Shakespeare Competition

Thousands of Junior High and High School students in Cedar City, Utah. Julius Ceasar wearing a backpack and tennis shoes running to his next round. King Henry trying desperately to flirt with Juliet in between workshops but he still doesn't really know how to flirt so it's just plain fun to watch. Hoards of students in all black wandering around campus. Several students "talking to themselves" as they rehearse their monologues in hallways or sidewalks. It was quite a scene. Our junior high had a pretty small group this year, just 25 students to keep track of. We were able to see three amazing professional plays in addition to all of the rehearsing and performing that we did ourselves. Each night when we got back from a play we would rehearse in the hotel parking lot until curfew at eleven. It was astounding how much improvement happened in those last few evenings. I don't know if it was the panic or urgency of having to perform "for real" the next day, or if something just clicked, but every piece was so much better by the time they were to perform.
Glenn was a good sport and he and Tate spent a lot of time alone as I was rehearsing and watching students' performances. It was so great to have them there to support me and to be with when I didn't have to be somewhere else. They spent most of one afternoon like this:
Glenn reading a book and Tate rolling around on the bench and playing with the contents of the diaper bag. Tate also really enjoyed my Excedrin bottle. I got a nice migraine on the last day and was happy that I just stopped nursing so I could partake of the really good stuff! Maybe I'll just keep it in the diaper bag because Tate was so entertained by the rattle noises.
We decided to leave before the awards ceremony because Glenn had a flight out early on Sunday but made them promise to call when it was over. One of our monologues took first place which is so great. He really deserved it. We took fourth place overall and I'm just so pleased with how things turned out. I was really impressed with the students and their attitude about the competition. They had a good time, saw some good theatre, and learned a lot. The fact that we placed well was a nice bonus. I'm glad that they weren't too focused on the competition aspect because I think it made for a much more positive experience overall.

I learned a couple of things this weekend:

• I enjoy theatre. I love seeing it, talking about it, and directing it. I have missed it a lot this year and I would like to find some way to be more involved.
• I don't need to teach drama full time. I'm glad I did it once, I really enjoyed coaching the students for Shakespeare but it's just not as important as it used to be and I don't have the drive to spend 80 hours a week teaching drama, which is what I would have to spend in order to feel good about it and know I was doing my best. I have a little boy. I'm his mom. That job is more motivating and important to me right now.

That's it. It was a fun weekend and I'm glad I agreed to coach the students. I'm proud of what we accomplished and it was fun to be around other teachers and friends I used to associate with all the time.