Ten Virgins

 

I was given the opportunity to be in Ten Virgins. It was a crazy experience actually. I was asked to represent my ward in our Stake Production by my Relief Society President and said I would gladly do it and that I loved the play. She asked how I was familiar and I told her I had been given the opportunity to also be in it in my previous stake. She then asked me if I would be willing to help since I knew how it played out and such and of course I said I would be more than happy to.

Literally an hour later, the Stake Relief Society President was on the phone and asked if I could be the assistant director. The Director was super busy at work and we were three weeks from the performance and almost nothing had been done. The Director called me that evening and came over and from that point on, we were co-directors. She took over the music practices and made the beautiful lamps. She also took care of logistical things such as building schedule and such. I was lucky enough that me sister had just been in her Stake's production. I called Heather and she put me in touch with her director. She had not returned the costumes to the Easter Pageant yet. We arranged to have the costumes transferred into my name (which I lucked out since they were costuming the Pageant and who knows what I would have ended up with if I went down to get stuff after that). The girls from the cast and some friends helped decorate the stage. And most importantly, Steve, my brother-in-law, had just done sound for his stake's production and was more than willing to come and run the board for mine. I asked my Dad if I could use LIGHT's equipment and he was more than happy to let us use it.

I hunted down ladies and tried my best to get a girl from every ward but it didn't work. I was very prayerful about who I chose when I was referred names and when I spoke with women on the phone. I was also extremely prayerful and thoughtful in character assignment. Their voice and style had a lot to do with it but more than anything, the emotion and messages I felt like needed to strike each woman at their core so they would be able to make it believable.

In the end, the performance was magnificent. I wish we could have done it again for couples or young women or something. The spirit was so strong and our chemistry as a cast was incredible although we had only known each other for two weeks. I am so grateful for the wonderful women I was able to meet through this experience. It is so much fun to run into them at stake choir or stake conference, around town or at the store. I am grateful they put their faith in me as a director although I am so young. I am grateful for Steve and my father who did the sound and set up and tore down a couple of times. I am grateful for Lauren who came and ran the spotlight (which is not an easy task although it looks easy). I am grateful for Bryan, who although was neck deep in tax busy season, was a champ and did everything he could to support me and help me out. I love directing. I love performing. This was the best of both worlds and also for the stake which was a bonus. I hope that I am given more opportunities such as this in the future.