To be, or not to be....

William is presently taking skating and swimming lessons. He'll soon be back in ski lessons. However, he has also been taking a drama class at the Ottawa School of Speech and Drama. There are seventeen kids in his class. He is one of five boys and seems to enjoy himself a good deal, though he makes a point of telling us the exact opposite.

Today they wrapped up the semester by putting on a slightly modified performance of Rumpelstiltskin. He had two lines and played the role of a farmer. In typical William fashion he saw little need to practice his lines over the course of the week and uttered them only once before we left the house for the twenty minute play.

As expected, 95% of the kids didn't know what they were supposed to say or spoke too softly for anyone to hear. Jill and I can already see the politics at play as the two primary male roles were granted to boys we found lacking. One kept falling down and the other whispered all of his lines. I have no doubt that the man who stood beside me, barefoot, had fathered one of them. Perhaps both.

Pettiness aside, I enjoyed the little show and smiled from beginning to end. William has only recently turned five, but when it comes to this sort of thing Jill and I have absolutely no concerns about his confidence or his ability to deliver. For the time being anyway, words are his forte. As he sat waiting for his few seconds of floor time to come along he repeatedly turned to me, winked and gave me a thumbs up sign. He was either confident or found the kid who kept falling down highly amusing. The Farmer character was introduced, he leapt up, strode over to the Jester and, like Olivier in his prime,  nailed his lines cleanly and clearly. I must remember to bring roses next time.

"Next time" will have to be the spring though. With skiing, skating and swimming continuing after Christmas the little lad will need time to just play outside.

Apologies for the quality of the photos. I had to rely on my phone's camera.