On the Stage Again

After a two-year hiatus, I found my way back to the stage. And it was fun. And I miss it already.

 

 

I am officially a middle-aged actor. In fact, I celebrated my 45th birthday the day we moved the set into the theater. 

 

Awesome birthday gifts from my husband, Dan

Alas, I am too old to play the ingenue soprano (I have been for a while), but I've discovered that I'm funny . . . or, at least, people laugh at me a lot.

During the run of Hello Dolly, I took "mental pictures." I pointed at something I wanted to remember and clicked at it with an imaginary camera, and not an imaginary phone camera the kids use these days. I think I stole this idea from the Jim and Pam Wedding episode of The Office. 

 

I take "mental pictures" during all of my special times now because life goes by so quickly, and it's my way of trying to make those memorable moments slow down a bit.

 

I even enlisted the young woman who played the role of Minnie Fay to take "mental pictures" with me throughout the show.

 

My mental pictures included, but were not limited to:

 

1. The funny note from one of the stage managers

 

He left it on the table for us (Minnie, Barnaby, Cornelius, and Irene) during Act Two. I didn't ask the others if I could print their portions, but I can tell you my note had to do with keeping my clothes on. 

 

(There is a running joke in the theater that I tend to be naked in my dressing room more often than not. It's hot on stage!)

2. When I couldn't figure out how to turn off the backstage water dispenser and stood there fumbling with it (and cracking up with Minnie) while it overflowed

 

We cleaned it up, don't worry.

 

3. The four of us (Minnie, Barnaby, Cornelius, and Irene) sitting at a table, curtain closed, for most of Act Two

 

We opened our curtain and popped out every now and then for a line or two of dialogue, but we had long sections with nothing to do on stage. We stashed candy, a Sudoku book, and a People Magazine under our table. We also looked at each other and pumped our fists when we heard the cheers and applause as Dolly appeared at the top of the grand staircase for the title showstopping number, which we never got to see because we were behind our curtain.

4. Minnie and I squeezing hands right before our final curtain call on closing night
 

I took more mental pictures. At least one of them had to do with me being naked again, but it might not be appropriate for my more sensitive readers. 😂

 

Photo credit: Dan Lea

Some of the cast post-show

Cornelius Hackle and Irene Molloy

With my husband, Dan

Generous gifts from my fellow actors, students who came to see the show, and my husband, Dan

 

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End of the School Year Fun (A Few Weeks Late)

 

School has been out since Memorial Day, and, yes, I realize this post is a little late to the party. 

 

I have been busy making a "triumphant" (LOL) return to the stage after a two-year hiatus. (I might be blogging about that soon if I decide I have enough material.)

I couldn't let my end-of-the-year anecdotes go to waste though. So let's hop in my blogger time machine and journey back a few weeks to the end of the 2022 school year.

 

1. Mrs. Duggan Wears Pajamas to School

Toward the last weeks of school, I wore what I thought was a super cute outfit. The picture below doesn't do the plaid, cuffed pants justice. 

 

When I greeted the kindergartners at the music room door, one of the kids called out, "Mrs. Duggan, why are you wearing pajama bottoms and a tank top?"

That same day, a 3rd grader asked why I was wearing yoga pants.

 

Not quite the response I was expecting.

 

Pajamas? Really?

 

2. Musical Chairs and Camp Sing Along

On Monday, the last week of school, I ran the musical chairs station at Field Day and led a sing along at the 3rd grade Camp Day. Again, both of these end-of-the-year traditions were back for the first time in two years. 

 

When I returned to my Field Day station for the afternoon session, some of the kids had organized their own game of musical chairs during their recess time.  #Win

 

3. Thank you . . . from 6th graders?!

Speaking of camp singalongs, the 6th graders, in a rare moment of sentimentality, wanted to sing "Down By the Bay" on the last day of music class. 

 

They also showed up with a stack of thank you notes. One of the notes said, "Thanks for tolerating us," a pretty epic epilogue to the 2021-2022 school year. 

 

(Those of you who work in education know what I'm talking about. 😵)

 

 

4. Kindergarten Graduation

Kindergarten Graduation was on the last day of school, and it was CUTE. The kids did a great job and took it very seriously. One little boy sang so strong that he fell backwards. He bounced back up onto his feet immediately and gave me a thumbs up sign. All the while, he kept belting it out.

 

SOAPBOX: Our last day of school coincided with the day after the mass shooting at the elementary school in Uvalde. It was difficult not to see my students in the faces of those children massacred in Texas. 

 

Look at how little these kids are. 

 

America, you worship guns at the expense of your children.

 

 

 

5. We have a choir again!

ALSO, after two years of no singing, we were able to have a choir again! I capped the size at 35 and opened it up to 5th and 6th graders only. Some of the 6th grade thank you notes I received specifically thanked me for directing choir again.

 

In case you were wondering, the kids did accomplish their goal and make Mrs. Duggan cry. The trauma of having to cancel our final concerts two years ago affected both the choir and its director. 

But this year, boy did we make music. Oh. My. Heart.

 

 

 

For the latest blog updates, visit and "like" Rebecca Turner-Duggan.