Well, I had always planned on getting into community theatre after I had kids. I didn’t know that it would be so long after I had kids 
Girl had wanted to do some volunteer work but found that she was too young for everything it seemed. We saw an ad requesting volunteers for the local Gilbert & Sullivan Society production of Ruddigar. I wrote them and said that if Girl was volunteering, I would as well. We were both stage crew and we had a good time.
The production was kind of weird for set changes. There was only one big change from Act I to Act II, a big job, and then doing the portrait changes as the Ancestors came out of their portraits (and then back again). The rest of the time was boredom and waiting.
During this waiting time, there were many dynamics among the crew. Girl was younger than the others and I was older. One of the girls in particular took a real dislike to me. It amused me to watch her snub me and talk to others around me and not acknowlege my existance. After the first week we both got bored of the animosity and talked to each other again. I think one of the reasons why we clashed was that she *knew everything* and I thought that she didn’t. I mean, I was doing theatre in high school before her parents even met each other. I had no plans to bow down to her ‘experitse’.
Since Girl has been homeschooled for so long, she hasn’t been in many groups. This was a positive experience for her. I forced her to go the the cast party last night and she enjoyed it. She has yet to get the social skills to relate to others her age. She got along with the adults we were sitting with at our table at the party. She used to be social and had friends so I am trying not to be too concerned – but parents always are concerned about something.
I think that I might volunteer again for the fall Panto. One of the things I loved about this society was that it was such a family thing. Many families had the parents plus the kids involved. It was so nice to not be the only mother/daughter pair like we usually are. There were also people who had been in the society off and on for 24 or 25 years! That says a lot about the group.
