kids say the darnedest things

I tried to post yesterday, but I think blogger was having issues....

This weekend is WNEP Theater's annual SKALD (storytelling) event. We hold a kid's competition, an improvised event (that is utter madness) and our crowning jewel, the SKALD- where 10 storytellers have 7 minutes to make you laugh, break your heart or just open your perspective some.

Last night was the KidSkald. We had five children from ages 8 to 14. And while our audience was teeny (in comparison to last year) - the 5 kids that performed were delightful! I was tapped to represent WNEP as one of the three judges. Dude. It was hard to pick a winner. They each brought something unique to the table.

My only regret is not having the chance to sit down with them and tell them how great they did. I heard the words coming out of my mouth "You all did such a great job!" And it may have sounded like I was just "saying it", but honestly, they were all so different and brought such different skills and talents - they really were fantastic and should be very proud of their efforts.


Our youngest, Abi, started with the Shel Silverstein poem "Sick" and finished with some classic Suess. She memorized both poems and was very animated in her delivery. She was completely committed to her performance and I have to mention, had the most adorable lisp. Afterwords, I refered to her as the evening's "Little Miss Sunshine" because she brought that same kind of charm and enthusiam to the stage as that Broslin kid. A-dorable...and she held her own against the older kids.

Eleanore, one of our 14 yr olds, read the story of the Gingerbread Man and then later, read a personal story she had written a few years earlier. She mentioned that the story was inspired (or assigned?) after her 8th grade class read To Kill A Mockingbird. It was the saga of a princess trying to find true love, while overcoming her own vanity.

Emily, our other teen, delivered a hilarious David Sedaris peice on Santa Claus. I was mightily impressed by Miss Emily. She was the first to start off the competition (which is nerve wracking at any age!) and at one point, lost her place in the peice. She stood there for a good ten seconds before she found her place and then, kept on truckin'. That, my friend, takes fortitude. She didn't give in to the anxiousness of the moment. She just took a moment, stood her ground and plunged back into it. Later, she told a peice from a children's book that I'm unfamiliar with (but my fellow judge - who has kids - seemed to know it) about a classroom who had to write poems about colors. It was pretty funny and really well delivered. Again, impressed is the word I would use about Emily.

Christian, our only boy in the competition, was 11 and everything that's awesome about being 11. He was the only one to tell his own personal stories. The first, a tale of trial and tribulation at Six Flags in the company of his best friend and his brother, where they rode "Raging Bull" and played Whack-A-Mole. He confirmed for us (with not one teeny ounce of irony) that he remains, to this day, the unbeaten and Supreme King of Whacking. Four years running. Lord love him.

Later he told about a birthday where he received his own set of golf clubs. The way he delivered each tale - with sound effects, imitated voices of his family and his physicality - it clinched him the winning spot of the night! He walked away with $50 cash money!


But, a special place in my heart was dug for our other 11 year old, Miss Josephine. If Jen and I could ever spawn, we agreed that Josephine would be that progeny. She began with a telling of Lewis Carroll's Jabberwocky which was immediately followed by an impromptu display of jujitsu kicks and moves, which were performed in time with her Mother singing the Macarena song from the audience. The entire audience joined in with a rousing "Ehhh, Macarena!" with her final kick.

If that doesn't fill your soul with goodness, I can't help you, brother.

She ended the night with a song. She stated that while she would sing a song, that the song tells a story. I have to admit that her pointing that out, really made me listen to the lyrics for likely the first time in my life.

Josephine then performed an acapella rendition of One Tin Solider (The Legend of Billy Jack.)

I'm sure I've heard that song dozens and dozens of times on the radio as a kid and over the years, but it was the first time I really listened to it. When she wad done, she admitted that she changed some of the lyrics and a bit of the tune.

It was the hawesome.

They all were. Wish you coulda been there.