Wrapping It Up

So we are very close to the closing show! I can't beleive it! It feels like Will just auditioned yesterday. He is seriously having the experience of a lifetime. I have to tell you...so many wonderful experinences, too many wonderful experiences that it is hard to document it all!

Mom: Will, what has been going on at Oliver these days?
Will: Lots of stuff.
Mom: Like what?
Will: I went to Marathon Grill with all of the kids.
Mom: What is Marathon Grill?
Will: It's a restaraunt that has good food like Banana French Toast and Chocolate Moose.
Mom: Do you like going there?
Will: yeah
Mom: Did the theatre do anything special for the holidays?
Will: No, well we all got a Visa gift card. We were on television on Chrsitmas Day singing Food Glorious Food.
Mom: Well, that is special.
Mom: What about during the big snow storm. Was there still shows?
Will: Yes, but there was not a lot of people there. At one show there was only 142 people there and the theatre has 1000 seats!
Mom: How did it feel to perform for a small audience?
Will: The same. The audience still looked the same from the stage.
Mom: What have you and your friends been up to?
Will: Playing DS Download on our DS's.
Mom: Tell me about some of your friends.
Will: They are funny...like Alex and Favian.
Mom: Who do you think you play with the most?
Will: Justin, Alex, Favian, Reese and Tyler
Mom: When do you have time to do all of the playing?
Will: During the second act because we aren't in any of the second act. Only the kids in "Who Will Buy" and Oliver and Dodger are in the second act.
Mom: Have a lot of people come to see you in the play?
Will: Yes, some people I don't even know came!
Mom: Didn't Reese share some cool news with you?
Will: Yes, he auditioned for the National tour of Beauty and the Beast and got the part of Chip.
Mom: What does National tour mean?
Will: It means he will go all around the country doing the play.
Mom: We'll have to try to go and see it.
Mom: What has been the best thing about being in Oliver so far?
Will: Doing all of ther performances.
Mom: You mean to tell me you don't get tired on the weekends when you have to do 5 performances?
Will: Nope
Mom: You know next week is the last weekend!
Will: NOOOOO!!
Mom: Are you going to miss it?
Will: Yes, and I still don't know if we are going to have a Last Night party like we had an Opening Night party.
Mom: How is Buddy the Dog?
Will: Good. They made T Shirts with a picture of him on it and sell them at the gift shop.
Mom: Who is your favorite adult actor in the play?
Will: Hugh...he plays Fagan.
Mom: Why Hugh?
Will: Because we spend the most time with him in the show, and he is really fun to act with, and he hangs out with us in the Green Room sometimes.
Mom: What's going to happen when it is all over next week?
Will: Ummm...I don't know. Wait...ummm.. we are probably going to have a party. I will be sad because I really like doing the shows.
Mom: Would you want to be in another big show?
Will: Yes!

The Show Must Go On

So although Philadelphia had a blizard yesterday, Oliver performances went on as scheduled! We were told at the parent meeting a while back, that the Walnut Street Theatre has never canceled a performance.The theatre booked hotel rooms for all of the children and their families downtown for Friday night and Saturday night so that they would not miss any performances. Art spent the day down there with Will. For dinner lots of the kids and their families went together to the Marathon Grill, and then walked to Washington Square Park at 6th and Walnut to enjoy the snow...and have a little fun! Thanks to a parent for taking these pics!

Washington Square Park

So pretty...

Fitting in some fun between shows!

Yes, that is Will with NO gloves! YIKES!!

These kids are having the time of their life!!

The snow was really coming down...it didn't bother the kids one bit!!

Posing for another picture before going back in to do another show!

PICTURES,PICTURES and MORE PICTURES!!!

Sam (oliver) Will, Reese and Danielle waiting to enter the theatre

Lining up in the Green Room

Julyza and Seth and Favian waiting to enter

Reese, Will and Justin showing off their dressing room decorated for the holidays!

The girls...in their nice, neat dressing room( unlike the boys)

Hanging out playing Nintendo in the dressing room between scenes

Will...my STAR!!!

Will at his space in the dressing room!

More Nintendo DS in between scenes...it keeps them quiet!!!

Favian, Justin, Tyler and Reese enjoying their down time!

Off to the stage!

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!

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!!!

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!!!

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

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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!