Success! At long last a week where Oliver and I have a semblance of authority and don’t get eaten alive by 12 year olds! Rehearsal went smoothly today for the first time. We were not able to cast a Lysander because the same 2 boys were absent (and might not be coming back.. it’s unknown..), but the shy kid (Kevaughn) miraculously stepped up to the plate today and temporarily volunteered for the role. Oliver and I split our kids into two groups to read over blocks of lines for the first time in character. I took Hermia, Helena, Demetrius and Lysander, and Oliver took Puck, Oberon, Titania and the Fairy. This way everyone got to focus on their lines and practice reading Shakespeare, but they didn’t have to wait so long for their turn in the script to come up. We were able to cut down on the distracting side conversations this way and keep everyone on task. We completed our goal work in a record 30 minutes!! As a reward (this system works beautifully) we played frisbee, tag and football outside for the remaining time. I think Oliver and I are winning them over. They seem to kind of like us now! Kevaughn may even agree to permanently play a speaking role! We have a lot of work to do, but I think next week we will finally be able to move on to some acting and block some scenes.