<p>Around here, we have an association run by the local Broadway theatre league, who visits high school shows and then "nominates" students, ensembles, small groups, orchestras,etc. and runs it on a TONY- like basis.
I was horrified when the first sheets came in to my D's school and one from the male judge began with, " I must tell you that I have always disliked "the show" that you are doing"! I mean, what kind of person would let the kids know that his opinion was already predjudiced and then tell high school students that he hates the show they were doing and was forced to adjudicate it anyway? They then proceeded to lambast the choreographer up one side and down the other- she also choreographs one of the school's performing groups, is new this year and is perfectly dreadful, but her work is again, NOT the students' fault. Of course, my D had the big dance solo (yep, let's change the soft shoe number to a tap piece?!) but, luckily, they left her out of it entirely!
The school orchestra was nominated, even though there were many outside adults that were "hired" for the show and it was not a "student orchestra" as it was supposed to be! I am so perplexed by this and wonder if anyone has ever encountered anything like it (other than ON Broadway, where why they do what they do is often a mystery!). Opinions?</p>
<p>That sounds like a horrid experience. I am really sorry the kids had to experience that.
I do have a suggestion, for future years, and that is to look into the Cappies program. I have written about it here before, but it is a peer review/ nomination system. Different high school drama students review shows at other schools. At the end of the year, they nominate each other for awards. The reviews are written within parameters that do not allow for unkind things to be written. The might say that some area of the show needed improvement, but never would they make such negative comments as your D's school recieved.
Oh, the student written reviews are published in the local newspaper, so the kids get experience being both critial thinkers and better writers. I can't say enough good things about the program. There are chapters around the country.
At the end of the year, the kids get dressed to the nines and go to the Cappie awards....They had ablast, and felt like those that won them had really earned them. AWards were given in Technical categories as well as performing ones, and also for writing reviews.
Here is a link if you are interested: <a href="http://www.cappies.com/%5B/url%5D">http://www.cappies.com/</a></p>
<p>Again, I am sorry that your D's judge let their prejudice cloud their judegment.</p>
<p>Lulu'sMomma, what are the adjudicators nominating the kids/shows <em>for</em>? In other words, you said that the adjudicator nominated the orchestra. So what happens next? I guess I am trying to ascertain the <em>purpose</em> of the evaluation. Is it like the Cappie awards?</p>
<p>These nominations culminate in an afternoon of a "Tony-like" show, which is laterbroadcast on a local TV stations,which is one reason WHY it has such a lock on the goings on around here. Schools are divided into "catagories" based on size (which leads to some rather odd decisions, since the city performing arts HS is actually down in the second level catagory, I believe, and some of the schools have much larger portions of the budgets given over to the arts programs, yet because their student body populations are smaller, they get put into a catagory which makes them "untouchable" by other schools that pour the money into sports, or, heaven forbid, academics!
The kids gather and learn a large group number and then some get individual time- they go in costume (again, kids from the schools that do not have their own costume departments and borrow or rent are left looking quite different- somewhat like the "poor relations" invited to the party) and then the awards are passed out in each catagory (lead actor/actress, supporting, featured, ensemble, small ensemble, orchestra,etc). What gets me is that my D's school had never participated in this program before this year as they were "tied" to another school that refused to go along and they wanted to split, so I was asked to research it and bring the motion to the table, so I feel like a fool too. Although the Cappies look wonderful, this other group has a stranglehold on the area, so we would be the only school in the 6 county region to buck the system and that won't happen...unfortunately.
The first sheet to arrive was the comment sheet about the choreography, and that showed up very early, like the next week. That was the one that contained the man's comments about having to attend a show he did not like and ripping the choreograpy. Since the choreographer is a "professional" hired be the school, the kids have no say, as she is an adult and they must do as she tells them. The man they had last year was wonderful and has gone on to become faculty at a college MT program while the new woman is a "personal trainer" with a degree in dance that she does not use, except at this school; no one had any input into her hiring except the vocal director.
This adjudicator's sheet was so powerful in it's criticism that it drove the other woman to agree, and I must also say that the work was not what it could have been, but WHY blame the youngsters and WHY hold that against them? As I said, my D, who has a fabulous voice and is a credible dancer was given the dance solo (while the 2 "dancers" in the group, played the Queen(senior) and a court lady (freshman). It was a "Soft Shoe" piece-hence, the title, but the choreographer insisted that it become a tap solo ( I grew up next to the Hammerstein's farm so I had occasion to know how just about anything put down by a member of their family or the "other half" was supposed to look!) and it was never meant to be a tap dance piece. I must admit, D can tap and swing dance with the best of them, when she has GOOD direction, but it was a disaster from the get-go, although I saw other school productions that were no better really,they just didn't take a piece and mis-lable it!
The orchestra was nominated as in the "best student orchestra" and and more than half were hired, professional musicians, including the accompanist, who is a teaching professional!
The really sad part of all this is that none of the girls can even attend the ceremony as the Music Department Director scheduled the school's Spring Concert on the same day at the same time (she did not bother to check)! One of the seniors was nominated for Best Actress and can't go or she will fail the Show Choir course since they must be at the concert. I can't even describe the choreography for that, since it is so awful that my daughter is embarrassed to be seen ( straddling a chair to "Anything Goes"? Ugh.
I hate to vent like this (and there is another one I am holding in until I see if the school responds!), but it just seems when there are great programs like the Cappies out there, that there is no reason to subject young performers to such negativism about something that was supposed to be fun and enjoyable.</p>
<p>LULUSMAMA, Sorry things have not gone positively for your D's school/production in this process. </p>
<p>I have heard of these sorts of "Tony Awards" for school theater productions around the country....such as Cappies, other regional or state adjudications and ceremonies. We have nothing like that here. I just heard from someone I worked with this year about her nominations and the award system and event in her region. I think these sound really great and I wish there was something like that in place in our region.</p>
<p>Maybe after hearing this and reading the Cappie link, you could get that started in your area. It sure sounds a lot nicer and I would think that it presents a more positve learning experience too.</p>
<p>I no longer have children in the school system. I was always an active parent in school affairs, volunteering, and so forth. My days doing that are over. :D</p>
<p>We have some resolution to the subject and at least I can tell you for certain that the Judge who began his review by telling the girls that he never liked the show to begin with WILL NOT be judging these awards again. I happened to mention it to someone who is on the committee to select the adjudicators and she was quite upset.
Our girls still have not seen their individual sheet and other kids have seen EITHER their drama or vocal sheets, but not both. It's very disorganized and deperessing, but D's BF is up for Best Acor in a Musical, so she's thrilled for him!
I tried to generate interest in the Cappies but no one seems to want to run with it around here. So now I don't know what to do. I think that sounds like a terrific idea but it took 20 years to get this far so change is not easy here!</p>
<p>Change is not easy anywhere. ;)</p>