I was assistant director and choreographer under Sorsha Anderson for the 5th and 6th grade production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream with Community Connections in central Vermont. The work I did consisted of attending weekly rehearsals to be on book, take down blocking when the stage manager was unable, staging the lover’s fight scene, mentors some of the actors, and choreographing and teaching the fairies their dance. It was a process I enjoyed very much. I credit this very much to the expertise and leadership of Sorsha and the environment she was able to create for everyone involved. The kids’ enthusiasm and commitment to the project is also something that contributed to the successful run. The show was performed on Friday, December 8th at Union Elementary School in Montpelier. This project has now come to an end and I am very glad that I was involved with it. It worked well for me because it was an introduction to directing in a different setting than I have been before. Rather than being an actor and observing the director when I could, I was there to assist the director under her wing. Sorsha never coached me, but I felt confident enough from my background and time in her rehearsals to step up and direct on my own. I do wish I was able to adapt the scene more after its initial staging, however, my schedule did not lend itself to this. When directing that scene I feel like I did well, but I know that I felt a flustered in the moment. I think when I have more opportunities to direct scenes, I will be work to manage myself more and feel less flustered about it. As for this project overall, I finished it being very proud and excited. The day of the performance held a lot of energy and special moments. Knowing that I made a contribution to the making of the production, and I was someone that helped those kids fill up that stage gave me very joyous. The fact that the show was a Shakespeare made it even more magical. Behind the scenes is not so bad! One girl, Lena, said, after the show to me and Noah, that they could not have done it without us and thanked us. This warmed my heart. This project reinforced my interest in directing and working with kids. I am excited to pursue similar projects again!