May 22nd was the last performance of Mary Poppins at the Sioux Empire Community Theater. I had the privilege and honor of being part of this magical show.

If you know me personally, you know I was very stressed out during parts of the rehearsal process due to my schedule and self-confidence among many other things. However, when all was said and done I was very sad for it to end.

I had never done a show before so I thought maybe my weepiness was due to being new to the system or due to the fact that I cry over Kleenex commercials, but I was not alone. The closing of the show was hard on a lot of us.

Throughout this process, I learned a few things, so I started a list.

  1. Stepping outside your comfort zone is scary. I had to learn and sing very difficult music and I had never performed on stage before. People assume that because I'm on the radio that I must be pretty extroverted, but this type of attention and performing is totally different. People can see you!
  2. I learned that the ensemble is kind of a big deal and it is harder than you think. Oohs and Aaahs are hard.
  3. If you want to meet some of the weirdest, craziest, coolest, nerdiest, but most fun people, do a community theater show!
  4. You sing and dance more off stage than you do on stage. There is a whole other show going on in the dressing rooms and in the wings. If you only knew. Good times.
  5. Character shoes suck.
  6. I learned how much theater means to people and how much the theater gives back to it's patrons. There were so many great examples of this. On preview night, we had a boy in the audience who had a severe allergy so the theater blocked off the balcony so he could see the show. We had sign language interpreters there for one show so that people with special needs could enjoy the performance. There was also one night that there was a rose on a seat for a woman who had passed away. She was a big theater lover and her family appreciated the gesture.
  7. The biggest thing I learned was to not doubt myself. I had a lot of insecurities during this process. The singing was way out of my range. I couldn't wait to get to more of the dance rehearsals and then I doubted myself during that. It was sooo much to remember. Then I find out that I have to wear a gray spandex onesie! However, I was the only one that doubted myself. No one ever made me feel like I didn't belong there. People that had done many shows were always there with encouragement and praise.

In summation, obviously the whole thing wasn't rainbows and butterflies, but I would do it all again to have this same experience making Mary Poppins. I've met such great people and hope to continue these friendships. I've had a few people tell me they've always wanted to do something like this, but they were always too afraid and I say, "DO IT!"

"Go on chase your dreams, you won't regret it. Anything can happen if you let it." *wink wink*


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