Lending a Hand
It was a great weekend spent building trails, but apparently I was not done helping out!
Yesterday we got an urgent email from the middle school theater director, who I adore. A Midsummer Night's Dream runs this weekend, with a fantastic cast (Beatrix is playing Hermia), and it's the first production back on stage at the school since March, 2020! Tech and dress started yesterday — but suddenly the costume designer can't be due to a family issue — YIKES!
So a couple of other parents and I showed up yesterday to help. It was clear right away that it was going to be chaos; turns out that only a couple of pieces had actually been designed for the show (either shopped or built), with the rest kind of half-pulled from existing stock (like a little trip down memory lane). Still other elements were not there (for example the fairies were all in glittery skirts or leggings, but there were no shirts). Only a few of the kids had previously seen their costumes, and we did not have anyone's measurements. So basically, it was a chaotic herd of 30 anxious middle schoolers, all worried about their costumes.
But boy did we nail it! Our secret weapon was the group of amazing 8th grade costume crew members, who showed up and hauled a**. I m so proud of these amazing young women who might have been nervous about pulling items from stock at first, but once they got some background in it (what they were looking for and the feel and sensibility, and what the difference between a trench coat and a blazer was) were amazing at it, I honestly think even better than what the designer had pulled! And they did it all with a grace and support of their fellow students that was the most important.
One mom worked on passing out the costumes, one took pictures, and I hung out by Ed to take notes and sent out costume notes so we could see what had to be done, along with reassuring kids that they looked ok, that the donkey head was AWESOME, and yes they really needed a smaller/larger shirt or different socks.
It was really fun to get a glimpse into the show and to know I had been of use.
My friend Jessica posted yesterday
"For my birthday this year all I’m asking is that you take 5 minutes and do something nice for someone else."
and that's what was on my mind when I agreed to give up 3.5 precious billable hours to help out. And I could not be more glad that I had done so. If you get such an opportunity, I highly suggest you take it, because here's the secret — turns out that the reward to you is about 100x greater than what you give!
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