deacongirl,
best thing about the play is the family they create! in my (limited) experience, everyone is accepted for who they are and what they bring to the table. my dd LOVES theatre and math and field hockey. She has learned the most from theatre and field hockey. She learned she had to work and hustle to get what she wanted and then she had to work and hustle to keep her spot, there were no guarantees. I am eternally grateful for those lessons, because she certainly didn't get them from the academic side ( things come way too easy for her, ESP. in math, where she is taking Honors Geo/Trig as a 8 th Grader)
in theatre and field hockey, she has to prove herself everyday, the coaches want them to strive for perfection, so they can achieve excellence!
it is a hard lesson to learn, esp. for a child where everything comes easy, but she will be the better for it. The ensemble is a great place, tons of fun and family and the director will see her commitment and remember for next year. and if she is anything like my daughter, she will be tutoring the rest of the ensemble during downtimes. the kids all came to her for math help.
good luck with your evening tonight, it might be a rough one, btdt...