Time for the Show!

In my Equity 4 post, I went back to Cabrillo to help finish what I had started and helped out with the Talent Show as their MC and advisor. I posted in my Equity 3 post that I felt really strongly about the musical and theatre arts. It's my passion and what I hoped to achieve from this picture was to inspire someone who has yet to discover if it is his/her's too. It was my first time MC'ing so I was just really nervous overall.

In the last rehearsal before the show, which was when this was taken, the kids were all riled up because some of them had just gotten back from science camp. I never went to science camp so I don't know what it's like but from the reactions from the students it seems really fun. As I got them all under control, some of them started to forget the lyrics, some forgot the dance moves to their routines. When they did, I pulled them aside and asked them to talk to one another and practice their act once or twice more. When they got back on stage they were really on point and most importantly they were having fun!

These kids were really different from when they started. They had an extra boost of confidence and vitality. They were more in sync than ever before and I was honored to have helped them.

The night of the Talent Show came and boy were we nervous. We were pacing back and forth making sure everything went as smoothly as it could. Every act was ready when the door was opened to let everyone in. Every seat in the theater was packed after 10 minutes and that just boosted our morale even more!

Overall it was an amazing night. There were some screwups, mostly because of us, but the kids were amazing. There was one girl, Vy Nguyen, who had messed up during her performance and she was crying outside after and I came out and sat with her and talked her through it. I told her that everybody makes mistakes, shared some of my on-stage screwups (like falling face first in a musical) and I told her that the most important thing was that she kept on going. She smiled and came back to the stage and got ready for bows. These kids were amazing and I hope they find joy and passion in everything they do. Thank you Cabrillo. Thank you so much :)