I've created a monster!

My dear daughter has definitely gotten the bug. The performing bug, that is. Ever since she was in the Christmas show with us, she has been asking when she can do a show again. A few weeks ago, she announced that she wanted to take voice lessons so she can be a really good singer like me. Then a week after that, she asked when she could take ballet lessons again. Tonight, she comes in complaining that she has only taken ballet classes and now wants to learn tap!

While I am excited about her growing interest in the arts, I am concerned about my pocketbook! To get her lessons in all these activities will be a pretty penny. There are some camps I might sign her up for this summer so she can get a taste. I've also been trying to convince her to try gymnastics (she has the perfect build for it.)

I imagine that she is also more interested than ever since I started letting her watch Glee with me. I LOVE that show and she's seen the past three or so episodes with me. A friend of mine gave me a Glee CD, and she's been listening to it ever since! She has "Run Joey Run" and "Total Eclipse of the Heart" almost memorized.

In the meantime, my husband and I have started our theatre production company. He'll be teaching summer theatre camps in history, stagecraft, and acting. Next summer, we're planning on letting Maya help design a kids acting workshop. Hey, I didn't get into acting until I was in my teens. Starting at age 5, she's getting a huge jump on the competition!

Color-blind casting?

So, I talked to Maya about whether or not she would want me to do another show this summer, and she said No. So I did not audition for the summer musical. There are other musicals coming up later next season that I'm interested in, so I am happy to oblige her. Hubby, however, will be auditioning. It will be great to see him up on stage again. It's been a long time since he's acted, since he's the big director now, but I think he'll see how much he missed it!

Having two actor parents, it isn't shocking that Maya wants to continue to do theatre after her debut stage appearance this past December. But something started to bug me the other night...Maya went with some friends to see Annie Jr. at a local elementary school. She had a great time, and the next night, we watched the movie. When it was over, I asked her if she would want to be in that show and she said Yes! Of course, she would want to play Annie. Then I imagined it. Would there ever be a director who would cast a tan-skinned Asian brunette as little red-headed orphan Annie? It made me wonder if she'll have challenges on getting roles because of her ethnicity. Will my daughter be able to get the leads normally played by white actresses? I know the challenges of not getting roles because I wasn't the right 'look', but will she have even more of those challenges? How many directors will cast color-blind?

I don't doubt that my daughter will have talent. At 6 years old, she's already asking for voice lessons and wants to plan a children's drama camp with her dad. I don't want to ever tell my child that she can't be what she wants to be. If she wants to be an actress, then I'm behind her 100%. But as an Asian-American, what opportunities will there be for her? Can you name even five Asian-American actresses? I don't know that I can either. How can I prepare her and nurture her to beat the odds?

All good things must come to an end.

Closing weekend approaches. We've had sell-out attendance and this weekend is no exception. It's been a fun run and I'm glad I did the show. These past few weeks, once the show opened and I had free time again, I've been able to make up the time to Maya. Last night, we went for a walk, played outside in the backyard, looked for four-leaf clovers, went through pictures from China. Tonight we made brownies, read books. Maya is at that age where she wants to be so much older than her age, but then turns around and just wants to cuddle and be the sweet little one she is.

So here's the next dilemma...a good friend of ours is directing a summer show and wants both hubby and I to audition. This could be a chance to get a leading role in a musical, something that doesn't come my way often. Do we both want to give up our summer to do this show? What do we do with Maya if we're both in it? Will she suffer if both parents are away at rehearsal at night? I'm pretty sure I know the answer to some of those questions. What sacrifices are you willing to make to get an opportunity that doesn't come around often? We still have a week to decide, and even if we do audition, there are no guarantees. But the what ifs on both sides are hard to overlook.