Ella was all ready for her internship interview and I drove her over ready to drop her off. The two wonderful ladies in charge of Shakespeare in the Park asked me to join in for the interview. I was in my workout clothes and was not prepared for this at all. I would have dressed nicely if I knew this interview was for me too. I want to tell you how smart these women are to include the parent(s) in the interview. Why? This was a huge commitment. Not only was Ella committing almost five weeks of her summer to this doing long hours, but I was also committing to driving her, being on call for when shows were canceled due to rain and understanding that I wasn’t going to see her much for five weeks. This was a commitment made by both Ella and me. Let’s not forget Seth’s commitment (husband/father). Seth was on call with me at night when it rained, and shows were canceled. Seth committed to driving to pick up Ella at 9:30 at night in Delaware Park. When our kids sign up for things, it’s not just them making the commitment. It was extremely hard for us to have any plans during these five weeks. We tended to make sure one of us was always available to pick Ella up at any time. Yes, we should have carpooled! Yes, my wonderful parents had to step in and help us!
When Ella wanted to sign up, I went over the hours with her. Tuesday – Friday from 1:30 PM to 9:30 PM and Saturday and Sunday 5:30-9:30 PM. Her only day off would be Monday. The thing is, when my kids want to do something, they don’t tend to think through the immense commitment they are making. They tend to jump right in with two feet exactly like I do!
After an intense 8th grade year of tons of studying and being involved in a lot of things at school, Ella asked if she could have a low-key summer last summer. As nice as it was to have down time, Ella got bored. She made it clear she wanted to do things this summer and we certainly made that happen for her! Ella was not going to be bored with this internship!
From 1:30-4:30 PM Tuesday – Friday, Ella took classes at Buffalo State College. They worked on the internship show 12th Night and they had the opportunity to learn from professional actors. From 5:30-9:30 Tuesday – Sunday, Ella worked on Comedy of Errors the professional Shakespeare in the Park show. From stage crew, to ensemble, to collecting money, Ella learned so much from the professional crew. She also worked very hard along side the other five interns.
One of the most wonderful things about this experience was watching friendships develop. Being in classes and two shows together brought the six interns close together. They saw each other every day and spent so much time together. These were students who were a lot like Ella and had passion for the arts and theater.
Ella made friends and she worked hard. When she wasn’t at her internship, she was home studying her lines. She got to be Malvolio in 12th night and had many lines to learn. It was the perfect part for her, and she did an amazing job. Ella was on that big stage all by herself giving her five minute monologue. It never gets old. I am always astounded by her talent and bravery. I would not want to be on that stage acting all by myself. In fact, I would not want to be acting at all. She gets all of that from her father.
There were many days that Ella was tired and didn’t want to go. She would get home at 10 pm every night and be wired. I am going to guess she went to bed at midnight or later every night, and I was so thankful that she could sleep in. Her dedication, commitment, and perseverance through this taught her so much. She saw what she could do. I have no doubt that this built her confidence as an actor and as a person.
One of the best parts for me was when the professional actors gave Ella feedback on her performance. They told her she was the perfect Malvolio! That had to teach her that she has talent! She wasn’t just hearing it from family and friends. She was hearing it straight from the actors!
When Ella didn’t want to go because she was tired, I was so impressed with the fact that she didn’t want to let anyone down. She wanted to show up for the other interns and the actors. She wanted to be there and do her job. Her character was showing strong, and I liked what I was seeing. There were also plenty of days she was raring to go and hurrying me to leave. I understood the days that she was tired with the hours that she was putting in.
There is also a great lesson here. We took Ella to the Erie County Fair on a Saturday. We got poured on and I insisted we come home for her to change before taking her to her internship. Well, when we walked in all wet, Ella slipped and hurt her wrist. She cried for a long time, and we convinced her to stay home and rest that night. Sometimes you have to learn when to give your body a break. As much as I love her commitment to things, I want her to learn to give herself a break. I told Ella that I never aim to win a perfect attendance award. I have a huge problem with people who are aiming for that, and I can give you a list of reasons why as a social worker and protective mother.
Her internship officially ended last night, and I can’t begin to tell you all how proud I am of Ella. Her commitment, hard work, perseverance, talent and friendships made are just a few reasons why I am proud of her. It is good for our kids to learn about hard work. It is wonderful for our kids to explore their passion in different ways. It is a good lesson to see what long hours are like. Every year Ella gets more capable and more responsible. I am excited to see what’s next for her.
I want to encourage you all to help your children find multiple routes to explore their passions. I also want us to give ourselves a pat on the back for the fact that any commitment our children make is also a commitment that we are making. We are rock star parents for allowing them to explore their passions.
I also want to take a moment to thank Lisa and Gretchen for allowing Ella this opportunity. I want to thank her teacher Amelia and her stage manager Rebecca. It takes a village to put on Shakespeare in the Park and they have an amazing village. Ella was honored to be a part of it. She will never forget this summer.
From Ella Greene:
One year ago, I sat on a crowded hill to watch the final performance of “Romeo and Juliet” at Delaware Park. I had just read the play for English class and was so excited to see it preformed live. Safe to say I loved the performance and wanted to be a part of the following season. Little did I know what that would teach me.
The first lesson I learned from my internship was how to commit to a team. I had to divide and conquer the workload with the other 5 interns. It was not easy to create a balanced workload for all of us in the beginning, but we trusted each other and fell into a rhythm. But this also meant we had to be a team, and a team only works when it has all its players. One person missing could throw off the balance entirely. So, I had to learn to fully commit to my role and to the team of interns. Even if that meant showing up when I didn’t want to, my team needed me, and I had to be there for them.
The final lesson I learned was that I am good enough. With such a huge commitment it’s hard to be at 100% all the time. I had to understand that I am good enough even if I am not perfect. All that matters is that I was trying my best, and my best doesn’t look the same every day.
I had a great summer at Shakespeare in Delaware Park and am so glad I was given this opportunity.
Thank you Ella for sharing with us!
Laughing, Learning, Loving,
Rebecca Greene, LCSW-R
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