Here's something I bet you didn't know about me:  I shut the children's peepers, and guard the little sleepers.

Believe it or not, it's not quite as creeper-ish as it sounds.  This semester, the Delta Omicron Music Fraternity at Judson hosted the production of the opera, "Hansel and Gretel."  Members of the Music Department have been working on their parts since the fall semester.  Here is a glance at the cast line up:

Hansel: Laura Noble

Gretel: Sarah Jean Watters

Father: Dr. Bullard (The Religion Professor)

Mother: Miriam Hart

Witch: Holly Beth Johnston

Dew Fairy: Molly Beasley

Sandman: Me!

Ballet:  Jill Coplen, Amanda Carle, Amanda Fee, and Beverly Cox

The week of the performance, we held rehearsal every night.  I have to admit, a couple of those practices made me wonder if we would be able to pull it together in time.  We definitely could not have gotten through our performances without our backstage help.  So many girls at Judson helped pull everything together!  We ended up with some amazing props, including a huge oven, a great looking gingerbread house, and several other things.  The night of the performance finally came, and everything pulled together perfectly.  We could even hear the audience laughing from our spots backstage during some scenes!

The next morning, we held a second performance for area schoolchildren.  While the storyline was the same, the audience proved to be completely different.  Shrieking mixed with giggles filled the room when the witch ran down the aisle, hushed whispers filled the room during quieter scenes, and laughter sounded as the Father sang and skipped around on the stage.

While dedicating the time necessary to prepare was not always easy, it sure was fun when performance time came.  I even found time for each of those end of the semester homework assignments.

In the beginning, singing in the Hansel and Gretel opera sounded like just another thing on my to do list.  By the time the performance came and went, I realized it was just another way Judson was helping me to succeed.

Until Next Time,