We Got Our Parts.

Shane auditioned for the school play.

Then he got a callback, too. He read for four different parts – two of which were parts he really wanted. One was a much larger part than he’d expected.

Shane came home, excited by the possibilities. He talked about the varying inflections he used when becoming different characters. I could tell by the light in his eyes and the excitement in his voice that he gave that audition everything he had.

The next day, they posted the cast list after school.

“Well…?!” I texted to him, while he was on the bus ride home. No response.

I drove to the bus stop to greet him.

“We got our parts,” he said, as he climbed into the car. “I’m an extra with no lines.”

His eyes filled instantly with tears, and I wanted to cry, too. But I just held him for a minute, and then we drove home.

After some talking, and looking up his part on the web, we discovered that he is one of the four “comic glue” gangsters in the play, Guys and Dolls, Jr. Shane will need to do a lot of acting without speaking – which can be incredibly challenging.

Two of Shane’s best friends play the other “comic glue” gangsters. His parts will be intertwined with his friends’ parts throughout the play.

We drove to the library and got the Guys and Dolls DVD, to get a feel for the action. There’s a ton of dancing and singing – and while there are certainly some large roles (for folks like Frank Sinatra and Marlon Brando, for example), many of the parts are supporting roles. And without those supporting roles, there would be no play at all.

Shane and I talked about all of this, and by the next day, he seemed a little more excited about his part. I gave him the option of dropping out of the play, but he never hesitated.

“I will take whatever part I get,” he insisted.

Optimism may not be Shane’s first inclination, but I sincerely believe that he will have a great time with this play. And I’m betting he will be a fantastic gangster.

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