My Thespian Kids

Something about the word "thespian" makes me cringe a bit, but there it is: at least two of my kids are born thespians!

This week my middle son, Gabe, is performing at Lynden Christian High School's "The Scarlet Pimpernel." He has 4 roles, beginning with the Executioner in which you can only see his cold hand of death clinging to Madame Guillotine. After a short scene dancing at a wedding he plays his two best roles, and as he noted himself in his bio, the only 2 roles which really exist: the leader of the French during the Revolution, Robespierre, and the leader of the British, The Prince of Wales. For Gabe, much of the fun is in the frequent costume changes and portraying two violently different characters.

As I've written previously, my daughter Laine is studying in Uzbekistan (you look it up!) at a theatre conservatory. She grapples 6 to 7 days a week with character development, fencing lessons and elocution, all in Russian. She's comes home at last in July to finish her degree at UW and face the world of auditions. We can hardly wait! To see lots of photos of her and her classmates in action, check out her blog at http://lainemullen.blogspot.com, or just click on her link to the right of this column.

Among the great joys for me in having kids who love drama, is that I get to be involved with the productions (at least the local ones!) and photograph the kids. I love teenagers, and I love watching them grow and shine. Seeing these kids on stage is a thrill for me, whether they are my own or not.

I invite you all and watch them perform their spectacular rendition of "The Scarlet Pimpernel," with shows on Feb. 5, 7 and 8 at Lydnen Christian High School. See you there!
Karen