The auditorium was dark, not completely. There were some
lights on, but not enough for you to make out the details of a person standing
a few feet from you. The stage curtain was closed, the orchestra pit had a few
lights on and I could make out shadowy movement of people in it.
I looked
around the large room and saw there were maybe two dozen people in attendance.
I guessed most of them were parents or family members of the actors and maybe a
few teachers. I felt a bit crestfallen there were not more people there. Yet, I
couldn’t blame them. Hell, if I had not had a family involved in this
production, I would have been at home either resting on my couch or sitting on
my porch having a cigar.
As my eyes
adjusted to the darkness I saw my party. I made my way over to them and was
about to sit down when I saw a buddy of mine and his fiancée walking up. I was
surprised to see them and honored at the same time. We talked for a few moments
and then took our seats.
The lights
dimmed, my daughter strolled out on stage and gave a brief synopsis of what we
were about to witness and then she walked off the stage.
Thirty
minutes later and a million emotions later I was beaming with pride.
My daughter
had written, directed and produced a play at sixteen years old. Not just a
throw away play where students act out scenes and there is no plot or message.
Nope, she did a full on scene changing play in several acts. These acts
followed a story line that was maintained through the entire show. There was
character development, emotional stress, emotional comfort, anger, joy, sadness
and even a two different plot twists.
But under
it all was my daughters message.
That
message, understanding and acceptance.
While I
don’t think some people understood what was being said on stage, in the end,
when the two different groups of actors accepted each other not for their
differences but for what they discovered they had in common, well, I was
honored to be my daughters father.
Now, that
is not saying I don’t feel that way every day. It is just that there seems to
be times in our lives where we as parents take for granted our children. Then,
they step out of their box, find a passion and follow it. Which then leads to
some amazing occurrences in life.
In this
case, my offspring did something that I never even thought of doing. She also
did something most of my contemporaries have never done. I mean after all, how
many people do you know who not only have written a play but then went on to
direct and produce one? On the heels of this, she has also written, directed
and filmed a short movie that is being considered for a student film festival.
Where did
she get these ideas? Where did her talent come from? How did she learn to do
this stuff and where will it take her?
I have no
idea to any of these answers, I do know that no matter what she wishes to do, I
will support her and help her in any way I can.
The reason
I do this? Simple, I want to continue to be amazed by her and what she comes up
with.
So proud,
so happy and so excited to see what she comes up with next.
Have a
great week.
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