Cheaper by the Dozen

Last year, Daddy and I were in our church's production of "The Elephant Man".  It was a fantastic experience, though it certainly presented its share of challenges in terms of babysitting.  We apparently didn't learn our lesson in that, because this year, we both auditioned again for the next spring play:  Cheaper by the Dozen.  Now, if you saw a movie by the same name starring Steve Martin, this play is NOT, I repeat, NOT the same thing.  This one is based on a book that was written by 2 of the 12 Gilbreth children.  Mr. Gilbreth was a man who studied the economics of motion, and sought to create processes or products that minimized the amount of motion required for a particular activity.  Among other things, he was responsible for the garbage cans whose lids open when one steps on a pedal.  Kinda cool, huh?  :)  The play focuses on the Gilbreth family, and the various communities that were created within it--community between Mr. and Mrs. Gilbreth, community between the oldest girls, community among the children as a whole, etc.  It's a beautiful story.

And we're both a part of it!  :)  Daddy is playing Mr. Brill, a teacher who comes to the house to give the children some special examinations.  The role was originally written for a woman, but Daddy played the sharp-toned, precise character better than any of us during auditions.  It's a smaller role than the one he had last year, but we're ok with that, as it will make babysitting a bit easier...because you see, I'll be quite busy...I'm playing Mrs. Gilbreth.  That's right, mother of 12, right here.  It's a bit of a blow to my ego...I didn't think I looked THAT old yet!  ;)  It's especially ego-destroying in that one of the older 'child' roles is being played by a friend who's actually older than me...  But I've already gotten several 'hi mom' statements from my various 'children,' as well as numerous 'I own you now'-type hugs from the smallest girl in the cast.  And that all prettymuch rocks.

So it'll be a busy few months, what with rehearsals, real life, finding sitters, figuring out good trade arrangements with said sitters so we can avoid having too many actual $$ going into all this...But I'm looking forward to the process very much.  It was worth it last year, and it's very much worth it again this year.  We had our first all-cast read-through last Tuesday, and it was SO much fun.  I love this cast already.  And I love the chance to again be on stage. :D