Friday's opening performance was great! We had about 40-50 people in the audience, and all the kids hit their lines really well. No one missed getting on stage on time either. We got quite a few laughs at the parts we suspected, and a few things that weren't exactly planned (the king's crown stuffing showing) got some laughs too, which was okay since this *is* a comedy.

Last night for some reason did not go as smoothly. We had 80-100 people in the audience this time, and it seemed like everyone just kept missing cues or pausing a little too long or something. The giant dropped his sword when he was supposed to be like a statue; some of our sleepers were not very still OR with their eyes closed; the green room wasn't given the proper time to send out characters, so poor Kenny missed his second scene entirely (luckily, it was something that could be skipped over without a new audience noticing too much); the sleepers came on late too because of that; one girl was out there but wasn't supposed to be, and instead of falling asleep, she walked back offstage. Argh. BUT, the good things were that we got even more laughs and some laughs in new places. The swordfight went over really well. The audience loved that. : )

Jack did a pretty good job both nights. The first night Brandon, the other servant, started to forget his second line, so Jack leaned through the plant and whispered a bit of it to him. Last night, they were right on and got some chuckles for being cute. The sleeping part is definitely the hardest for them because it is just a lot to ask of a 5-year old body to lie still for such a long time under those lights. Jack kept rubbing his eyes because even with them closed, the lights are so bright they bother his eyes and make them water some.

My scene of course is at the end, and mostly the crowd wonders why I am even in the play, lol. Last night was funny though because the curtain was drawn on the last scene, the spotlight came up on the bed, and there's no Melinda or Grandmother. I can't exactly "come home" to no one. *lol* So, we had to wait a good 5-10 seconds for the two of them to navigate to the front of the stage from the back. I don't know why they did that. Oh well. It was still fun and we all got our lines out fine.

The dance went really well last night, and the kids have gotten the curtain call down more smoothly now too.

The weather is not cooperating this weekend. Of course, since Gma Rose is here from Florida, it's been 60s, chilly, windy, overcast, rainy. All the things that it is *not* right now in FL. We have a matinee show today, and I hope the weather clears up a little bit before then. But, looking at the radar, I see a big blob of rain heading straight for us.

I had Jack sleep in his bed last night instead of sharing mine with Gma because he needed to get some extra sleep, and it seems like whenever he shares a bed, he gets up too early. We've been getting home at 10:30pm from the play shows, and yet he got up before 7am yesterday. So, this morning? He was up at 8am. That's much better. : ) He was having quite the meltdown last night though, and in the morning, he was a bit difficult too. Even with a nap (I think), he wasn't in the best of moods during the show. I will be glad when the play is over so that he can get back to a regular schedule. A return to a regular schedule if only for a week or so would do wonders I am sure.

Okay, time to clean up the dirty boy and find the library. I think we might finally visit the Champaign library today. I never found it since it's around downtown Champaign where we never are, but I think it's near where Stratton is, and if Jack will be going there next year, we might as well start visiting it. The free library in Urbana was much more convenient it seems. I hope everyone else is having a good weekend!