Last night was the final production of Joseph. What an energizing thing to watch! I wish I were sixteen again so I could fit in, join in, and share this amazing experience with the kids. They had a party afterward, and since I always look for any excuse to dance, I teasingly asked my son if I could party with them (since I had to wait around to drive them home afterward anyway). He looked aghast and said, "No. You can sit in a corner and read." Tee hee. But he's right. This evening belonged to the kids, and rightly so. They've earned it. I heard one of the prop masters say that she had nothing to do. The kids had everything down pat and she no longer had to do anything -- the kids ran it all like clockwork.
There was some talk amongst the adults about putting on another musical but this time with all ages in the cast, but I don't think it would be the same at all. The kids wouldn't have the enthusiasm and spirit that they put into it when it was just them and the show was theirs alone. They bonded together over this show, and that was, after all, the point of the whole thing.
What will come out of this besides fond memories? Maybe some new friendships. A sense of accomplishment. Maybe an awakening to talents and interests they didn't know they had. Certainly on my part I will never look at a teenager I don't know in quite the same way again. Who knows what lies within them? Who can tell what great things they are capable of? The only way to find out is to give them opportunities like this and then stand back and watch...and applaud.
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