LASTS AND FIRSTS: THE DAY IS HERE!

Yesterday, the "day before the big day", was quite a day (and night) in and of itself. Cory started the morning with a vocal lesson, grabbed a bite to eat and then it was off to the Winter Garden to watch the show from the green room and receive final pointers and comments before his big debut. He hung out with all the kids and participated in the cast warm up prior to the show. At 4:30pm we picked Cory up at the stage door and he was all smiles. His fellow new noodle Gabby said, "we are officially SOR matineers". She said since that was the last matinee for the graduating kids, the next matinee that happens will be with the new kids.

Last time seeing the show before
Cory is IN THE SHOW!

We grabbed a bite to eat with Cory and then around 6:30pm headed over to the theater. We were going to the show to watch the last official performance of the graduating kids and the last performance before Cory takes the stage. It was such a great time. A night filled with lots of emotions. I found myself crying at different points of the show and in total disbelief that tomorrow (today) it was going to be our son on that stage. I was also looking at the faces of the parents of the kids who were graduating and was thinking about what they must be feeling. The parents of the graduates could not be nicer and have graciously passed the baton to both us and our children. Truly feeling blessed at the connections and conversations we have been privileged to have over the last few weeks.

After the show, and a lot of cheering, autographs and pictures at the stage door, we headed over to the Novotel Hotel for the Graduation Party. Cory was in amazement. So were we. The roof top was packed. The cast (adults and kids), crew, family, and friends were all celebrating well into the night. Many of the original SOR kids and kids who have already graduated came back to support their graduating friends. In particular, Brandon (who played Zach), Jersey (who played James, who Cory will now be playing) and Raghav (who played Freddy) have been in the show from the beginning. In fact, Brandon said he plans to come see the show this week as he has never seen the show from the audience.

Eric Peterson,who plays Dewey, posing with
his new rockers, Zach (playing Zack), John (playing Billy)
and Cory (playing James).

Todd, one of the child chaperones,
and a fellow LEFTY Guitarist!

We want to wish major congrats to the graduating kids and families (it really takes everyone to be all in for these kids to be able to do this). Brandon Neiderauer, Jersey Sullivan, Raghav Mehrotra, Luke Bonenfant, Gianna Harris and Sammy Ramirez. I believe we will continue to see great things from these talented kids but more importantly, they are good people. They have been good friends to Cory as he has been learning the ropes and Cory is inspired and in awe of their talents.

Cory with Jersey (current James and new James)

Brandon and Cory

Raghav and Cory

Sammy and Cory

Cory was having so much fun and it certainly was a brand new scene for all of us. With tomorrow on our mind, at around 11:15pm it was time to head home. The exhaustion finally hit Cory and he fell asleep in the car. As he got into bed he kept saying to me and Josh, "tomorrow".

And here it is - the day has come - Monday, July 31. This was a date we were told five weeks ago and it seemed so far away. Cory has worked so hard over the last five weeks and tonight his hard work will pay off as he takes his place on the Winter Garden stage as a cast member of the Andrew Lloyd Weber, Broadway Musical, School of Rock! Curtain up at 7:00pm, here we go!

PUT IN WENT GREAT! (THINK DRESS REHEARSAL)

Yesterday was the long awaited "put in". We learned that this was basically a dress rehearsal. It was A REALLY BIG DEAL! Hair, makeup, costumes, mics, etc. A full run-through with the entire cast. Now you may be thinking (like I have been thinking), "well of course they are doing a full run-through, the debut is Monday!" But believe it or not, this is the one and only run through they will do before Cory and his new cast mates take the stage in just 2 DAYS!

Cory was very nervous going in for the put in. He was a little distracted as we spent the first part of the morning heading down to the West Village, to Replay, for a guitar lesson. Then it was back to the Winter Garden stage door and in he went with the entire cast and crew. All of us moms (and John's Grandpa who has been handling John's rehearsal schedule for the month of July so he has been very enmeshed in the Mom group) lingered outside the theater for a while quite frankly, FREAKING OUT! "How is this happening?", "I can't believe this!", "This is nuts!" We all dispersed for a few hours to try and do something, anything to keep our minds off of the put in and wondering what was happening on that stage.

Although I am totally not a city girl, I am finding my way a little bit more as I have been spending more time in NYC. I took a subway to meet my friend Daphne who is visiting from Israel. We enjoyed some quality time catching up (over a manicure and pedicure) which was great. But there is no escaping the general unbelievableness on all of this. Every other moment, in between filling each other in on our lives, we kept saying to one another, "I just can't believe Cory is starting on Broadway on Monday". Daphne said it totally suits Cory (she's known him since he was born). It seems to, and we'll see soon enough.

Back uptown all the parents congregated at the CitizenM Hotel lobby about 45 minutes before pick up. More of the same from earlier that day. We are all in disbelief, excited and nervous. The moms who have been doing this for a while (remember, it was a full cast call) were good about calming down the newbies and reassuring us that this is just how they felt at their kids put in.

It was time to walk to the stage door and at 5:30pm the kids came flying out. Cory's smile could not have been any bigger. His hair was gelled in a "fohawk" and when I said, "SO?" Cory replied, "it went great!" The sentiment was confirmed by the child chaperones who said that everything went really well and the kids did awesome. Cory was exhausted but feeling really good about the performance. He said he has to learn how to get dressed in his costume quicker and Michael (his dresser) told him he has to practice tucking in his shirt. In fact Cory asked me, "Mom, how come you never taught me how to tuck in my shirt?", something I never thought I would hear out of my kid's mouth and yet another area I have failed him in, shirt-tucking-in. LOL. All the kids were giddy, the parents were clamoring to get details. The kids who are currently in the cast went to grab dinner before they needed to be back for their evening performance. These kids - it is just amazing!

Cory's back at the theater today. He's starting his morning with a drum lesson and then off to the Winter Garden to watch the matinee from the green room. He'll do this again tomorrow after his vocal lesson in the morning.

Tomorrow will be a big day for the SOR family! With the final performance for 5 of the kids on Sunday night (we will be going to the show) and the debut of the new kids just hours later on Monday....there are lots of emotions for everyone. The excitement and anticipation continue to grow. 2 MORE DAYS!

5 MORE DAYS! IS THIS REAL?

This week has been a whirlwind and we're barely halfway through. The days are long for Cory and with each passing day it is obvious that we are inching closer to opening night. On Monday, rehearsal started at 11:00am. It was pouring outside! Schlepping around the city in the heat is bad enough, but in torrential rain, that is worse. Thank you Grandma Leslie for enduring Monday's weather with Cory! After a full day of rehearsals, it was time for the long awaited haircut. We had so much fun wondering aloud what they would do with his hair. Would they give him a mohawk? A funky rocker look? Keep it long? Out the stage door he walked and he fit the part perfectly....the part of a student at the most expensive prep school in the country, Horace Green. It's no rocker style, but after all, that's not the plot line. Cory is just happy that his hair is not in his eyes anymore.

Before                                              After

Cory getting ready to go in to trail.
This is his, "OMG, only 6 more days" face!

On Tuesday Cory started the day at the Winter Garden with another spacing rehearsal and then moved over to the studio for a music rehearsal. I am really amazed, not just by the new kids who are learning all of this material (in one month), but also by the existing cast of kids who have been doing double duty to bring Cory and his new cast mates up to speed. The current kids in the cast have been called for long rehearsals and then have to turn it around in the evening for a performance. It is incredible what these kids are capable of. I met Cory in the city Tuesday to pick him up from rehearsal only to get him a quick bite to eat and then get him back to the Winter Garden. Cory had his mic fitting and was trailing the show again. He was equally excited walking in this time as he was the first time he trailed the show. He can't seem to get enough! I was happy to have dinner with a friend in the city while Cory was backstage and then motored back to get him. When I picked him up after the show at the stage door, he came out exhausted and exhilarated (and starving); on a high. When I asked him, "so? are you ready?", he responded, "getting there, getting there". I smiled, nodded my head, gave him a hug and thought to myself, "well you better hurry up, Monday is around the corner."

Today started with studio rehearsal and then back to the Winter Garden for evening rehearsal. Grandma Sheri is with Cory today. It is crazy how your whole day revolves around getting Cory to and from where he needs to be and fed in between. It sounds easy, but I know, it is exhausting. I am grateful that we have people in our lives willing to take this on so that Josh and I can continue taking care of our jobs and other responsibilities.

Two of the child guardians.
Cory coming out of the stage door.

I got a call from Cory today while he was at rehearsal on a break, letting me know that his water bottle opened in his bag and drenched everything! Oy! This gives me a chance to say how amazing the child guardians have been. Whenever Cory is at rehearsal there are child guardians, who work for the show, that are there too. These guardians are who you drop the kids off with. Depending on how many kids are at rehearsals will determine how many guardians there are that day. I must give a shout out to Claire, one of the guardians, who has been so great with Cory. So when this major spill happened, or when other things go awry, the child guardians are the ones that help "make things better" and that is just what Claire did. It is comforting to know that the kids have good people helping to take care of them. Claire is not alone in that category. Cory says everyone is super nice and helpful and he seems very happy to be with all of the kids and adults involved!

So we are eeking towards Cory's debut on Monday. Each day feels like it flies by and crawls by at the same time. Anticipation and excitement (and nerves) are mounting. Cory is feeling all of these emotions but his general attitude is great. He walks around saying the same thing we do, "is this real?" - he can't wait! And he won't have to wait much longer....5 more days.....

Cory and Levi (will be playing Freddy)

From left to right:
Cory, Levi (will be playing Freddy),
Zach (will be playing Zack), Rachel (plays Katie)

THINGS JUST GOT SERIOUS

Thankfully Cory's root canal went well on Thursday. He rebounded quickly and was really happy to have the rest of the day off! Cory came off a long week of rehearsals. Tuesday and Wednesday were long days and nights at the Winter Garden, blocking and spacing the show. Wednesday night was particularly challenging as Cory is figuring out how to adjust to long hours, with few breaks and demanding expectations. This is a job. It is not all fun and games.

Zach and Cory seeing School of Rock on
Friday night! 10 days until their names will appear
on the Company Board and 10 days
until they will appear on the stage! 

Friday was back to rehearsal. After a day off and some good sleep, Cory was ready to go! I have been working remotely a few days a week so that I can take Cory to and from rehearsal, get to know the other parents and staff of the show and be a part of the excitement. Most of the time I set up shop in the CitizenM Hotel lobby. Friday I actually had a busy day - full of emails, conference calls and xoom meetings. I was even able to set it up so that when someone calls my office phone, my cell phone rings. Thanks to technology, I'm able to be in both worlds simultaneously, working right next door to where Cory is working. I won't always be able to do this, but I am grateful that it is working out for now (High Holiday craziness will be here before I know it and that will trump Broadway craziness for a while).

Josh met us in the city after work on Friday. When we picked Cory up from rehearsal at 6:00pm we went to Juniors with Zach (new to the cast, will be playing Zack) and Rachel (playing Katie in the show, has been in the cast since last November) and their families for dinner. Rachel finished up quickly in order to get to the stage door for call time for that night's performance. We are learning a lot from the kids and parents who have been in the show for a while. For example, when the show is sold out, you can buy SRO tickets from the box office. SRO = Standing Room Only. And that is what we did on Friday night! Ryan and Andrew were having special time with Grandma Leslie and we took Cory to see School of Rock along with Zach and his family and Rachel's parents too. There were some other cast members' parents there as well and it was such a great time watching the show with all of them. The highlight....watching Cory and Zach watching the show, singing along, doing the dance moves and mouthing the lines. I stood next to Josh, and next to Debby Zach's Mom, saying, "can you believe this is going to be our kids in 10 days???" My eyes filled with tears of I don't know what...anticipation, excitement, disbelief...more than once. Even with all the craziness that we are living each day, it is still just unbelievable.

Saturday and Sunday were more rehearsals and when the ping of my inbox went off this afternoon with this week's schedule it was clear....THINGS JUST GOT SERIOUS!

This week's schedule is full of more firsts, including Cory's first haircut by the School of Rock stylists, mic fittings, full run throughs, put inns (think dress rehearsal, except only the new people like Cory get dressed in costume) and more. Cory will be trailing the show again, spending most of the week on the Winter Garden stage and will be back stage in the Green Room for both Saturday's and Sunday's matinees. It is intense. But after all, in just one week from tomorrow, on Monday, July 31, at 7:00pm, Cory will be taking the stage, with his fellow SOR cast mates, in his Broadway debut. He's excited, he's nervous, he's thrilled and happy and just can't wait. Josh and I are feeling it all too and more!

1 WEEK TO GO! THINGS JUST GOT (MORE) SERIOUS!

WINTER GARDEN REHEARSALS BEGIN

Uncle Matt with Cory and a
suction pick holder on
Cory's forehead.
Doesn't every guitarist need one?

This past weekend we all had "firsts". Saturday Cory had rehearsal 12:00-5:00 and then a break for dinner (Grandma Leslie and Grandpa Irwin took Cory for dinner with a surprise visit from Uncle Matt). After a full day of rehearsals, Cory headed over to the Winter Garden to trail the show. This meant that he followed his character, James (currently played by Jersey Sullivan), around backstage and watched from the wings to see all of his cues, lines, moves, prop handoffs, etc. in person. When the show let out at 10:30pm, Grandma Leslie and Grandpa Irwin were waiting for Cory at the stage door. They said they could barely describe his level of excitement. When I asked Cory how it went, he answered, "Mom it was awesome, the whole thing was awesome!"



While Cory was wrapped up with long days of rehearsals, Josh and I took Ryan and Andrew to visit our cousins in the Hamptons overnight. This was the first time, of what inevitably will become a more regular part of our lives, where our immediate family of five was split. As Cory is pursuing this dream, the world is still going on for our other kids and we are trying to keep things as grounded and normal as possible (with full recognition that there no more normal!). Everyone did great! Ryan and Andrew (and Josh and I) were happy to spend time with our cousins and Cory understood he was missing out, but also had an incredible experience Saturday night and headed back to rehearsals on Sunday. As I said in my last post, it takes a village. Between Beca, our au pair, Michael, Cory's chaperone and our parents, Cory was taken care of and got to where he needed to be! Grandma Leslie and Grandpa Irwin even caught a show (A Bronx Tale) Saturday night while Cory was backstage at the Winter Garden.

Cousins, missing Cory!

Cousins

On Sunday afternoon this week's schedule arrived in my inbox. If we thought we had been dealing with a crazy schedule so far - things just got bumped up to the next level! Cory not only was scheduled for studio rehearsal but yesterday the cast was called to THE WINTER GARDEN STAGE! They started running through and blocking Act 1. Cory was so crazy excited yesterday morning, running around the house, jamming on his guitar, squealing "I'm going to the Winter Garden", "It's Winter Garden time". I can't help but smile when I see Cory so excited.

In just a few hours, Cory would be standing on that stage
for his first rehearsal at the Winter Garden!

On Monday night, after a drum lesson and dinner,
Cory stopped by the stage door and was listening
for where they were in the show. 

Monday, Cory had studio rehearsal and then a drum lesson at Replay downtown. Tuesday started the real craziness. The morning started with a guitar lesson at Replay in the West Village. Grandma Leslie and Cory headed back up town to the Winter Garden stage door, grabbing lunch on the way. 1:30-4:30pm was the first rehearsal at the Winter Garden, followed by a two-hour break. What do you think Cory wanted to do on his break? You guessed it! Guitar Center. He told Grandma he had homework to practice from the morning's guitar lesson. Another quick bite to eat and then back to the studio for rehearsal 6:30-9:30pm. In addition to the five new kids joining the show, many of the existing cast members are now joining the rehearsals as they prepare for opening night which is in less than two weeks. All the kids seem great and Cory says it is a ton of fun hanging out with everyone. He comes home sharing secret handshakes he's learned, pictures he's taken with new friends, and funny stories that happened during rehearsals.

Guitar practice!

Cory didn't get home until 10:30pm last night so thankfully today's schedule doesn't begin until 4:00pm. It will be another late night as they head back to the Winter Garden stage 6:00-9:00pm. The rest of the week is just as crazy and unfortunately, Cory heads back for part two of his root canal tomorrow on his day off. More to come as we are in the final weeks before opening night!

THANK GOODNESS FOR GRANDMAS: IT TAKES A VILLAGE

The saying "it takes a village" has never applied more than it does right now. Luckily we have a very supportive family and both Grandma Leslie and Grandma Sheri, for the month of July, each volunteer one day a week (at least) to take Cory to and from rehearsals. This week, additional guitar and drum lessons were added to the schedule, outside of rehearsal time, at Replay Music Studio in the West Village. It is a lot of schlepping!

Cory had rehearsal on Tuesday from 11:00am-5:00pm. Grandma Sheri was with Cory and they finished their night, with Poppops, at Ellen's Stardust Diner. What an experience that was!

As Poppops wrote on Facebook, "Cory was announced to his public".

There is no doubt that all the grandparents are excited. They tell anyone who will listen!
They also will use any excuse for a photo op.

Cory and his awesome waiter Samuel at
Ellen's Stardust Diner

Fun at Guitar Center!

On Wednesday, Grandma Leslie took Cory to rehearsal, 11:00am-5:00pm. While Cory was at the studio, Grandma went to the theater! 

Grandma Leslie took in a show while Cory was at rehearsal

After rehearsal, Grandma Leslie and Cory headed downtown to Replay for a guitar lesson. Cory had a drum lesson after rehearsal on Monday night. These are long days for Cory. He is very happy AND very tired. He's sleeping until 8:00am, sometimes even 9:00am. Cory is the kind of kid who always woke up early, even if he went to bed super late. The days are just exhausting and he is clearly needing more sleep. I can't imagine what it will be like when the shows begin.

Thursdays are Cory's day off and this week he did not need root canal (although root canal part 2 will be next Thursday). He was so excited to have time to just chill and have a play date with his friend Jordan. Surprise, surprise, they wanted to jam. I'm telling you, this kid just can't get enough of playing music. He was also really excited to go swimming. I forget that he's having a totally unconventional summer and hasn't really been to the pool, outside, etc. Not that he's complaining!

Tomorrow is back to rehearsal at 12:00pm and he will finish the day with vocal coaching at 6:00pm. He is super excited for Saturday when after rehearsal he will be going to the show and watching from backstage while he "trails" the kid who is currently playing the part of James. Cory is giddy when he talks about Saturday night. I can't wait to hear all about it!

WHAT DAY OF THE WEEK IS IT?

All of the days feel the same. Saturday and Sunday were just like Friday....well for Cory anyway. Ryan went to Grandma Sheri and Poppops for the weekend. He had a great time and got lots of special attention (and came home with two fish from a carnival, Goldie and Special). This gave Josh and I time to spend with Andrew and to work on switching the boys rooms. With Cory's new schedule it was time for him to be in a room of his own. Andrew was so excited to move in with Ryan, and Ryan instantaneously took over as the "big brother of the room".

With Josh and I both working full time, we needed to hire a chaperone for Cory. Enter Michael! Michael is a 22 year old musician (drummer) who happens to live around the corner. We've known Michael and his family forever. In fact, Josh and I used to babysit for Michael many, many years ago. Cory is excited to have a "cool older brother type" who will be taking care of him and getting him to and from rehearsals and shows. Michael is going to start full time in August while we continue to spend the rest of this month acclimating to our new routines and getting to know the other parents, etc. Michael is doing a few days here and there to get used to the routine, his first day was Saturday.

Saturday morning I headed into the city with Michael and Cory to show Michael the ropes. Even though this was only the end of week one, it feels like it's been months already. The days are long and there is a lot of back and forth. After we dropped Cory at rehearsal, I headed back home with Michael only to turn it around 3 hours later with Josh and Andrew to go pick Cory up. Cory came out of rehearsal happy and exhausted, but not too exhausted to go to Guitar Center. This seems to be the boys' routine as we did this on Wednesday and Friday too. Of the five new kids in the cast, three are musicians and they can't get enough of playing their instruments or each other. So after six hours of rehearsals, we all headed down broadway to Guitar Center. Watching these boys navigate the busy streets of the city, 20 feet ahead of us (Andrew's little legs simply could not move that fast), was nerve racking and also crazy. How is my kid old enough to be doing all of this?

In Guitar Center the kids jam out on the drums and guitars - swapping instruments, taking turns, playing solo and together. Turns out this is a popular spot for many kids in the cast. We ran into Raghav who is currently playing Freddie (the drummer) in the show. He is leaving at the end of the month and Levi, one of the new kids who started with Cory, will be taking over. Cory is understudying this role too. It was so funny to us that Raghav had just finished a 2:00pm show, needed to be back in a couple of hours for an 8:00pm show, and this is how he spent his free time - jamming on the drums at Guitar Center. The boys were super excited to see him and play with him. He is a celebrity in their eyes (and in general I guess!).

After Guitar Center we headed down to Tribeca to hang out with Zach's family. Afterall it was a Saturday night (even though it felt just like every day before). Sunday was more of the same. Grandma Leslie and Grandpa Irwin took Cory and brought him home (stopping at Guitar Center for a while before rehearsals). Cory had to arrive early for a vocal coaching followed by five hours of rehearsal. After rehearsal we all came together for dinner - Grandma Sheri and Poppops brought Ryan back, Grandma Leslie and Grandpa Irwin brought Cory back, and for the first time in what felt like the longest week ever, we all sat together for dinner.

Ping....the sound of my phone. The rehearsal schedule for this week arrives in my inbox. Here we go again....

WE ARE ALL WORKING FULL TIME

Now three of us in the Leventhal house work full time. Josh, me and Cory. It wasn't the first day, and it wasn't a holiday, so Wednesday it was time for all three of us to go to our own jobs. Grandma Sheri was on chaperone duty for Wednesday. We are lucky to have a really supportive network of family and friends to help us as we settle into our new routine. She and Poppops (her husband Alan) came and picked Cory up and brought him into the city. We have rented a monthly garage spot right near the theater. They dropped Cory at rehearsal, call time was 11:00am. Wednesday started with a 2-hour drum lesson. This was for Cory and Levi. Levi will be playing Freddie, the drummer, and Cory is understudying this part too. This was a long day for Cory, 11:00am-5:00pm, straight. My mom said this is going to be an expensive habit for her. After she dropped Cory off she went to TKTS and bought tickets for a matinee show, strolled around and grabbed a bite and a drink. 

Cory came out at 5:00pm, again super happy and starving! Grandma took Cory for something to eat and then what did Cory want to do? Visit guitar center of course! Cory told me that he sat down at a drum set and started playing. He said, "Mom, a bunch of girls gathered around and their jaws dropped. One of them started filming me!" I imagine this is only the start of Cory's fan base. Grandma and Poppops brought Cory home and this was the close of day 3.

Cory has Thursdays off. Unfortunately, he spent his first day off needing a root canal. He's home recovering and getting ready to head back to rehearsal tomorrow. 

SEEING THE SHOW

On Tuesday, day 2, Cory and Zach had an early call for a 2-hour guitar lesson. Cory is understudying the role of Zack, and Zach(ary) is playing Zack. Cory is the first lefty guitarist they have had in the show. There is a very specific guitar he needs to play when he goes on as Zack, so they are having the guitar custom made for him. Gibson hasn't made a lefty version of this guitar since 1985 and now they are making two of them for Cory. Until it comes in, Cory needs to bring his own electric guitar to rehearsal (hopefully the guitar will be here by next week). So here's Cory, walking through the streets of NYC, his backpack with his script and music and his guitar. Together the two things he's carrying weigh as much as him. But he's carrying it with confidence and pride!

Since it was July 4, and most of the world was off, except these kids who were working, Josh and I both took Cory into rehearsal. Once we dropped him off with Zach for their guitar lesson, we went with Debby and Jeff, Zach's parents, for lunch. Nothing like some greasy Shake Shack to start the day. We had to be back at 1:00pm to get the boys for a 35-minute lunch break.

So here's how it works, when it is "ON TIME" when the kids are called for rehearsal or shows or press events, the show guardians are responsible for the kids. And in fact, they really don't want/let the parents around during those times. The kids are expected to be at work, taking care of their responsibilities, not being taken care of by their parents. However, there are breaks for lunch or dinner, which are mandated by union and child labor laws. During those times, the show guardians CAN NOT be responsible for the kids. So if the break is 30 minutes or several hours, you (or a chaperone, more on that later) must pick them up, be with them, and then drop them back off at the next call time.

We knew the boys needed to eat quick, so we picked them up burgers and headed back to the rehearsal studio. They came out so happy. Cory said, "what could be better, we just jammed for 2 hours". They quickly ate and then it was time to bring them to the Winter Garden stage door. All five of the kids were going to see the show.

At exactly 1:35 all the kids started congregating around the stage door. They were buzzing with excitement. We got some great pictures of the group, the "new class of Horace Green", and then a guardian came out and off they went. And here we were, all the parents, now with about 3 hours to kill. Everyone went in different directions. Josh and I made a quick stop at guitar center to get Cory's guitar fixed and then we headed to the Marriot Marquis. They have a nice lobby, comfy chairs, and....you guessed it, a bar! I caught up on some work and we just hung out until it was time to go pick up the kids from the stage door.

At 4:35, at the stage door, the barricades were already set up for the autograph line. The theater doors flew open, the crowd was still cheering, and the line began forming for people to meet the cast. There were tons of parents around waiting for their kids. About 10 minutes later the entire cast, plus the five new kids, came out the theater door. This was an experience that was like none other yet. Watching the current kids in the cast fist bumping and embracing the new kids was amazing. They were all so welcoming, as were the parents. Moms and Dads introducing themselves, welcoming us to the SOR family and offering their help in getting us acclimated to our new lives. But again, here was the highlight, Cory's smile, the twinkle in his eye, his excitement was emanating from every part of his body. He was high-fiving all the kids, hanging out like he's known them forever. The current lead, Brandon Niederauer, who goes by Taz, is an amazing guitar prodigy, playing with people like Derek Trucks. He is someone Cory is in awe of. When Cory referred to him as Taz, he said to Cory, "my friends call me Brandon". Cory's eyes bugged so far out of his head and his smile got even bigger. We met the girl who plays Summer (the band manager) in the show. She is super spunky which is totally fitting for the part. She said, really to me and Josh, but towards Cory, "don't worry, Cory's going to be great, and I'll take care of him, I'll be his big sister." 

What we learned on the walk to the car and on the ride home was that the kids got to go backstage before the show, meet all the kids, see their dressing room and dressing station, talk to the kids who are currently playing their part and really just hang with the group. They were then escorted to a box in the theater where they watched the show. Cory could barely take a breath he had so much to say and was just so excited. He told us that the new kids are referred to as "new noodles" and the old kids are referred to as "old noodles". He exclaimed, "I'm a new noodle!"

IT BEGINS: FIRST REHEARSAL

On Monday, July 3 the day had arrived, Cory was starting rehearsals. SOR has a dedicated rehearsal studio in a small theater right across the street from the Winter Garden. It is the theater where the Fantastiks played for years. There are 4 other new kids starting with Cory, so a total of 5 new kids are entering the cast. We all started trickling in and you could feel the excitement and anxiety alike. Mostly all excitement from the kids. The kids started introducing themselves to each other and congregated together immediately. All smiles. The parents, definitely more nervous, also were introducing themselves, all with the look of "what the hell are we doing? how did this happen?". Of the five families, three families are relocating to NY. One from LA, one from NC and one from Philli. I COULD NOT IMAGINE having to find a place to live on top of everything else. One other family is "local" from Short Hills, NJ. 

At exactly 12pm on the dot, the kids were brought into the rehearsal space and the piano started immediately. You heard the kids doing vocal warm-ups.The parents all stayed in the lobby for a parent orientation meeting. This was 2-hours of of information being thrown at us by the stage manager, management, and the head child guardian. They went through everything including schedules, professional behavior, expectations of the kids, lunch and dinner breaks, tutoring, hairstyles (they own his hair!), calling out sick, what they need for their dressing room, what happens backstage, unions, safety and security, publicity, social media...it was a TON of information. The good part was that none of us, the parents, have ever done anything like this. So we were all in the same boat....TOTALLY OVERWHELMED! At around 2pm the meeting was over and we were able to leave while the kids continued with rehearsal. I did what any normal person would do in this situation; walked around the block, found a bar, ordered a drink and cried. WHAT DID WE GET OURSELVES INTO? HOW ARE WE GOING TO MANAGE? 

After a few hours (and a few drinks), it was time to go back and pick up the kids. At exactly 5:00pm the doors opened and they came out. Cory was BEAMING. Really, his smile could not have been any bigger. All the parents were asking, "how was it?" and you heard all the kids responding, "awesome, amazing, unbelievable". High fives all around among the kids and then everyone dispersed. 

Cory was starving. I couldn't get him food fast enough, and he couldn't eat it fast enough. Josh came in after work and met us for dinner (Cory ate again!). During dinner, Cory was talking up a storm and with a maturity that was new for Josh and me to see. It was clear that this experience, even in these first five hours of rehearsal, was already shaping him. 

LIFE JUST GOT 10X CRAZIER

When we got the call that Cory was offered a part in Broadway's Musical, School of Rock, I don't think any of us knew what was about to happen. We got the call on June 16th from casting and on June 17th, before we were able to really tell everyone, the madness began. I was contacted by half a dozen departments from the show. Everyone from management talking about contracts and payroll, to the schooling department, music department, press and others. EVERYONE needed paperwork. Accounts needed to be set up, documents needed to be completed and notarized. They required a 24-48 hour turnaround time on everything. It has been a huge learning curve. 

Cory had to sign his own contracts! This meant he needed to sign his signature 8 different times on various copies. You know what we had to do first? Teach him how to sign his name! They don't teach script in school anymore. Each signature took him a few minutes, it was painful and hysterical at the same time. As he was signing, he turned to Ryan and said, "this is just part of what you have to do when you're on Broadway, you sign documents". Precious.

Last Friday, June 30, Cory had his wardrobe fitting. We made our way to the stage door, rang the bell, security answered and I timidly said, "Hi, I'm Erica and this is Cory and...". Eric, the security guard, immediately looked over and said, "Hey Cory, Congrats, I'm Eric, we've been waiting for you, welcome!". It was surreal. He walked us up through the theater's backstage all the way to wardrobe. Cory was walking slow, looking left and right constantly, and pointing, "look at this, look at that", taking it all in. It was just crazy. We walked into a pretty big room that was full of racks and racks and shelves upon shelves of costumes and clothing. We then went into a smaller room where we met Nanette. She is the head of wardrobe. Such a nice woman. She congratulated Cory and got right to work saying, "Ok hunny, go ahead and take off your clothes." 

SIDEBAR: For those that know Cory well, you know it is a 60/40 chance, on a good day (and I'm talking about the 40%), that Cory is wearing underwear. I immediately began to sweat, saying in my head "please be wearing underwear, please be wearing underwear....what will I do if he's not wearing underwear??". I looked over to Cory and very quietly whispered, "are you wearing underwear?" He smiled and nodded yes, I breathed a huge sigh of relief, and we moved on. 

Cory was fitted for wardrobe for the three different parts he will be playing. Each part will require 3-5 costume changes. Everything from prep clothes to rock and roll get-ups. Cory said to Nanette, "I'm not so good at tucking in my shirt". Nanette reassured him that he will have a dresser, Michael, and Michael will help him getting dressed, undressed and changing before, during and after every show. With each costume change, Cory became more relaxed and visibly more excited. Nanette said he's the youngest and smallest kid they've had in the cast. Cory looked over to me and winked as if to say he's proud to wear that title.

Once we were done with costumes we were brought down to the hair department. We met Angela, Cory's stylist. Very nice. Everyone was very nice. Angela snapped a photo of Cory's hair and sent it off to the hair design team. (All CRAZY!) They will be maintaining a certain hair style for Cory, we don't know what that will look like yet, but as they said at my parent orientation meeting on Monday, the show now "owns his hair". 

We walked back out the stage door and Cory let out a shriek of glee. "Oh my god, I'm so excited, I'm so excited" he was practically screaming. He jumped into my arms for a huge hug and I definitely felt tears of joy coming to my eyes. My kid is going to Broadway and you could feel the excitement and energy coursing through his little body. It is all just totally amazing!

Saturday was the last somewhat normal day I remember. On Sunday, the kid that was cast as Zack, whose name happens to be Zachary, and his family, came for breakfast (and stayed through lunch). They are transplanting here from LA and the Mom, Debby, and I had been communicating over email and text for the last couple of weeks. It was nice to sit with other people who were also freaking out about this huge change in their lives. The nicest thing was watching how quickly the boys connected. They spent a lot of time jamming on the guitars and drums and then also played like normal 9 and 10-year-old boys, outside, on the trampoline, etc. Debby and Jeff, Zach's parents, and Josh and I got to know each other and tried to sort through all the details that had been thrown at us over the last few weeks, comparing notes and exchanging information we learned. They have a daughter Lilah who is a year older than Ryan and it was nice for the siblings to also have a new friend. It was great for Cory to already have a friend walking into his first rehearsal on Monday. 

We finally got the long awaited rehearsal schedule for the upcoming week on Sunday afternoon. For those that know me, hell, even for those that don't, everyone knows I am a planner. So just a few hours to plan for a whole week.....it is safe to say I have left my comfort zone. Sorting through all of Cory's call times, various rehearsal blocks and lessons was intense. Then layering that with a schedule of who was going to take him, get him, etc. for the week was another challenge. And once that was all done, we were ready for week 1. All this for week 1!