It Is Finished!!!!!

Well, "D-day" has come and gone. What I mean is, my first ever experience as a musical director of a play is over. Alhumdililah (that means "PRAISE GOD!!!!)!!!!! Al Raja School's first ever musical opened on Tuesday, May 6, and ended on Thursday, May 8. I can tell you that watching it was really nerve-wraking! There were 80 students in the production, and getting them to all sing, act, and dance was quite a challenge. In fact, one of the most challenging things I've ever done. I actually stood on the stage for a whole hour one day trying to get this 7th grader to do a box step. No joke! I kept saying "right, cross, right left", and it did not work...until the day of the play! I don't know how the poor guy finally figured it out, but he did!

We did this production of "Oliver", and I've been staying every day after school and coming in on Saturdays for the last three months to get the kinder prepared. Some of my friends will even recall a time when I told them I thought I was getting an ulcer because I was so stressed about the show. In fact, looking back on the play, I feel like we could have made a movie about the entire process, kind of like "Waiting for Guffman." Only this one would have been titled, "Waiting for the Kinder (to stop talking and show up on stage)"! All that aside, however, the kids did a great job and they had a wonderful time. AND, they have had the added bonus of learning a classic piece of literature. What a success! (Sniff, Tear...now I sound like a nerdy teacher if there ever was one...) What am I doing on this Saturday afternoon, now that the play is over, you ask? I'm being a total bum! It's 1pm and I'm still in my PJs. Maybe in a few more days, I'll be able to write more about the show to give you more of an idea of what it was like. But for now, I'm totally fine just being a bum!