Under The Lights

"Three minutes!" my director calls out. "Thank you, three minutes," we reply, following tradition. The show is about to start, and since it's my first actual show, I couldn't be more excited. I run to the mirror to make a final check  on my makeup and pull on my hat. After a final sip of water, we're ready to sneak up the stairs and funnel into the wings, where we will await the overture, followed by the opening number.

After our director makes announcements and welcomes everyone to Seussical Jr., the overture finally begins. Jojo sneaks onto the stage, followed by the Cat in the Hat, and eventually, we all creep in behind their backs. We dance energetically through the opening number and exit the stage, already excited for the next song.

We play number after number, between moments of waiting and frantic bolts to get to our places backstage. But all through the show, under the lights, costumes, and makeup, there's a little girl inside me who can't stop smiling-- inside or out. Up on that stage, I forget about the world, and being ordinary, and I even forget that most people don't see me dancing in the background. Up on that stage, I'm in one corner of my Ordinary Utopia. Up on that stage I get to feel extraordinary. I get to sing and dance and act and glorify the Lord, all up on that stage. 

But even when I'm not on the stage I'm still elated because it feels like home. My cast became like a family to me-- a big family. We work through the rough spots and help each other out. We have to work together if we want to succeed, so we do. And we have to work hard if we want to glorify the Lord, so we do.

Now of course, once I do this show six more times, it will be over and done. We won't have the same cast again, and it will be a sad goodbye. But it's bittersweet, because it's not goodbye forever. It's just 'goodbye until I see you in another show'. We all have memories from this show, so we'll bid each other goodbye until we can be together to make new ones. . . until we can be under the lights again.