Aksel's Latest Show

Last week I started another show. The name of the play is An Inspector Calls. It is at the Shakespeare Theatre Company and it is a play for grownups. It is about an inspector who tells a family that a girl has killed herself on her way to the infirmary, and he asks the family questions about whether they know her.

My role is the Older Boy. I am mean and my clothes and face are dirty. My main scene is in the first part of the show.

Sometimes sitting off stage is boring. I have a long break during the show. I wait in the green room and dressing room number two. I play games, eat snacks and just hang out.

I think being in the play is a lot of fun.

Going to Rocky Acre Farm

         The Moellers go to this farm just about once a year. We always have lots of fun there. This year Dad could not join us, because it was Wendsday so he had to work. When we go there, the farmer gives everyone a hayride. We also have a awesome breakfast with everyone at Rocky Acre, made with eggs and milk from just that morning. They have adorable kittens and cats, as well as goats, cows, calfs, a pony, a sheep, and a chicken coop with around 7 chickens and 2 roosters. Last year one rooster got loose and Kai chased it around with a laundry basket. He actually caught it in the end! We ended up having a great time this year, even though it was kind of last minute and only a day after we got back from Chicago.
                              By, Malin

my opera costume

I am in a opera called the Elixir of Love. It is about a man, Nemerino, who falls in love with a woman, Adina. A salesman comes by and says"I have a elixir that will make the lady that you love, love you" but the potion is actually just wine. In the end Adina finds out that she loves Nemerino. It is a great opera. My costume is also pretty cool. I have a white blouse, an undershirt, an underskirt, a skirt, and an apron. I also have a itchy bandana tied onto my head which hurts my ears if the dresser ties it too tight.

The Nutcracker

I am in the Washington Ballet's production of The Nutcracker for my third year in a row. This year I am a party boy and Ben Franklin.

In the party scene I play the big brother in the elegant family. The party scene is really cool because there is so much action. There are lots of company members and kids doing group dances such as the Virginia Reel and the March. The party scene is also very beautiful. The girls are wearing fluffy skirts and colorful dresses. The boys are wearing suits made out of silk and velvet with short pants and spats. We also have to put on lots of makeup including powder, blush, eyeliner and lipstick. The scene is very funny. When the grandfather puts the mistletoe over his head the little boy does the same thing and gets kissed. The grandfather also tricks the maid into getting more champagne. I am very happy to be in the party scene because there is lots of movement and jumping and if feels like you went to a real party.

I think the most exciting scene is the battle scene where I play Ben Franklin. In this version of the Nutcracker, the battle scene is based on the Revolutionary War. The rats are the English and the soldiers are fighting them. The Nutcracker is George Washington and the Rat King is the king of England. It is scary when the rats lift me up in the air because it feels like they are about to drop me! When the cannon is fired in the beginning of the battle it is also scary because a big cloud of gunpowder comes out of the cannon like a real cannon. The scene is really cool because the audience gets to see the battle starting to form and the soldiers make sharp angles and march perfectly on count. Compared to the Party Scene which is lovey-dovey, the Battle Scene is very harsh.

Please come see The Nutcracker!

The Nutcracker Audition by Malin

Malin's first grade class has been working on writing about "small moments." Small moments are detailed descriptions or stories about events that really happened. Here's Malin's:

I tried out for the bee and mouse. I got the part of the bee. I got the part because I had a big smile and because I practiced at THEARC. Mice have to be 7 because the helmets are so big and heavy. The bee costume has curly turquoise wings. It is yellow and tourquoise. It is the cutest costume in the Nutcracker. I was so happy.

I learned staging. I can't wait until the dress rehearsal! It is like the real thing because it is with all the characters and some audience with tickets. Mr. Weber, the director, could can only stop the show if he really needed to.

I am in the Ruby cast. I can look up and see the cute fox page. Its helmet was adorable. Everyone could take a now!

At Nutcracker rehearsal this afternoon, Kai was told that he got the part of Ben Franklin. Ben and Betsy Ross are life sized dolls that burst out from under the Christmas tree and get caught up in the battle between the rats and the toy soldiers. Kai is excited about it, but it also means extra rehearsals. Unfortunately, extra rehearsals mean that he can't do the St. Mark's Players show of Assassins. Kai is very disappointed about it -- he really wanted to do it and was excited about it. I'm feeling very sorry about leaving them after we all had made the commitment that Kai would do it. Now they need to find another 9 year old boy and fast. We need to chalk this up as a lesson that Kai -- our whole family, really -- has a bit of a tendency to over-commit.

Two Shows, One Fall

This fall I am in two different shows: Assassins and the Nutcracker.

Assassins is being put on by the St. Mark's Players. I am in a few different scenes, but I always play the son of an assassin. In my main scene I delay my mom from trying to kill President Ford by whining and screaming about money to buy ice cream. In my audition last week I met the director, Kevin, and I had to read through that scene. My first rehearsal was yesterday and it was really fun.

I am also in the Nutcracker which is put on by the Washington Ballet. I am a party child. In yesterday's first rehearsal they put us in lines and measured and compared us to the other kids. I was put into the Elegant Family. This is my third year in the Nutcracker and I was in the Elegant Family last year. I'm the bigger brother this year. There are too many Nutcracker rehearsals -- I have another three hour one again this afternoon.