The Play

All the world is a stage and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts. I believe that Shakespeare was correct. I often wonder which part am I playing. Where is my Academy award? But, there is no confusion for me as to who was the star performer in my house this past week. It all began with a trip to New York City during Spring break in March. My youngest daughter, Keiana expressed to me that she could not wait to go to New York, and so, off we went. I searched and searched for accommodations that would make our trip affordable and memorable at the same time. As I sat at my computer, Expedia, Travolocity, Book It and other sites open, for hours at a time, I watched as rates changed daily. My type “A” personality, making list after list and developing detailed plans for how to make the best itinerary, I finally did it. I found a hotel, “The Paramount, a Broadway like hotel in the heart of Times Square to accommodate our stay. We flew into New Jersey and took an $89.00 cab ride into the heart of NYC! Our location was ideal. We were right smack in the middle of Times Square. Every Broadway show was just inches away from the front door of our hotel. What show would we see, Annie, Wicked, Newsies, or Motown? We had to decide. Fortunately, for us, we had my Uncle, Tour Guide extraordinaire to help us with tickets. We were able to obtain midlevel center seat tickets to Annie. My daughter, Keiana was hooked, she was now, beyond convinced that she was going to live in New York and perform on Broadway. Each day during our stay, we walked on Broadway and reviewed each show. She and I sang every song in Annie, over and over again. We met up with my Uncle and toured more of NYC. We even had a subway adventure. On her journey to become a Broadway star, Keiana knows, that she will have to learn and do other things. She also wants to be a fashion designer, so, we jumped on the subway and ventured to the Fashion Institute. Now, ventured is a word I use loosely. I am not a subway person. As we neared the subway, my uncle described the third rail. He exclaimed, “Be observant of people in subway stations!!” Never, Never, allow anyone to push you and always stay away from the third rail! That third rail he exclaimed will fry you like a piece of bacon! “ Ok, I stated, note to self, stay away. We boarded the subway, we preferred to stand, rather than sit. As we stood, a short, wired young man began running back and forth in our subway car, banging his head on the pole, yelling at the pole. Keiana looked at me and said, “Mommy, do you think he didn’t get into Julliard? Yes, Keiana, that’s probably what happened. I just hoped anxiously that the next stop was ours. Soon, we arrived at our stop. As we exited, we began to smell stale popcorn like smell, but it wasn’t popcorn, it was nastier than that. Then, we heard a sound of running water, but there was no water. And then, there it was, a man, standing in the corner, a stream running down by his feet. Don’t look Keiana, keep moving I said. Oh, the sights and sounds of NYC. I told her, yes, you can live here, but get a driver. We made our way to the Fashion institute, where they had the shoe exhibit. That is where she once again, discovered her love of the shoes with the Red Bottoms, Christian Louboutins! We toured the statue of Liberty, 5th Avenue, The Plaza Hotel, Trump Towers, The Today Show, Rockefeller Center, and more. We have vowed to return many more times. After returning home from NYC, we learned of an opportunity for both Keiana and her sister to audition for a role in the Georgetown Community Theater’s production of Cinderella. One evening, we loaded into our faithful Toyota Sienna and headed for auditions. Big sister decided that this was not an opportunity that she cared to pursue. Well, this made the opportunity even more intriguing for Ms. Keiana. She pursued the roles with vigor. She was cast as a townsperson and an assistant chef in Cinderella. The practices were long and the friendships made were many. A cast of 83 were selected to perform in the local Scott County High School Auditorium to a sold out crowd, during four performances. She was a marvelous townsperson, coming to life on stage, practicing each night from 6-9 and some nights 7-11 P.M. I watched her and filled with pride as any mother would, watching my little girl who had dreamed of performing on Broadway during Spring break, now performing in her first community theater project. There were nights, when she came home and fell asleep in her clothes. But each morning, when I would ask her, do you still enjoy the theater, do you want to continue, she would shake her head yes, and say, mommy, I love it. If all of the world is a stage, Keiana Slaughter owned that stage this weekend in Scott County. She performed her roles with vigor and with great talent. She wasn’t the lead, but she was my lead. She taught me, that we can create our own stage and we can make any role a lead role. I am proud of you Keiana Slaughter. This weekend, you were my leading lady.