It was the most incredible summer! After we finished our two shows in Pennsylvania, we took Pippin to New York, West Virginia, Florida, Louisiana, Texas, California, Nevada, Missouri, and Illinois. We had six days in each location: one for setting up, three for shows, one for striking, and one to explore. We all went dancing in New Orleans, swimming in Miami (the first time I'd seen the ocean), and cycling in Los Angeles (Andrew insisted that I learn how to ride without training wheels). Our day trip to St. Louis was my favorite. Mom and Papa took Andrew and I to an ice cream shop while the rest of the cast went elsewhere. While it's wonderful to have a huge theater family, it cannot replace having a typical family: father, mother, children.
When the summer ended, many of the cast members left for New York or California to find other acting gigs, with the understanding that they would return to Philadelphia in April to prepare for another summer of Pippin. I lived with my parents and Andrew in a two-bedroom apartment in Philadelphia. During the year, Papa directed shows for a local theater company; Mom worked as the treasurer.
Both Andrew and I were homeschooled by our mother during the school year which, for us, was mid-September through late March (just before Pippin rehearsals resumed). To ensure that we interacted with our peers, Papa would have us audition for two local productions a year. Even when we branched out and auditioned for productions that Papa wasn't directing, we always made it into the cast.
One thing you should know about young actresses is that they bond quickly and fiercely. Whether the show had three or thirty girls my age, we all became each other's sisters. I absolutely loved the playful cast gossip and constant togetherness.
However, Andrew struggled socially during the "school year." Mom and Papa always said it was because he was a better performer than the other boys his age, or that he was too mature for them. That may have been true, but I believe that there was something else keeping Andrew from connecting with the others. He was much happier during Pippin, though. During the summer months, his enthusiasm was contagious and he was always trying to answer near-unanswerable questions. He once asked, "How much of who we are is in our control?" I don't remember what he concluded. Andrew nearly always found answers to his questions.
In retrospect, my childhood was far from typical. Very little schooling and lots of theater. Also, I was loved more than any other child I knew.
Years went by. Pippins came and went. We brought Pippin to forty-eight states by the time I was thirteen. When I turned thirteen, however, my perception of Pippin, and of life in general, changed dramatically.
I suppose an actress' life can only change dramatically.