Fiddler on the Roof and FAME

About 19 years ago, when Space Cadet was still a baby, Prince Charming and I went to The Fox Theatre to see Fiddler on the Roof. It was good, but our seats were way in the back and the stage and performers looked very small.

Tonight, along with Czarina and Hoodie Girl, we went to see a Homeschool production of Fiddler on the Roof. Our seats were very good. . . we were in the second row. It was amazing. We especially enjoyed the 15 year old boy who played Tevye, the main character. That boy has a bright future ahead of him!

(When Tevye refuses to let Chava marry Fyedka, Hoodie Girl leaned over to Prince Charming and whispered, “If you ever do that to one of us, I am going to slap you!” Then she ranted on the way home about the unfair racism of the whole thing.

Czarina has decided for some time now that she is going to be a star. . . actress, singer and dancer. She is already talking about how cool it will be when she opens for the Jonas Brothers. She doesn’t seem open to any other option for her adult life. My other kids at some point have all expressed interest in creative yet impractical careers, and I have always asked them, “But how are you going to earn a living while you are waiting for your (acting, singing, writing, film directing, etc.) career to take off?” Czarina doesn’t NEED another option. She is going to be a star and earn lots of money.

sigh

I’ve talked to her about the steps needed to get to such a career, and that there are a lot of very talented people who DON’T become stars. Last month she joined the Joyful Praise Homeschool Choir (which has drama in their productions as well). Hoodie Girl was in the choir for several years when she was younger, and it was a great experience for her. The director is an amazingly talented woman and the productions are always top-notch. Plus it’s a great group of kids.

Their spring productions always have a patriotic theme. This year the characters include immigrants from other countries. Czarina plays an immigrant from. . . you guessed it. . . Russia! She is in one scene where she has a long speech to memorize about how scary it was to leave Russia and come to America. She also sings part of a song in Russian. (The song is My Country ‘Tis of Thee and several people sing part of it in different languages). She gets to wear “Russian native dress”. We need to figure out what that is and put it together. She also is one of the dancers during a dance number, and gets to wear a pretty white flowing dress. She is really excited!

Czarina would also like to audition for community theater, and heard about auditions for actors, singers and models on the radio. She wrote down the number so we could call.  I told her that before she adds anything else to her plate (she is also learning to play the piano), she needs to be able to do her school work mostly independently and maintain a B average for one semester. Right now I am spending about 5-6 hours a day with her on schoolwork, as her reading level is about 3rd grade and her schoolwork level is 8th grade. Today she tried very hard to do as much as she could by herself. I guess the prospect of fame is a great motivator for her!