Alaina has been in the spotlight a lot this month, playing her cello in a strings festival at the beginning of May and also getting ready to perform as Matilda in her school play next week.
Alaina hadn't performed live on her cello (for anyone except her family) since her very first recital, a Christmas concert in December 2019. We were really excited for her to play in her first festival on May 7, and the adjudicator gave her lots of positive comments. A few days later, she traded in her 1/2-size cello for a 3/4 size.
Even more than practicing the cello, though, Alaina has been preparing for her role as Matilda in Matilda the Musical, her first experience with musical theater. She and Janae have been at the school late into the afternoons all year, as well as many hours on Saturdays, practicing songs, choreography and acting--all while wearing masks until April. Most impressively, though, Alaina has not missed even one practice!
Alaina has also taken her role to heart in other ways. For example, even though she'd already read several of the books Matilda mentions in the musical, including A Tale of Two Cities, Jane Eyre, Lord of the Rings, and The Secret Garden, Alaina has been working through the rest of her character's list of favorites, including Oliver Twist, Tess of the D'Urbervilles, and Nicholas Nickleby. Alaina has also re-read the novel Matilda, listened to the musical soundtrack as much as possible, and re-watched the movie.
I have loved hearing her singing the songs or quoting the lines with Janae or Eric, and throughout the year our anticipation for the play has been building.
Lately, though, we've had the added experience of seeing Alaina's face around town on promotional posters. We were so surprised the first time … we were just going into a store, and there she was!
And then she turned up on Instagram.
(Janae, too!)
Yesterday, I was just casually reading the newspaper, and there Alaina was again :)
Clearly, "fame isn't everything," but it's kind of fun to have our new celebrity (I always try to say it in Snape's voice) showing up in unexpected places as the school promotes the play.
This week both girls (as well as Ben, who was recruited to the stage crew) will be in dressed rehearsals and performances all day every day, so we'll finally get to see them on stage!
Without a doubt, this past year has been an amazing time of growth and new experiences for Alaina, and we are so proud of her.
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