Aladdin

Tonight was Ava's last performance in her school's play.  This year they presented Aladdin.  She loved being in the play so much last year that when they announced try-outs for this year she was eager to participate.  She was a lead townsperson this year, which is a pretty big part.  She had to learn choreography and lines for about four songs and was on stage for most of the performance.  Not only was she a lead townsperson but she was also an understudy.  The director of the performance stopped by my work one day immediately after try-outs and told me how impressed she was with Ava's reading and language ability.  She had considered giving Ava a narrator part but that was one she usually reserved for fourth and fifth graders.

Peeking out at the crowd

Some of her fans

However, a week before the first performance, the director asked Ava to fill in for one of the narrators that would be absent on the second night.  She was so excited!!  For the next week, she practiced with that narrator and we also practiced her lines at home.  She did fantastic on the first night as the lead townsperson and on the second night she shined as one of the narrators!  Not only did she play the narrator but she still played her part as lead townsperson.  She played the narrator part like she had been practicing it all year.  The second night was also the night that everyone came to see her.  Cassie and Nick came down from Atlanta as well as Quincy, Chase, Gigi, Papa, Grandma, Lealane, Olivia, Owen, and our family of course.  Before the performance the director came out to deliver opening remarks.  As she shared how hard the kids had been working she called Ava by name and went on and on about how proud she was of Ava for stepping in as a narrator and how she could not get over the fact she was only in the second grade.  She even got a little emotional when talking about Ava which made me a little emotional.  It was like she saw Ava the way we do for just a moment.  After the performance, we went to mama and daddy's house for a late supper and cake.

The next weekend they had two performances as well.  The Tuesday before the Friday night performance the director e-mailed me to see if Ava could fill in for a different narrator who would be out Friday night.  This meant different lines and solo but Ava was confident she could do it.  She said, "Mama, I know all the lines in the play.  I could be Jasmine!"  I believe she could!  She did a stellar job again and ended her run Saturday night as just the lead townsperson.  She cannot wait until next year's play!

Sweet cousins