No Small Parts

You know the saying.

No small parts, only small actors.  Well, I have no clue where it comes from or who said it but it has come to mean something here in Drosche Land.  

If you know me or have been following us here for any amount of time you know that Braeden has always, and I mean always, shied away from any kind of public performance  or attention.  All of his Christmas performances he refused to take part in, instead opting to cry and watch from afar.  His Pre-K graduation; same thing.  Boys dance?  Yep, same thing.  No matter what Amy or I bribed him with tried worked.  Ever.  The first time he willingly, and without tears, participated in something was last year in 1st Grade.  Yes, I'm serious people.  It was the Advent/Christmas concert at school.  He technically was one of over a hundred children at the front of the church singing and he wasn't in the front.  But I'll count it.  

The other parents always pitied us.  There I sat with my camera ready, watching whatever performance it was, with no kid to take a picture of.  Nope.  Sad huh?  We eventually got used to it and stopped worrying about the lack of documentation he would have later in life.  We just learned to accept it for what it was and hoped we'd be able to coax him across the stage at his high school graduation.

That was until this year.  Our school is putting on a Spring Play and students of all ages, 2nd - 8th Grades, were invited to try out.  Well, guess who wanted to give it a shot?  Yep.  I was floored.  Seriously?  For real?  Was I being punked?  Nope, no hidden cameras around and April 1 is far off.  This kid was serious.  He seriously wanted to try out.  So we obliged him.  Encouraged him to sign up.  Talking with him and let him know that auditioning didn't mean he would get a part.  But we were proud of him for doing it.  And we were.  Very.

Then the night before auditions came.  We were Rehearsing with him to prep him. That's when his nerves set in and he started to second guess himself.  We worried that he wouldn't go through with it.  I didn't mind one way or the other, but I was looking forward to the experience for him and the confidence boost it might provide.  But we talked, calmed down, and practiced more.  He was as ready as he was going to be.

So the day of the audition dawned and he was still set on trying out.  I'll be honest.  I was nervous.  The likelihood of him getting a a part was slim, I know.  But he is my baby still, even though he is growing up all too fast.  I didn't want him to be nervous, disappointed, or embarrassed.  But I couldn't do anything about it.  Just pray, sit back, and let him live his life.  My little man.  Lo and behold he went through with it.  One of my friends was one of the judges and I was told he did well.  Now we just had to wait for the casting to be posted.  

The day arrived.  It was up.  He didn't get an actual part, but he was cast as an extra.  Nothing fancy.  Nothing tremendous.  Well, not for anyone else.  But for us this was a huge milestone.  Now we wait for his time to begin practice.  Suddenly we are parents with a kid in some kind of extra curricular.  We knew we'd be here eventually since he loves sports.  But we were thinking 5th Grade.  Not 2nd Grade and certainly not play practice.  But such is life.  Just when you think you know what's going on, you're thrown a curve ball.  HE keeps it interesting for us, I'll admit that.  One day everything is going along normally and the next day we're living in the midst of an actor.

Oh, the part?  A squire in A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.  Rest assured there will be subsequent posts with pictures!  Stay tuned.

What up!

All is well, inside the actor's studio, in Drosche Land.