Away Show
Yesterday we did an away show with Jet City for Kate’s school, Maple Elementary. It was a great time. Though, I did feel like I was hesitating to prevent from saying/doing something inappropriate for such a young crowd. But the others who were cast were experienced Hogwashers and had the experience improvising for littleones and they, along with their teachers, yucked it up.
If there were to be a downside, it was that the entire 5th grade was not there for the show. Despite having Jet City on the school calendar since late January, the 5th grade teachers scheduled a field trip that day. This greatly frustrated Kate, partly because the show was paid for by the PTSA for an assembly for the ENTIRE school, but also because it makes her job that much more difficult when she starts teaching 5th graders drama in April. If there were to be one grade of assholes at her school, it’s the 5th graders. They are now the cock of the walk, and too cool to do anything silly or potentially embarrassing. Kate was banking on having all the kids watch professional improvisers demonstrate that it is ok to take risks and be ridiculous, she needed some kind of buy-in to get them to try performing. When she found out that the 5th graders wouldn’t be there, I don’t think I have ever seen my wife seethe before. She was seething.
Regardless, the show itself was fantastic. They loved a death by story letter to grandma. One of the teachers was astounded by how well one of the English-Language-Learner 2nd graders did speaking up as a ‘Pillar’. The only thing that got more laughs than the assortments of hats, glasses and wigs we wore was when Jon Axell ran backwards at the very end.
Well done all!