There's no place like (my 2nd) home!

Dorothy and friends near the poppy fields!

At the end of the last academic year, the school psychologist, Zornitsa, at my elementary school, 2nd Hristo Botev, half-heartedly joked that we should put on a musical. I kind of chuckled at the idea because, if anyone recounts my senior year rendition of Mr. McAfee in Bye Bye Birdie, they would remember the sounds of a dying goose on stage; that dying goose would be me. Now, I could never sing, BUT I would like to think I can act. So I put out the idea of a play instead. Something fun and easy in English. Something with a little magic. Something wonderful. Let's do, The Wizard of OZ!

Fast forward to December 20th, 2018, and there I am standing in the middle of the Chitaliste (kind of like a cultural center) shaking my head, and having a sense that maybe, just maybe, I should cancel the play. Opening night was only a few hours away, and my students just finished their last rehearsal; admittedly, I was a little worried. "Maybe I should postpone it?" "Maybe just cancel it?" "Should I run away to ANOTHER foreign country hoping to save myself from embarrassment?"

Rewind to a few weeks before (my apologies for all this time travel nonsense) for which it was the day of auditions! My students nervously shuffled into the room. 1 by 1, I called up students to practice their scripts, and they were phenomenal! The Scarecrow pretending to be suspended in air with one hand stretched out pointing to OZ; Dorothy looking amazed at the Emerald City; and the Tinman all rusted up. My colleagues, English educator, Krasimira, and, Zornitsa, herself, mulled over our notes and we created the list. We had our cast!

Over the course of the next few weeks, we began blocking scenes, memorizing lines, gathering props and, of course, building the set. A huge shout out to Vanya, the director of the theatre in the Chitaliste, who let us use the stage for free! Did I mention this was a no budget production? With the help of local businesses who donated some large boxes and, with several large trash bags and cans of spray paint, we had Dorothy's house, the Emerald City, and the Witch's castle!

As it is working with any group of involved youngsters, it became increasingly difficult to find time to rehearse with everyone. Of course, some of our students were nervous, and no longer wanted to participate. Our first Lion disappeared (he played his role well!), and we were having issues with microphones. The days were ticking by, and I was becoming more nervous.

Opening Day is here, and I needed a little room to breathe. The transitions were off. There was some confusion with the lights, and we still hadn't fully run through it once. I was exhausted, and a little defeated. However, Zornista, Krasimira, and Diyana (the music teacher on piano) reassured me that everything would be okay. After all, if the last rehearsals awful, the show will be success, amirite?

At 5:00, we started readying the cast. Painting the Tinman grey, giving Toto some whiskers, dressing up the Munchkins, donning the Witch's hat, and making sure the Lion had some courage. I peeked through the curtains to see that people were slowly streaming in. Deep breaths! 'Places!' I whispered quietly, giving everyone the thumbs up. It was time. I dimmed the lights, and took my place next to Diyana, the pianist. She began to play the opening act. We were ready.

What happened next was absolutely incredible. The students blew me away! Projecting their voices, and annunciating every English word, they came on the stage with confidence. The munchkins playing with the witches broom, and occasionally waving to the crowd. Glinda, coming in so gracefully, and thoughtfully, stole the show. The Scarecrow being dramatic as ever. The Tinman with robot-like movements. The Wizard with his booming voice. The Lion scaring and being scared. Toto barking at the right times. The Witch melting so stealthily. And, of course, Dorothy! Caring such confidence! The music was on point; the stage crew executed every scene flawlessly. And the minor mishaps were simply amusing.

Everyone took their bows, and the lights came back. My heart was and still is full. I'm so proud to see these students do something so amazing! Never has their been before an English language production in Galabovo, and these students did it with ease.

As the dust settles, and Dorothy made her way home, I can say that i'm so grateful for everyone who came to support this idea in some way. My colleagues for having the confidence. My students for being unafraid. And the community for being supportive. I'm very lucky to be in such a magical place. Galabovo is far from the Emerald City, but there is certainly no place like (my second) home!

This site FulbrightBlogaria.blogspot.com is not an official Fulbright Program site. The views expressed on this site are entirely those of Keegan Scott and do not represent the views of the Fulbright Program, the U.S. Department of State or any of its partner organizations.