The Wizard of Oz

In our stake there is something truly amazing going on.  Once a year the youth have the opportunity to put on a professional theatrical production, produced by Don Bluth.  Don was a Disney animator back in the day when Walt Disney was around.  He had the opportunity to work on iconic films like Sleeping Beauty and Pete's Dragon.  After leaving Disney he started his own production company and produced other well-known animated films, such as American Tale, All Dogs Go to Heaven, and Anastasia.  So he's pretty accomplished, yet, once a year this talented man donates his time to run a production for kids.  The production profits nothing financially, but does reap rewards in the lives of the youth involved.

I'm not sure what got Braden interested in theater.  I would think wearing makeup and tights, singing, dancing, and acting in front of an audience would be enough to send any boy the other way.  But Braden must have a little too much of me in him.  He loves it!  

This year's youth production is The Wizard of Oz and for the first time Braden is old enough to participate.  He's playing a munchkin, a crow, and a winkie (did you know that's the name of the witch's guards?).  He's wearing tights without complaint and becoming an expert at putting on his own makeup.  He's singing "Follow the Yellow Brick Road" with his George Bush turned munchkin puppet, marching in patterns as a winkie, and pestering the scarecrow as a crow.  This boy truly amazes me sometimes!  

Break a leg B!