This guest blog was written by Marc Mason, who authored the script exclusively for Mission Montessori Academy.
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By the time Friday, May 10th rolled around, I was a nervous wreck. And it was putting a strain on my entire household.

Flash back to the summer of 2018. My sneaky spouse puts the idea of turning Star Wars into a musical for kids into my head, and no matter how hard I try, I can’t shake it off. Despite all my protests otherwise, I agree to do it, not trusting that anyone else could do it. I finished the script across two months of writing, turned it in, and began the long nine-month wait for it to be born onto the stage.

So of course I was a nervous wreck by the time showtime was no longer a dream, but a reality! What else would you anticipate from an expectant father?

My sneaky spouse, known to most of you a Ms. Lenny, Principal of the Larkspur campus, took it upon herself on that Friday night to help me gain perspective on what Saturday and Sunday were going to bring. She pointed out to me that over thirty students had signed up to be involved with the three runs of the show, a level unprecedented in school history. That the kids had been singing and dancing for months to the songs I chose for the show, and that they were having the time of their lives in rehearsal. “And that’s what matters,” she said emphatically. “The kids have a good time, helping the audience have a good time. That’s a win.”

Ms. Lenny is pretty smart, in case you didn’t know or had forgotten.

I was in the wings, operating the lights, but I could still see what I really needed to see, and hear what I needed to hear. What I saw was the unbridled joy of the students as they sang, danced, fought with laser swords, and snarkily quipped my dialogue. From the audience I heard squeals of laughter at the right times in the dialogue as well as cheering at the right times in the story.

In those moments, I grasped just how right my wife was. The sense of fun and excitement in the air between both the students and the audience was palpable. Everyone was getting what they wanted out of the show, and so I understood what a complete win it truly was. That helped me relax, kick back, and go with the flow for the rest of the weekend.

I’m proud of the job the students did and all the hard work they put into getting ready for the show. I’m also grateful to Mr. Z for his dedication to musical theatre for kids; everyone who worked backstage doing costumes & makeup, the volunteers working the house; and to the Tryons for their willingness to try something a little different this year for the spring show.

Will there ever be a sequel? I don’t know. But wouldn’t it be great to hear Darrin Nader sing The Who’s “Behind Blue Eyes” after revealing Duke’s true parentage? Just food for future thought…