Long ago and far, far away in my other
life, I played Snoopy in You're a Good Man Charlie Brown.
(Yes, Snoopy is usually a male part, but that's the part they gave
me.) I have seen the play performed a few times since then and
continue to sing songs from it on a regular basis. Friday night I
saw the play once again, and it was my favorite performance thus far.
I saw it at a local high school, and I went because my special buddy,
Sarah, was going to be in the chorus.
Normally, the play has only six roles.
However, this version had dozens of kids. The director thought of
many clever ways to involve numerous kids giving them opportunities
to sing, speak, and dance on stage. This included the kids in special
education classes as well, and it was all done seamlessly and
flawlessly. Sometimes, Charlie Brown was the only one on the stage.
Sometimes there were only two or three characters, and sometimes the
whole gang was out there. Amazingly, each time the number of
characters seemed just right.
I was thinking later about the play and
the number of characters that were on stage at any one time. This
seemed like a good model for the balance that I need to have in my
life. Sometimes, it is important for me to be alone and to listen to
what I am really thinking. Other times, it is good for me to have
just one or two other people around who can support me in a very
personal way. And sometimes, it's just fun to have the whole gang.
And if I'm really smart, I'll figure out when I need to have each of these times.
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But wait, there's more...
--Sarah, did great in the play. She was well behaved and was always where she was supposed to be.
--I did great watching the play. I was well behaved and only had to be poked once by Ward when I was singing along too loudly.
Fun! That's a fun show, and it's fun that Sarah was in it.
ReplyDeleteIt was a fun show and I was very proud of Sarah. Her parents are thrilled that this kind of inclusion is being practiced at her school instead of just Sarah's class doing something by themselves.
DeleteThat sounds a really good show. I loved Charlie Brown when I was a child, and I should really reacquaint myself with him and his 'gang'!
ReplyDeleteIt's a really fun show, very much like the comic strips were with fun songs added. A lot of school groups and community theater groups perform it over here. I don't know if it's the same over there.
DeleteThat's great! I love plays put on by children, I still remember the dinosaur play my 28 year old did in first grade. It's the little things that stay with us.
ReplyDeleteI remember the play my son was in in first grade also. He was a supposed to be a Pilgrim, but he decided he was going to be a tornado instead and spun around on stage.
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