When I was a kid, I dreamed of becoming a great actress. That Annie character (actress Aileen Quinn) had nothin’ on me. Well, except that she could act. And dance. And sing.
I enrolled in drama the first chance I could when I was in seventh grade. My dreams of stardom would soon be realized.
Until I realized I hated acting.
Well, I didn’t hate all elements of it but one in particular: improv. And this class was all about off-the-cuff acting. Though I was an overly self-assured seventh grader, I was way too self-conscious about being funny on demand so after just one semester my acting career was over.
Last summer, my friend Dawn offered a free drama class for a couple of months and both kids really enjoyed it. Hadley, in particular, has loved acting in her class plays and has an impeccable memory (she can recite everyone’s lines). She had a blast last year during her Unceremonious Death as the Wife of Baldur but I thought that was the extent of it until she begged me to enroll her in Colorado ACTS, a local community theater, with her friend London.
At Colorado ACTS with London
I himmed and hawed. I pulled them from their activities this winter so we could enjoy downtime together but finally relented. Performing in front of people is an excellent skill to have when so many struggle with public speaking. Plus, the theater is literally one minute from my house and the class is only one night a week.
I love that Colorado ACTS is a smaller theater company with a big heart so she’s learning a lot of skills she might not have otherwise. Hadley is having the time of her life! Not only is she learning to sing, dance and act but the kids are helping to craft the script for their original production of “Rock Around the Block.”
On the first night, each child had to decide upon their stage name from the 1950s (she’s Annette) and also write on a piece of paper whether they were willing to do a musical solo. The other kids discreetly gave their answers but when it came her turn, she dramatically declared:
“That would be a big, fat NO.”
Maybe there’s a future for her in theater after all.
I'm a Canadian-born mom of two, former Denver Post columnist, family travel writer, editor of MileHighMamas.com and 9News contributor. Expert on all things Utah, Denver, family and travel. Lover of laughter and life. Happily married to a man obsessed with growing The Great Pumpkin. 