Every weekend there was some kind of show going on at DPAC in May. So you know that means an abundance of fun and a lack of sleep for us. Up first was High School Musical which the performance dates had to be shifted around for because of what else but Covid! We were all three just thrilled to be able to perform it and see what all our hard work created! As the Stage Manager of the show I just lump myself in with the performers because I seriously love everyone of those kids and I’m beyond proud of them. But I definitely had my two favorite performers who absolutely rocked the shows! Keagan and Riley were some of the very youngest in this cast which was a different experience for them. Thankfully so many of the older kids were very sweet and welcoming to them and I think both Keags and Rys loved developing sincere friendships with a great group of high schoolers. That helped with Keagans FOMO (fear of missing out) that a majority of her friends were in a different show. Keagan absolutely killed it as Martha Cox the nights she played her! Even with a smaller role she sure knows how to command the stage! And Riley stole the show one night when she stepped right in between the leads Troy and Gabriella on an important dance part between them. That resulted in Troy who is Brandon one of Riley’s most serious crushes picking up Riley and twirling her around instead much to Riley’s delight! Otherwise both K and R were the cutest cheerleaders I’ve ever seen in my life! The performances were fantastic and all three of us were thrilled at what we had been a part of creating! The middle schoolers cast party at our house closing night and the lunch party between Saturday shows with the big kids was the cherry on top! So pKellie, Justin, Gramas and Reagan coming to see the show must have been the whip cream! Keags even got Justin up dancing out of his seat on the last number and Sa and Todd plus several of the girls family members in Hawaii watched online! This show will always hold a special place in all of hearts and Riley sure made that obvious by insisting on taking her costume in her backpack to school everyday and even sleeping with it like it was a teddy bear!
The next weekend was the DPAC Showcase which was an opportunity for the performance choirs, the dance classes and the preschoolers to perform. Keagan and Riley both did such a wonderful job performing 3 great songs with Ovation and the opening and closing songs combined with Ovation which is the middle schoolers performance choir and Encore which is the high school one.Keagan also got to be apart of an all girls small group that sang “There’s a Fine Fine Line” and also be in the most incredible number that she has ever been a part of. Mrs Shea put together a band of DPACers of sorts of two cello players, two guitar players , a ukulele, violin and piano player and then Keagan was blessed to do the vocals. They performed “If You Knew My Story” and I may be biased but it was a masterpiece! I had listened to Keagan practice it probably 100 times but when it all came together on stage it was pure magic and I was so thrilled for her! The closing number of the show was “You Will Be Found” from Dear Evan Hansen and the kids sang it so powerfully that lots of audience members and performers alike were in tears. Keagan had a good cry and said afterward said she felt the Spirit and felt like Nana was also with her as well. It was all wonderful and another fun and great show that reminds me how blessed we are to have DPAC in our lives! And of course we ended up with another middle schoolers cast party at our house afterwards!
The last DPAC shows in May were two weekends in a row of separate cast performances of Descendants. This was the show that a majority of Keagans friends did so she was thrilled when Mrs Shea asked her to help backstage! She of course loved being there for tech week and helping backstage for the first weekends shows. Riley and I attended Thursday and Friday night but unfortunately Riley had a seizure Saturday morning so we stayed home to rest. Then the night before opening night for the second weekends cast, Mrs Shea asked Keagan to learn the choreography and be in the group dance numbers to help the ensemble. Keags was thrilled again with this request and learned all the choreography well in less than 24 hours and the shows were all really great! And to be quite honest it came at a time where she was really stressed and struggling with something school wise so things kind of worked out in a great way for her! Of course we squeezed in big cast Whataburger lunches on Saturdays and cast party nights (at the Newitt’s and Whitney’s this time!) because who needs rest?
But we also had two non-DPAC shows where both girls made me SO proud! Keagan played her flute in an awesome Doerre Band concert at Klein High and Riley did so well with the choreography and smiling at the Doerre Choir Pop Show!
These awesome girls of mine just love to be on stage and I will never get tired of watching them do what they love and bring their biggest cheerleader!
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