A Homeschooler's Guide to Community Theatre-part 2 (aka my life as of late)

• Tip Number One: In the week leading up to opening night, you may have to be at the theater every. single. night. for several hours. It's going to wear you out, especially when it's pouring rain. But it's all worth it when the audience laughs for the first time, so never complain.

• Tip Number Two: Don't put off taking backstage pictures until the last performance. You'll want pictures and you'll want plenty of them.

• Tip Number Three: A foolproof way to combat nerves immediately before going onstage is to act out the scene currently being performed. Seriously. Your other cast members will look at you funny, but if you can get some of them to join in, it will be fantastic. 

• Tip Number Four: .If an entire page an a half accidentally gets skipped opening night, don't freak out. Laugh instead of cry. Chances are, the audience has no idea. Or they do, but they're nice about it... 

• Tip Number Five: Even if you feel awkward about all of the 'you make such a cute couple' and 'when are you getting married??' comments after the show, just smile and nod. Especially when your 'husband-to-be''s actual girlfriend goes through the receiving line.

• Tip Number Six: GET LOTS OF SLEEP! Especially when you have over four hours of homeschool musical auditions the day before a performance. (which, by the way, went pretty amazingly, even when you take into account that 74!! kids tried out. I feel so blessed to have the chance to work with a cast so big right after finishing up my first community theatre show!)

(I got to have the super-awesome job of 'walkie-talkie lady'. I have never felt as cool.)

• Tip Number Seven: The striking of the set isn't as bad if leftover cupcakes and cookies are set out in the green room. In fact, snacks make backstage approximately 23x more exciting. Especially on opening night. 

• Tip Number Eight:  At the after-party, don't feel silly sitting at the 'kid's table'. The 'grown-up table' is boring, anyways. Plus, it's likely that just because it's referred to as the kid's table, doesn't mean that adults won't join you. Side note: I have doubts that I actually was sitting at the kid's table....We weren't the table that started a placemat airplane war. ;)

• Tip Number Nine: Appreciate your directors and really, truly, thank them. You have no idea how much effort, time, thought, work, and tears they have put into the show. Thank them. Seriously.

• Tip Number Ten: Never, ever, ever, ever forget to give a good-bye hug after the last performance to every member of your cast/theatre family. Ever.