Over the past three to four weeks, my theater troupe has been working on our children's show production, "Madagascar Jr." We have been working our behinds off to make this show amazing, and this past week, it has paid off big time. While this show may be a junior show, it is one of the biggest, flashiest productions we will put on this school year. This is because we perform it eight times exclusively for the neighboring elementary and middle schools, and let me be the first to say that performing in front of an audience full of kids is not easy.

I believe that performing for children is probably one of the most challenging things you can do in theater. Not because we have to make sure every dance move is perfect or every note sung is right or every line said is 100 percent accurately. What makes children's theater so hard is the fact that you have to keep a little child's brain occupied for an extended period of time. You also have to keep in mind that half the time they probably are not understanding what you are saying. This means as actors we have to work extremely hard to make our characters larger than life, and we must portray the story though not only our spoken lines but our mentality too. We also get the kids involved, which helps to make them feel like they are part of the story, rather than just watching it. In this show in particular, there was a point when we went into the audience and danced among the kids and interacted with them. This requires so much energy and discipline because at no point can we ever break our huge characters or drop our energy for even a brief second.

That doesn't just mean during the show, it includes before and after the show as well, because our goal as a children's show is to make the kids feel like they are a part of the story from the second they walk in the theater to the moment they leave. From the moment the children get off the bus, we had some of our lemur ensemble members greeting the children and helping them get settled into the theater. After the show is over, most of the cast follows the children out of the theater and wishes them farewell as they go back on the buses. That whole time, we remain in character and keep the show alive even once it is off the stage.

You might be asking yourself at this point, "Why in the world would you do children's theater if it is this draining and stressful?" My response: Because it is all worth it to see the children's reaction in the end. Some may find it rude and disrespectful to have a kid making little comments and noises during a show, but quite honestly, I find it one of the most rewarding things ever. I love when the kids sing along, or when they come out and are smiling from ear to ear or even laugh at our jokes. It is truly an amazing feeling to know that you are making these little children happy even if it's just for an hour or two. So yes, these children's performances are worth the pure exhaustion and aching muscles, because in the end you leave knowing that today you affected some little girl or boy's life, even in the smallest way.