Last weekend we had the thrill of watching Nia in her first onstage production, Finding Nemo Jr, The Musical. After three months of rehearsals, the kiddos sang and danced their hearts out in six productions between Thursday and Sunday. Nia was cast in the role of Bruce, the leader of the shark gang who is doing his best to change his carnivorous ways. Check out the awesome costume that she rocked, complete with shark head!
There were some massively talented people involved in this production and the costumes were a huge testament to that. Lots of parents (and grandparents!) behind the scenes helping with costumes, sets, makeup, hair, and props. I had a blast being the backstage green room assistant at the first show on Thursday morning, which was performed for local school kids. I also got to take tickets at the final show and Nick assisted with taking the set down once the show was complete. It was an intensive weekend for the whole family, and while we came away exhausted, it was also exhilarating to be a part of the magic and get to know others in the community better.
Nia was absolutely hilarious as Bruce and nailed her Australian accent (the show is set in the Great Barrier Reef and an aquarium tank in Sydney, Australia). Her big scene featured her soft-shoe dancing with her shark gang while singing the song Fish Are Friends, Not Food. She had both solo lines and solo singing, but didn’t come across as nervous at all. Amazing considering that this was her first time doing theatre!
We attended the Saturday matinee with Nick’s parents, but she also had a teacher and four friends who came out to cheer her on. It was so heartwarming seeing her supported by the community we’ve built here. And now she has all sorts of new theatre-kid friends from others schools that she’s made through the show.
As some of you know, I’m a proud former theatre kid, having participated in 12 shows over my four years in high school. Theatre (and the other performing arts), were my life back then and contributed immensely to the person I am today. Being in theatre taught me so many things—how to project and speak with confidence, how to handle my nerves, how to improvise when things went wrong, how to embody a character, and how to work as part of a team.
I smiled to myself as I listened to Nia complain during the messy middle when it seemed like things were so far from perfect, watched her learn to manage her nerves and trust that it would come together if everyone did their part, and then, during that last stressful week…cheered as they added in costumes and sets in run-throughs and marveled at what they’d created together. There’s truly nothing like it.
I’ve known since Nia was a little girl that she was meant for the stage, and one of my long-held Mama dreams for her was that she’d know that same joy and exhilaration that theatre brought me. It’s such a high birthing a show and I loved living vicariously through her these last three months. I hope theatre continues to be a place where she feels seen and embraced for who she is. But most importantly, I hope that it gives her lifelong friends and cherished memories she’ll hold onto forever.
Surgery Update: Switching gears…next Tuesday I’m finally getting my foot surgery. The surgery is in response to an injury I sustained back in October 2023 when a massage therapist in Kazakhstan dug in too deeply around the ball of my foot by my pinkie toe. I’ve tried every therapy in the book, but nothing has made the pain go away. Hence, the surgery.
The doctor still isn’t entirely sure what’s wrong because nothing is showing up on the MRI or x-rays. She does have three guesses as to what she thinks it will be and I had to pre-approve each of those procedures, but she should likely have to do only one or two. So yeah, it’s a bit exploratory in nature. She’s going to cut open the top of my foot by my pinkie toe and take a look around at the nerves, tendons, bones and joint capsule, then fix whatever the problem is. Recovery time is 6-8 weeks for normal people, but my Rheumatoid Arthritis usually doubles my recovery time, so I’m planning to be impaired for most of the spring. Perhaps my body will surprise me though. Suffice to say, I’ll take all the good thoughts/prayers that you’re willing to send my way both on Tuesday and in the coming months as I heal. Thank you all!