Last week I didn't focus on anything each day but getting ready for dress rehearsals, reviewing lines, putting a few props and costumes in order and other odds and ends for the play "Jane Eyre." My oldest, Tova (18) had worked last summer on adapting the book into a play and scaled it down to a very effective, impactful 2 hour production. She organized performers, rehearsals and locations, student-directed and dealt with some pretty major hurdles of people dropping out for one reason or another, location problems, and all those last-minute flusters that are the bane of every director.
And she handled it beautifully.
We ended up having 6 of our children in it, two as orphans and one with relatively small speaking parts and then three with multiple parts or major roles. It was fantastic to see Kel (17) play a fantastic John Eyre and then a disgruntled yet passionate Rochester. I think he counted 250 some-odd lines for his main role and he got them all. Oh, and I was the old lady version of Jane, but I just sat in a rocking chair and read my lines while I pretended to "write them down" in a journal...Tova's clever idea of a narrator to help bridge those gaps in story-line.
The play was passionate, emotional, amusing at a few points and an excellent selection of examples of human character. They did a fantastic job and it was totally worth it!
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| Tova (second from left), Drew and then Lily to the right of Tova, Hava in front, and Kel is far right |
During weeks like this, we learn hard and fast:
-how to get out the door with all the props we need
-how to review lines again and again even when we are tired of them
-how to find meaning and depth in those lines and make them convincing
-how to be creative in coming up with effective props and costumes
-how to care for siblings if you are left home while everyone else is at rehearsal
-how to prioritize: the house was a mess many nights and I am sure we ate cold cereal for dinner at least one night
-how to try and get those absolutely essential things in as well in a shorter yet still effective manner: family work, outside employment, other classes, devotionals, and family reading (yes, those are essentials :)....)
-how to still show Dad that we love him even as we are running like mad back and forth
-how to cook a dinner and have it ready for needy actors when you are not going to be in your house because of a home inspection and final walk-through of buyers for our house...literally for the three hours
right before our call-time for our last production...crazy!
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how to still be nice and supportive of each other. That can be tricky :).
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| Piper and I have joined this picture. Me top center and Piper bottom left. |
