I spent an hour at the school last night. Not in detention, although given how hot and stuffy it got, it might as well have been, but attending the dramatic performance of the Pied Piper of Hamlin put on by year 4, of which the boy is approximately one sixtieth. The play itself had everything, song, dance, political commentary on paying your taxes, and 5 people in each major role so everyone got some stage time. Yes, the last there did make it somewhat confusing but the use of props (a crutch for the boy, a huge afro wig for the street sweeper) ameliorated the bafflement somewhat.
Parents were allowed to video and photograph the event with the strict understanding that nothing made it in to the public domain. Hence the lack of pictures here; I might be all sorts of argumentative but I completely understand that rule. No doubt half the mum’s on FB will be posting like crazy but there you go.
It was about as good as you could expect a staged production by a group of 8 and 9 year olds to be, the sets were nice, the costumes variable and only one child that I saw burst in to tears during the performance. Result. Our lad remembered his lines, the words to the songs and the dance moves. If only he managed to remember his times tables with such fervour, he’d be sorted for life.
No, the only thing that irrationally annoyed we was the proliferation of mum’s video the proceedings with their phone in portrait mode. In this day and age. Even our 6 year old knows to turn a phone or tablet on it’s side to get a proper aspect ratio when she’s video things, so these 40 somethings have absolutely no excuse. If you had a proper camera, you’d get it right, so get it right with your phone.