I did it!

On Saturday, I performed in Steel Magnolias as Truvy.
If you’ve seen the movie, yes, that’s the Dolly Parton character!

It’s amusing to me to think that I just had one of the biggest parts in a play performed in front of actual real people. I was incredibly shy as a kid; if you have a shy child, be encouraged that it’s not necessarily a permanent condition! I was quite surprised with myself because I was NOT nervous once we got to the day of the play. It was so much fun! I think part of what made it fun, rather than nerve-wracking, were the other wonderful gals in the cast with me.

The four adult ladies (myself included) are homeschool moms; the other two main cast members are teens, one of whom has been homeschooled all her life, and the other attends a local public school. Two of the moms had never been a play before, but they did fantastic. I’ve known our director for about seven years now; she loves directing community theater and sees it as a ministry; she’s also a mom (and grandma!) who is nearing the end of her homeschooling journey as her youngest just turned 17.

The most mind-boggling part of it all: we did this WHOLE thing in just over a month, from start (auditions) to finish (performance). That was two practices per week for four weeks, then rehearsals every night the week of the play. The night before the play, we rehearsed from 4pm until nearly midnight!

We only did two shows: one matinee show and one evening performance. It was in a small historic theater, but we had a pretty good turn-out for both shows, especially considering we had such a very short time frame to promote the show. My mom and my aunt came, as did two of my neighbors and a few friends I hadn’t seen in years — and I finally got to meet my blogland friend Tricia, aka Hodgepodge Mom! Big thanks to her husband for snapping this photo:

Besides the main six characters, there were a few bit parts, including my husband and one daughter: Ken made a cameo appearance as Truvy’s husband Spud, dancing with me in a wedding reception scene. Lindsey had a few lines as “Aunt Fern” — the crazy aunt who made the bleeding armadillo groom’s cake.

This was way out of my “normal” and I don’t have the time to commit to doing this on a regular basis, but I’d love to do something like this again someday!

(See more fun from the show in my set on Flickr!)

Jamie

Wife, mom, J-ma. Introvert who enjoys good books, sunshine, and authentic conversation. Often seen with a steaming mug of tea in hand – unless it’s lost yet again in the microwave. Read more »