11/28/09

Sick Day for Will

Well, unfortunately, Will will not be performing in the 2:00 pm show today. Yesterday he did 2 shows, and as the day went on he didn't feel well. By the time Art picked him up Kate ( child coordinator) told Art that Will had started saying that his head was really hurting. They took his temperature and he had a fever! He said that his head hurt so much while he was on stage that he didn't sing, he just pretended to sing. They gave him kids Tylenol at the theatre. He woke up this morning and still was white as ghost and didn't feel well. We had to call Kate and thell her that he would not be able to perform for the 2: 00 show. WIll is so upset. We told him that if he relaxes all day maybe he can do the 8:00 show tonight. We will see! The theatre will call Will's counterpart on the blue team and hope that she can fill in for him. Get well Will!



11/26/09

The IKEA Thanksgiving Day parade

Will had to be at the Walnut Street Theatre by 7 a.m. today for the Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Here is the link to see it incase you missed it!
http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/video?id=7140723

Mom: Why did you have to be at the theatre so early?
Will: Because we had donuts, bagels and juice together, then we had to go to our dressing rooms to get into our costumes, and then went to the 6th floor to practice the dance again.
Mom: Then what?
Will: Well, the bus was there so we had to get on the bus.
Mom: When you got to the Art Museum in the bus, what did you do?
Will: We waited, and waited, and waited and waited.
Mom: In the bus you waited?
Will: Yeah.
Mom: How long do you think you waited in the bus?
Will: Probably hours!(It was an hour I think)
Mom: Then what happened?
Will: The adults with us told us to get off the bus and line up. So we did and then we performed.
Mom: What could you see while you were performing?
Will: Lots of cameras and TV's and the audience.
Mom: Did you see any floats or ballons?
Will: I saw a My Little Pony balloon, and a dog balloon.
Mom: I heard that there was a problem with the music at the beginning of your number...what was it?
Will: We started singing at the same time, but then the music started going slower and we started going faster and it started to sound like a "round".
Mom: What is a "round?"
Will: Mom...I don't know how to explain it... I can't explain it...almost like an echo.
Mom: How did it get fixed?
Will: We started going slower, and the music started going faster and that is when it got fixed.
Mom: Did you like being in th eparade?
Will: Yes.
Mom: Tell me about the special box that was delivered to the theatre for you.
Will: Oh yeah, there was a big box and inside was a happy face filled with lots of big candy. It was from Aunt Gucci.The kids thought it was really ,really cool. We couldn't eat it when I opened it because we are not allowed to eat in our costumes.
Mom: When did you eat it?
Will: Once we got back from the parade and got changed then I shared it with the kids...even the blue team...and I still have a lot left over.

Will and Reese


Will and Gregory


Tyler and Will


The cool gift from the cool Aunt Gucci



Will waiting patiently for Bobbie ( Dance Coordinator) to open it up for him. Thank Bobbie!



Collin and Will checking out what is inside!


All of the little "Pick Pockets" dreaming about eating it once they are out of costume!

Getting ready for the parade!


Green Team and Blue singing "We are all on the same couch."


EXCITED!!!

11/24/09

Official Opening Night Party

Friday, November 20th was the Official Opening for the Green Team. Although they did performances last
week, those shows were considered "Previews."
The parents of the children got "comp" tickets to see their children perform during the Opening Night. Art and I got to go together to see Will perform. It was great. We were so proud of him. IT was so funny for us to watch him up there. It is still hard to beleive. Will also invited his Tia Sarah to come to his Opening Night Cast party, so she came to see the show also, along with her sister Francesca that came in for New York.
The children received some gifts from the theatre, and had a blast at the cast party. Will thought he was really cool to be at a party at Midnight!

Mom: So what did you think of the Opening Night Party?
Will: I think it was really fun...a thousand times really fun!
Mom: Was the food good?
Will: Yes, there was even Hope's Cookies...so many of them. I ate a lot of them. Daniel's Mom is Hope from Hope's Cookies. Those Hope's cookies are delicious.
Mom: What other food did they have?
Will: Tiny hot dogs, chicken wings, chicken fingers and soda. There was a bar for the adults.
Mom: What else was cool about it?
Will: We got some gifts from people.
Mom: What gift did you like the best?
Will: I don't know. That is a hard decision, but I like the stuffed dog.
Mom: What time was the party over?
Will: Well, we left really late...maybe 1 in the morning or so!
Mom: What were you doing after the show with those Oliver bickets?
Will: Getting money from people.
Mom: Money for what?
Will: To donate to the Walnut Street Theatre.
Mom: Do you like standing at the door collecting donations?
Will: Yeah, it is really fun!
Mom: Do you know that you got a special Walnut Street Theatre Pin?
Will: Yeah.
Mom: Who were your guests at the party?
Will: What party?
Mom: The opening night party Will. Who did you invite to the party as your guests?
Will: Oh, you, Dad, Tia Sarah and her sister. What was her name again?
Mom: Tia Sarah's sister is Francesca.
Mom: Fran bought you a cool gift. What was it?
Will: An Elvis CD. It is a tie between the Elvis CD and the dog for my best gift. Can you put some pictures on now?
Mom: Ok Will.

Will posing with Hugh Panero ( Fagan). You would never guess that this guy is Fagan! He looks SOOO different without the make up!



Will and Justin



Will posing with Aunt Gucci! Her picture is hanging in the Walnut Street Theatre since she performed there so much! When Will auditioned, I told him that her picture was good luck! I guess it really was!!



Will and Favian with one of their gifts from the theatre... a dog that looks like Buddy ( the dog in the show) with a ribbon arouind his neck that says Walnut Street Theatre


Daniel, Favian and Will with their dogs



Will and Buddy...check out his bow tie...he was dressed for the party in his formal wear



Green Team "Pick Pocketing" after the show


Will with us...the PROUD PARENTS!!!!


Will and his Dad
                         

Tia Sarah and Will


Will collecting money at the door after the show...the money goes to community children's programs at the Walnut Street Theatre



Will loves holding the buckets after the shows at the door


Will and the VILLAIN ( Bill Sykes)...he is not a villain at all in real life!!!


11/18/09

No Practice For the Green Team Today!!!

Will did not have practice today...only the Blue Team practiced. Tonight is the official "Opening Night" of the show.
WIll wanted me to post some more pictures so here they are!



All of the boys in Will's dressing room
__________________________________________________________________________________

All of these pics below are of the Green Team playing a game (Apples to Apples) before the show. They all have a lot of fun together!












If you look closely, you will see that even Buddy the Dog was hanging out playing with the kids!

11/16/09

DAY OFF

Aaaahhhh...Monday...Will's day off! We need it more than he does! So this past weekend Will did five performances. He was in his glory. I have never seen him happier!

Mom: This was your first weekend of performances what did you think?
Will: I think it was so, so, so fun!!
Mom: How did it feel to be up on the stage in front of all of those people?
WIll: It felt real nervous at first, but then when we go to our tables on stage I wasn't nervous anymore.
Mom: Did anything go wrong in any of your scenes this weekend?
Will: No.
Mom: After the Friday night show you had to stay later to do "Notes". What does that mean??
Will: That is when they tell us what went wrong, what we did wrong, what we need to add in, they tell us to do more reactions of we need to...they tell us what to fix! Mom, tell about the two pizza parties on Friday.
Mom: Tell me about the two pizza parties?
WIll: We had two pizza parties on Friday...one at lunch and one for dinner. We weren't allowed to leave for dinner because we needed more practice, so they got us more pizza. And we got soda too!
Mom:How are the boys that you share a dressing room with?
Will: They are really nice.
Mom: What do you do in between your scenes?
Will: We go backstage and wait in our dressing rooms. We play with our cards, play with our DS's and Game Boys.
Mom: Were you tired getting home late at night?
WIll: No, I am always wide awake.
Mom: So what has been your favorite thing about doing Oliver?
Will: I don't know.
Mom: Would you do another show?
Will: Yes.

These are pictures that I took Saturday night at the show.

Will and Daniel

Will, Favian, Reese and Alex


Will getting his "dirt" make-up on.


Will, Alex and Reese in their dressing room


Orphans lining up in the theatre preparing to start the show


Waiting to march into the theatre...Sam (Oliver), Will and Reese


Will and RJ ( Dodger) in the Green Room waiting for curtain calls


Will and Reese

Will and Justin

11/14/09

November 13th- Will's First Performance

We just got home from Will's first performance of Oliver! It was incredible! Hope, Molly and I went to see it. Will had to be there at 12:30 p.m. today. First they had to re-record "Food Glorious Food" for the Thanksgiving Day Parade. Then at 1:00 p.m. they started rehearsing. We got there at 6 to pick him up for dinner...or so we thought! When we got there we were told that they were not being released for dinner because they needed the pratice time, and that they would feed them. Hope, Molly and I went and got something to eat, wondered around town and then went back. We were able to catch Will before the show to wish him luck. The kids were all eating pizza.

Will eating pizza with Jahad


Will, Jahad and Fabian eating pizza before the show


Will posing with his sisters Hope and Molly before show time!

The cool thing about the show is, that as soon as the show starts, Will in on the stage.  Hope, Molly and I were so excited! People around us thought we were crazy! Will is actually in the first act a lot more than I thought he would be. He has a few really cute "pipsqueak" moments that get laughs from the audience. He is the smallest and youngest orphan in the bunch!
Afterwards, we went to the Green Room to wait for him. We got to see most of the cast...even the dog.


Will in full costume as part of
"Fagan's Gang"


Will with his proud sisters, Molly on the left and Hope on the right


Will, Seth, Conrad and Jahad after their first performance



Buddy the Dog...he plays Bullseye. He is completely deaf!


The director giving "notes" to the Green Team after the show.

Will had a blast! He was most thrilled because his teacher, Mrs. Coleman, from school  (Hancock School) came to see him! Actually...so did his principal Mr. Griffin. Ms. Hartman his kindergarten teacher from last year came too...she even brought her daughter. The librarian, Ms. Cohen, an interpreter Mr Buck and two other teachers, Ms. Dogon and Ms.Rigney from Hancock, all were there to support him! I can't believe that I didn't get his picture with them! How did I miss it!
Thanks to Hancock for coming out to support Will!
Will is asleep now! He was so excited all day today. He told me tonight on the way home that he had so much fun and he wants to do it again. Thank goodness...because he has 4 more shows this weekend!!
I am so proud of him!!!

11/12/09

PAY DAY

Thursdays are Will's favorite day! He gets his paycheck on Thursdays and he thinks he is REALLY cool!


Tomorrow is the BIG day for the Green Team. Break a leg Green Team!
Can't wait to see you Will! Hope, Molly and I are SOOOO excited!!!