther out of her shell and expanding her horizons &c.