Calling all theater people!

[crayonblue]

DD1 is starting rehearsals for her 5th play tonight. That's 5 plays in one year! Four plays with a local youth theater (ages 8-18) and one with her school (elementary-middle). So far she has been in Once Upon a Mattress, Footloose (my favorite!), Wizard of Oz, and Guys and Dolls, Jr. She LOVES theater. DH and I know NOTHING about theater so this is a whole new world for us. Well, I shouldn't say nothing...we saw Les Mis in London. :)

We are totally, totally learning as we go. We quickly figured out that while DD1 is talented, to be competitive, she will need lessons. Particularly since DH and I can't even tell her if she is off tune! So, she is now taking voice, piano and tap/jazz in addition to her rehearsal schedule. Yes, we are busy. But, it is so worth it to see her love something so much. She pretty much gets through an audition and starts working on her next audition piece. Sometimes I wonder if her favorite part of the whole process is the auditions!

So, if you did theater as a kid or as an adult, any tips? Or just tell me about your plays and what roles you loved. :)

[lizzywednesday]

I did theatre in high school, but while I enjoyed it and got a lot out of it, I was very fortunate to also attend school with some INCREDIBLY talented people.

The kinds of people who:


traveled to weekend theatre arts competitions, did community theatre in addition to working, playing sports, and attending school, and others who did all kinds of other things that I was completely in awe of.

who have gone on to teach music, theatre, and dance.

who did set & costume design for all kinds of cool things.

a person who not only danced in her first professional show with CHITA RIVERA, but also co-owns/operates a theatre academy for children ... AND is a member of The Academy, so she gets to vote for the Oscars (squee!)


Anyway, the folks I knew then and who work in the arts now did start very young with lessons - dance, acting classes/workshops, voice, etc. - and they continued to audition & perform in all kinds of things. Many of my friends also wrote, designed sets, and directed shows & short plays starting in middle school onward.

[elliput]

My mom was active in theatre doing backstage work when I was a kid. Her main interest was lighting design, but she directed, designed and made sets and costumes, managed property, etc. I recall tagging along to rehearsals when I was 5 (I was also in dance at this time). The first bit of actual acting I did was for a promo spot when the theatre company did "Your a Good Man, Charlie Brown" I think I was 11. We were able to shoot in the local ball park, and the director loved the idea of having a real live "Little Red-haired Girl" in the stands cheering on Charlie Brown.

I participated in a couple Missoula Children's Theatre productions in junior high, and in high school (even though I was not in drama class) I did some competition work and was in our school's production of "The Music Man". I played Alma Hix. Meanwhile, for our community theatre group I was very active doing backstage and lighting work.

In college, I was still concentrating more on my vocal studies than theater work, but was in Gilbert and Sullivan's "Trial by Jury" and was active in our Opera Workshop group.

After college, I was once again involved in community theatre with roles in "Man of La Macha" (Antonia), Lerner & Lowes "Cinderella" (Fairy Godmother), and "The Fiddler on the Roof" (Shandel, Motel's mother).

It's been a long, long time since I have done anything else, but am considering auditioning for an upcoming production of "Beauty and the Beast". I'm way out of practice, but would love to be Mrs. Potts. :D

[niccig]

I would be very picky about her voice teacher. My voice therapy professor (I'm in grad school to be a SLP) is a professional singer and has PhD in voice disorders. The larynx of a child is not fully developed and too much singing and singing incorrectly can permanently damage the vocal folds. My professor was telling us about the young clients she has who were pushed to sing too much too early and sing incorrectly and end up seeing her to try to undo the damage. Apparently every star of Annie the musical has developed nodules on their vocal folds. I know your DD isn't doing that amount of singing, but it was impressed on us that child singers in particular need to be more careful with how they use their voice and how much they use it. So, it's something I would be aware of. If she overdoes it one day, make her take vocal rest. And always, always drink a lot of water.

[crayonblue]

I did theatre in high school, but while I enjoyed it and got a lot out of it, I was very fortunate to also attend school with some INCREDIBLY talented people.

The kinds of people who:


traveled to weekend theatre arts competitions, did community theatre in addition to working, playing sports, and attending school, and others who did all kinds of other things that I was completely in awe of.

who have gone on to teach music, theatre, and dance.

who did set & costume design for all kinds of cool things.

a person who not only danced in her first professional show with CHITA RIVERA, but also co-owns/operates a theatre academy for children ... AND is a member of The Academy, so she gets to vote for the Oscars (squee!)


Anyway, the folks I knew then and who work in the arts now did start very young with lessons - dance, acting classes/workshops, voice, etc. - and they continued to audition & perform in all kinds of things. Many of my friends also wrote, designed sets, and directed shows & short plays starting in middle school onward.

Yeah, it's pretty incredible how talented some of these kids are and how dedicated. A lot of them have bios that include all things theater but also multiple sports. Took me a while to figure out that a good number of them are homeschooled. Perhaps homeschooling flexibility gives them more time. DD1 is just going to have to accept that she is going to school! :)

Michelle Williams did children's theater for years with the same theater group that DD1 is in. I read that from her first audition, everyone KNEW that kid was going to become something.

[crayonblue]

I would be very picky about her voice teacher. My voice therapy professor (I'm in grad school to be a SLP) is a professional singer and has PhD in voice disorders. The larynx of a child is not fully developed and too much singing and singing incorrectly can permanently damage the vocal folds. My professor was telling us about the young clients she has who were pushed to sing too much too early and sing incorrectly and end up seeing her to try to undo the damage. Apparently every star of Annie the musical has developed nodules on their vocal folds. I know your DD isn't doing that amount of singing, but it was impressed on us that child singers in particular need to be more careful with how they use their voice and how much they use it. So, it's something I would be aware of. If she overdoes it one day, make her take vocal rest. And always, always drink a lot of water.

Totally!

[crayonblue]

My mom was active in theatre doing backstage work when I was a kid. Her main interest was lighting design, but she directed, designed and made sets and costumes, managed property, etc. I recall tagging along to rehearsals when I was 5 (I was also in dance at this time). The first bit of actual acting I did was for a promo spot when the theatre company did "Your a Good Man, Charlie Brown" I think I was 11. We were able to shoot in the local ball park, and the director loved the idea of having a real live "Little Red-haired Girl" in the stands cheering on Charlie Brown.

I participated in a couple Missoula Children's Theatre productions in junior high, and in high school (even though I was not in drama class) I did some competition work and was in our school's production of "The Music Man". I played Alma Hix. Meanwhile, for our community theatre group I was very active doing backstage and lighting work.

In college, I was still concentrating more on my vocal studies than theater work, but was in Gilbert and Sullivan's "Trial by Jury" and was active in our Opera Workshop group.

After college, I was once again involved in community theatre with roles in "Man of La Macha" (Antonia), Lerner & Lowes "Cinderella" (Fairy Godmother), and "The Fiddler on the Roof" (Shandel, Motel's mother).

It's been a long, long time since I have done anything else, but am considering auditioning for an upcoming production of "Beauty and the Beast". I'm way out of practice, but would love to be Mrs. Potts. :D

Oh fun! I hope you get the part of Mrs. Potts. :)