Last week Payton got to be in a play! A traveling children's theater group came to town, held auditions on Monday, practiced all week, and put on performances Friday night & Saturday afternoon. They bring the sets, the costumes, the script, music, and directors . . . and the town just has to supply the venue and the kids.
It was a last minute decision to go to the auditions, but last year we missed them entirely and I had decided that wouldn't happen again. 116 kids showed up, and there were parts for about 60. Both Conner & Payton participated in the auditions. Admittedly, I pulled all the kids over there mostly because I thought this would be Conner's thing. Payton fit the age requirement, so he might as well try out too. But it was amazing to watch the auditions and see that my little Payton was a scene-stealing, attention-grabbing, silly, hammin' it up performer! By the time he made the final cut, and was given the role of Toy Soldier, I was so excited for him! {My favorite part of audition was when they asked the kids to line themselves up from tallest to smartest . . . and Payton was, in fact, the smartest. :) }
Conner did not get a part (there wasn't much for his age), but he dealt with it just fine. I tried to remind him that he had fun during those 2 hours and that's all that matters.
Payton did such a good job. . . his big salute brought down the house (as you'll see in the video below). He was definitely lovin' the stage. He didn't rush through his part at all . . . . this was his moment, and he was going to take advantage of it.
One of the most fun parts for me was observing the relationships he made. After each practice and performance there were multiple (much older) kids coming up to Payton for a high-five, saying "bye Payton" in passing, helping him tie his shoes, etc. It was just really strange to walk out of the auditorium and hear his name called several times . . . . I mean, he's a kindergartner. I'd ask "Payton, who said hi to you?" He'd shrug his shoulders, "I don't know." Just so strange, and fun to see him so popular.
Maybe this face had something to do with it. You just can't miss him.
Without further ado, here is Payton's performance in Pinocchio. The Toys (baby dolls, ballerinas, toy soldiers) were comprised of the youngest kids. Mostly added in for the cute factor, and they definitely delivered.
Following the first performance, on the drive home, Payton said, "I wish that I could be Pinocchio in the play. Because he has the most parts and he's on the stage all the time!" I told him that if he continued doing plays and working really hard then maybe someday he could have a part like Pinocchio. Time will tell, I guess.
For now, he's focusing all his efforts in perfecting a Donkey impersonation from Shrek 2: "trot, trot, trot in place . . . trot, trot, trot in place. Ya!"
