Spring HFH Events

A Spring play for the younger set, and a spring Science Fair for all ages. The Leone kids had fun prepping and showing off their stuff.

Andrew (in plaid shirt) is cast as part of the "road crew" in the play, "Nellie's Promise." 

Therese (in red) is cast as Bridget in "Nellie's Promise." 

Kathleen wows us all with her Eddy Currents demonstration.
Get a neodymium magnet, and drop it down a copper tube. The results are extremely cool.

Cheaper by the Dozen

Anna Marie and her friends staged a magnificent production of "Cheaper by the Dozen" this year. The rehearsal load was intense, but they had a great time, and the result was a really top-notch production which we all enjoyed. As Ernestine, Anna Marie had a lead role and plenty of lines to memorize.

With friends, after the performance.

Big River

The Leone kids decided to re-enter the musical theatre world this summer after a two-summer hiatus.

Kathleen, William, and Andrew had great fun, reestablished old friendships, and made new friends. We spent the summer listening to the lilting country-styled tunes of Big River, the Broadway musical adaption of the Huckleberry Finn story.

It made for a busy summer with a new baby in the house, but the kids auditioned and accepted roles. Kathleen was an old hat and thrived on the whole experience. William and Andrew got their first experience in a full-scale production and did extremely well.

Thank goodness for good friends who helped with carpooling; this exhausted mom needed the reinforcements.

The kids are already talking about next summer's musical. With Joe now on the board of our local community theatre, it's looking like more community theatre is in the works for this family.

Andrew hangs out in the props room before a rehearsal.

Kathleen (right) makes a great new friend at rehearsals. 

William and Andrew, front and center, during one of many rehearsals.

Andrew (left), Kathleen (center), and William (right) with great friend, fellow castmate, and carpooling buddy, in costume after one of the performances.

Andrew and William, post-show.

Kathleen & friends after a show.

The Leones with their old pal, Nathan.
Kathleen has never been in a show  in which she didn't share the stage with Nathan.
College-bound in the spring, he will be missed.

HFH Does "Huck Finn"

The Holy Family Homeschoolers high school drama club produced "Huck Finn" this spring.  Although it was a high school production, two lucky junior high kids were invited to participate. The result: Both Anna Marie and Kathleen had roles to play.

The production was an outstanding success. As it was the first HFH full-length play in almost a decade, I was blown away by the professionalism of the show. Our girls have done quite a bit of community and professional theatre over the years, and this rivaled some of the better shows in quality. But best of all, the cast was made up of the kids' homeschool friends.

Great job, girls! I'm looking forward to seeing what you produce next year!

Our Preschool Player

Not to be outdone by her thespian sisters, Therese decided it was time to make her stage debut. At the ripe ol' age of four, Therese landed a plum part in our local library's "Preschool Players" program. [Actually, all these cuties got plum parts. Shhhh...]

In case it wasn't altogether clear previously, we can state now, for the record, that Therese does not have a shy bone in her body.

See her here in all her glory, singing and acting her little heart out.

Twelfth Night in One Day

Could you and your friends put on a Shakespearean play, with memorized lines, fabulous props, and amazing stage presence—all in the span of one day?

If your answer is anything like mine, that answer is probably, "I don't think so."

And yet, our girls, Anna Marie and Kathleen, together with their friend Heather and cast-mates, managed to do just that.

Through First Act Theatre, our kids produced an amazing rendition of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, all in one day. Amazing!

Homegrown Passion Play

Recently, while Joe and I were busy working in the gardens and Therese was busy napping, the four big kids decided (unbeknownst to us) to put together their own mini Passion Play. Here are a few photos from the memorable show. Need I tell you the audience went wild?