30 Day Photography Challenge: Day 10 | Childhood Memory

I was always a very social, very active child.  I believed everyone was my friend, and never seemed to run out of personality.  My parents told me that even when I was a baby, I would smile at a total stranger until I got their attention.  Then I would move onto the next audience member, making sure everyone was keeping their attention on me.

I loved attention.  If you can't tell.

So when I was eight, my parents decided to have me audition for a Missoula Children's Theatre production.  This is a company that travels around the country in little red trucks, auditioning kids and performing a play with them in only one week.  My parents thought it would be a good outlet for me.  Little did they know that they had just introduced me to one of my life long obsessions.

Theatre.

From that point on, I auditioned for every MCT play that came to town.  I lived for those weeks each summer that I got to perform on stage.  As soon as I hit middle school, I swamped myself in the drama program.  I loved the stage.  The costumes.  The pretending.  And yes, the attention.

Once I got into high school, I was given the chance to audition for the MCT Performing Arts Camp.  And I got in.  This camp accepts a few hundred kids from the US, Canada, and Japan.  Then for two weeks we live, eat, and breathe theatre along the shores of Flathead Lake, Montana before performing our production on the University of Montana stage.

I loved it.

I was only able to afford going twice, but this made a huge change in my life.
Theatre made a change in my life.  It taught me confidence.  Bravery.  Conviction.  How to be a team player... and how to steal a crowd.  I know a large part of who I am boils down to theatre.  And I miss the stage every day.

MCT will always be a part of my life.  I cannot wait for the day that my children are old enough to audition for the one week play.  I cannot wait for them to learn what I learned, for me to see them shining on the stage, to know that once again MCT has been given a chance to make a difference in a child's life.

This teddy bear is the one I bought my last year of MCT PAC.  It reminds me of so many amazing childhood memories.  Amazing people, amazing lessons... amazing curtain calls.  I love this little teddy bear.

And to add more to today's challenge, I tried a vintage edit.  Vintage is something I rarely ever do, but it felt right for a memory photo.  Memories...

If you haven't heard of MCT and would like to learn more about this amazing company, click here.