Princesses Out in Public: What a Titleholder Appearance Looks Like
- fishermf
- Oct 27, 2022
- 3 min read
Whenever titleholders had appearances in my hometown, I always went out to visit them! Seeing girls in crowns out and about, serving their community, and doing it all while serving looks was so bad ass!
Naturally when I became a titleholder, I was hungry for local appearances; I wanted to do them all.
So I did!
Myself and Miss Indiana University, Shaylee Barnes, handing out
coloring pages and easter candies to children at the Zionsville Lions
Eggnormous Egg Hunt. Photo courtesy of Roger David Manning (2022).
Needless to say, I loved it! I’ve always been active in my community, but being able to do it as a woman that children looked up was absolutely unreal. Though the photos captured at these events depict a carefree, happy titleholder out in the wild, the preparation that goes into these appearances is insanity.
Allow me to break down an appearance for you. For the purpose of this blog, we’re going to dive into New Albany Theatre Arts’ Broadway Bound Theatre Camp, a week-long ‘appearance’ where I taught elementary school students about the magic that happens backstage in the theatre. Most appearances are a few hours out of the day, but every once in a while, titleholders take part in week-long events, camps, and volunteer initiatives. This was my first week-long endeavor, and it was certainly unique!
The weekend before the camp started, I headed out to New Albany High School, my alma mater, to refamiliarize myself with the auditorium space. I walked the facilities, spoke with director of theatre arts, Amy Miller, and bought copious amounts of coffee to keep me awake for the early mornings yet to come.
Posing for a selfie with two of my best friends from high school, Mackenzie and Maddy! Photo courtesy of myself (2022).
The camp began on Monday at 8am. I arrived at the school to find 120 eager children packed into the orchestra right section of the auditorium, ranging from the ages of 5-11 years old.
Wowza.
Take a second to imagine the squeals and screeches I was confronted with that morning. Sure, it was exciting to see so many students interested in the arts, but geez louise!
Though there were a ton of kids, I ran into some of my old friends from high school who were also instructors that week!
The kids were divided into five groups by what grade they were in and rotated between multiple stations taught by other NAHS alumni and local professionals. We worked with them from 8am until 1pm Monday-Friday.
Before every day, I’d read my lesson plans, and work on adapting them for each different age group I was going to encounter. Naturally, I explained concepts to 5-year-olds differently from how I explained concepts to 11-year-olds. The whole teaching experience gave me a new appreciation for teachers.
They definitely don’t get paid enough.
My daily curriculum consisted of prop placement, set piece movement, and the fan favorite, costume quick changes! Playing dress-up and showing the kids stage secrets was too much fun! They also loved my crown and called me ‘Princess Maddie’ the whole week. It was adorable.
Group leaders Mary and Emily playing dress up with me on our quick change
lesson day! Photo courtesy of Amy Miller (2022).
Due to my alumni status with the department, director Amy Miller allowed me to preview and perform my Miss Indiana talent for the kiddos at the end of the week. Needless to say, the kids loved it, and my friends were so supportive.
Before I performed, however, I had the opportunity to share my story in the Miss America Organization, and discussed my arts advocacy platform, Yousical Theatre, with the kids to show them that I was invested in their future as young performers. Their parents were also in attendance, and a lot of them thanked me for the work I’m doing which really warmed my heart and reassured me that all the work and early mornings put into the week were worth it.
Though this Theatre Camp was an abnormal appearance, it was an appearance nonetheless. I served my community, advocated for the Miss America Organization, and shared a piece of my performing arts heart with the future of Southern Indiana theatre.
If you’d like to see photos of some of my other appearances, check out the ‘Pageant Portfolio’ page here on my website, or check out my titleholder accounts on Instagram!
(@missindiana_spiritofindiana)
(@missindiana_mishhc)
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