You Can Fly!

For the past five weeks I've been staying with my aunt and cousin in America, and it’s gone by so quickly. I’ve been to a drum circle, visited the Biltmore Estate, eaten tater tots, and bought some really cute floral jeans, among other things. I've also been helping out at the theatre group/academy that my cousin attends, and they've been working on a production of Peter Pan (Jr.). Tonight was the opening night.

Of course people ad-libbed when they forgot their lines, people missed their cues to get on stage, there was a rush to get in and out of costumes, song lines were sung too early, but there were no awkward silences! It went fantastically, actually. It was amazing seeing a production come to life like that after having weeks of learning lines and lyrics, and watching rehearsals and blocking.

For someone who hasn't acted properly for a show since they were ten, it was wonderful just having the opportunity to help out with the younger kids, and to help people with their lines and make sure their costumes were stage-ready. It helped that loads of the actors were such a pleasure to be around. I’m looking forward to helping out tomorrow and the day after too. I can officially say that I’m friends with Wendy, Peter Pan, and Captain Hook. Well, with the people who play them! I also got my hair brushed by Captain Hook’s hook, which was pretty strange…

Tonight I helped backstage and watched the production from the wings. When I went to fetch the little kids so they could go on stage, I saw my mum standing in the lobby (she only flew in this evening and I hadn't seen her for a month). I don’t think my brain processed any thoughts at the time because I just sprinted over to her and hugged her tightly. It was so wonderful to see her after so long, especially when it was unexpected! It seemed like a scene straight out of a movie, if I’m being honest. Today has been a pretty cool day. I've spent time with my cousin and helped her out with her school project - which mostly required painting, perseverance and patience. Plus I got to do her make-up for the show (my sister also loves acting and singing, so I’m used to doing her stage make-up), which was fun, especially because my cousin loved how it looked.

It was a great experience all in all, and I even got my name mentioned in the programme under ‘special thanks’, which I can honestly say I didn't expect! So, wow. I've had a great time, and I truly don’t want this to be my last week in NC.

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