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There is something special about a live performance. With actors and actresses on stage in full costume, live music in the background and the elaborate stage sets, it all is so fascinating.

This past weekend, I had the privilege of attending “The Sound of Music,” at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival.

Captivating to say the least, the musical came alive in the most magical way. Rivaling the movie, I wanted to sing along with each familiar song. From the nuns singing acapella in the first act, to all the children harmonizing, “Edelweiss,” in the end, sitting among such talent is humbling.

The entire play is even performed around two grand pianos that are used as part of the set. With two pianists playing the entire 3-hour performance, it was impressive to see their enthusiasm for the music and hear the beautiful chords echoing from their instruments.

The perfect way to spend an afternoon, even on the SEC championship game day, overall attending the theater was just an extraordinary experience, and it always has been.

Growing up, I was blessed to attend a school that scheduled field trips that exposed me to the arts. Every year, we would attend a play at ASF or have traveling acting groups perform in our school gym. Perhaps one of my favorite performances was at the Davis Theater in Montgomery. It was Christmas 2002, when my class attended the Montgomery Ballet’s, “The Nutcracker.” My first time ever seeing the Christmas classic, watching the ballerinas on point motivated me to be more attentive in ballet classes at Ms. Sonya’s. Most of all it was inspiring to see older individuals practicing their God-given talent on a stage how ever big or small.

This past Sunday, the Montgomery Ballet presented, “The Nutcracker,” in the Camellia City. Families and friends could attend the event in the Greenville High School auditorium—assuming you had a ticket seeing it was a sold out performance. Yesterday, Christmas at the Ritz brought a new exciting show to the stage, not to mention the Shenandoah singing performance earlier this year.

It seems the arts are exploding in the Camellia City with plans for more to come. So, if you missed a performance this month, don’t worry, there are plenty more on the horizon for our small town and its historic theater in 2019. And who knows, perhaps one of Butler County’s own will one day take the stage simply because they were inspired by the many performances this past year.