Lessons learned and chances taken

My child is more mature than me.  I was bent out of shape.  Even her Administrator seemed bent out of shape.  I even heard that the judge who loved her was bent out of shape.  But my daughter took it all at face value.  She's so professional.

One judge thought the sun rose in the morning when my daughter awoke.  The other... was non-plussed.

So why would one person give a perfect score, and the other a.... meh.

According to my child, we have to remember that they were both not judging her at the same time.  That meant there were variations in the performance. She felt that the first time, the time with the judge that was not impressed, it was 8am in the morning.  Her voice was still groggy.  Maybe, like the judge said, her diction was not as clear.  Also, she was more put together, wearing a blazer and losing the distracting leggings that had been peeking out from under her skirt.  Plus she felt that she stammered in her introduction of the piece the first time.  Maybe first impressions really do mean everything... to some people.

Then there are chances taken.  "In the Sweat", by Naomi Wallace is a risky piece.  First, it was written in 1997.  This is a classical crowd, and the person who ultimately won did a classic piece.  Then there is the subject matter.  This play deals with racism, homophobia, and violence.  This crowd prefers something more spiritual.  Then there's the fact that it was more of a monologue than a dramatic narrative (the line between the two is very fuzzy, in my opinion).

So she took her chances, hoping to at least get noticed this time, and she did... she really did.  That may be better than winning the acting prize.  And so, my child is OK with it.   I'll be OK with it too... eventually.


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