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My Daughter’s Future as a Mouseketeer

My Daughter’s Future as a Mouseketeer

When I was a kid, I dreamed of becoming a great actress. That Annie character (actress Aileen Quinn) had nothin’ on me. Well, except that she could act. And dance. And sing. I enrolled in drama the first chance I could when I was in seventh grade.  My dreams of stardom would soon be realized.

Until I realized I hated acting.

Annette's pink Mickey ears

Annette’s pink Mickey ears

Well, I didn’t hate all elements of it but one in particular: improv. And this class was all about off-the-cuff acting.  Though I was an overly self-assured seventh grader, I was way too self-conscious about being funny on demand so after just one semester my acting career was over.

My daughter Hadley has enjoyed performing in her class plays at school and I thought that was the extent of it until she begged me to enroll her in Colorado ACTS, a local community theater, with her friend London.

I hemmed and hawed. I pulled my kids from their activities last winter so we could enjoy downtime together but finally relented. Performing in front of people is an excellent skill to have when so many struggle with public speaking. Plus, the class was only one night a week.

coloradoacts7I’m so glad I did because she had the time of her life  with Colorado ACTS, a small theater company with a big heart. Not only did she learn to sing, dance and act but the kids helped  to craft the script and costumes for their original production of “What’s so Fabulous About the ’50s?”  Lead character Ms. Oswald taught her class how fabulous the 1950’s were while answering the burning questions: Why is Rizzo in such an awful mood? Will Penny ever find out how to help her friend? Will Johnny ever B. Goode? 

For those few months, Hadley became a valued part of a theater family under the direction of 35-year theater veteran Jenn Sharp as they rehearsed their hearts out, had tech week and even a cast party. She’s already begging me to sign her up for their summer camps and again in the fall.

The confidence my daughter gained was a far cry from her first class, when each child had to decide upon their stage name from the 1950s (she was Mouseketeer Annette Funicello) and also write on a piece of paper whether they were willing to do a musical solo.

The other kids discreetly gave their answers but when it came her turn, Hadley dramatically declared:

“That would be a big, fat NO.”

Maybe there’s a future for her in theater after all.

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dance1Colorado Acts has many awesome productions during the school year but be sure to also check-out their week-long summer camps for kids ages 8-18:

  • Frozen Tale of the North Camp June 8th-13th
  • A Midsummer Night’s Dream June 15th-19th
  • Happy Birthday America! Stories of our Patriots  July 6th-10th ;  July 20th-24th.     
  • Young King Arthur July 6th-11th  
  • Beauty and the Beast July 13th-17th
  • Shining Stars: A Class for Differently-Abled Actors and Actresses with special needs  June 22-26; July 13-17;  July 27th-31st
Amber Johnson
Author: Amber Johnson

Amber is the founder and editor of Mile High Mamas, travel writer and former columnist for The Denver Post. She is a passionate community builder and loves the outdoors. She has two awesome teens and is happily married to a man obsessed with growing The Great Pumpkin.

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Amber is the founder and editor of Mile High Mamas, travel writer and former columnist for The Denver Post. She is a passionate community builder and loves the outdoors. She has two awesome teens and is happily married to a man obsessed with growing The Great Pumpkin.

2 Comments

  1. Such fun. I took acting classes as a kit and wanted to be a great actor. Obviously never happened but it did help me become a better public speaker.

  2. I looked up Colorado Acts. Did they used to be in a different location? I really like these small acting troops..the kids get more hands on experience.

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