<p>Auditions for my daughter's high school performance of Les Mis today -Wednesday. They have over 150 kids auditioning for the show, and we've already got the talk from the director on how there are probably 20 kids for each part that would do great. </p>
<p>I try not to be one of helicopter dads hovering over everything, but it's hard to stand back and watch the angst in her and all her friends. And since she's is going to pursue a BSA MT degree this will be going on for a while. Any tips from you veterans on how to handle it that don't involve medications or other such agents?</p>
<p>Good luck. Ours just cast Oklahoma. 120 auditioned and the cast is 42. So sad for kids that their only high school activity is MT. We all have the conversation that this is the age to figure out if you have what it takes to handle rejection and keep going. And we compare it to the football team where there will only be one quarterback and a handful of starters but they need a whole team to be successful. But there were several moms that were so freaked out during auditions. My text was blazing. What do you tell them? It will all work out? It may not. </p>
<p>You have to be that rock that is there when they fall apart. Even the ones who got in but didn’t get the lead fell apart. It is our job help them look for a silver lining (pretend) - but let them cry for 2 days first. And don’t be the parent that tells them they got screwed and the leads are not talented. This is a tough business and it starts here. PS. Mine got Curly. Yeah!</p>
<p>Pressure, disappointment and failure are key components of the Theatre process. It goes counter to our natures as fathers who try to protect & shield. But risk is one of the things that makes theatre great. Will the actor remember his line? Will the dancer hit the landing? Will the singer hit the note? There are no surprises in the performance of a movie, but in the theatre anything can happen, good or bad, flat or transcendent. Getting or not getting a part will go far in shaping a kids character depending on their response. It is also a learning time for you as well, just because you know your child is great doesnt mean a director will see it in the 4 minutes they have their eyes on them. Guide them through or, (as I have learned to do) let them stew in it. They are going to stew in it anyway. (Good Luck from a father who was and actor, married to a dancer, who has 4 theatre sons.)</p>
<p>Just because there are 150 auditioning doesn’t mean they all have talent. I wouldn’t worry about it. My D’s high school did Les Mis last year. We had about 100 aud for it but in the end the leads were all the expected students. (with maybe a few getting some surprising roles). Our director had a large ensemble to accomodate as many students as possible. We also have a large stage to do that. Good luck and I hope your D does great!</p>
<p>Wish you could ship some of your extras over to our high school!! We have trouble getting enough kids (especially boys) every year. Next year, we will only have 2 kids (one boy, one girl) who can sing leads. It’s going to have to be a baritone/alto show! Fingers crossed that we get some talented freshmen!</p>
<p>They have 4500 kids in her HS, about 600 kids in choir, and over 60 girls in the two competition show choirs. So if you can figure out a loan system from Indiana to Texas there’s probably a bunch of kids here that would seriously consider your offer!</p>
<p>Jeffandann, You question is not an easy one. I understand the angst concerning Les Mis! It’s such a wonderful show everyone wants to be in it! Thankfully, in Les Mis the ensemble parts are amazing, too, so if the director goes for a large ensemble (and most do) those kids will have a blast even if they are not in the named roles. Some shows are not that wonderful for the ensemble, but Les Mis might have the best ensemble of them all! I’d be happy to be anybody in the ensemble, if they need an old lady!
600 kids in choir? That’s amazing!!!</p>
<p>Well, I’ll take your word on Les Mis because I’ve never seen it. Got word she thought the audition went very well, so we’ll see how it goes. My understanding is that there are roles in which some are cast as, shall we say, women who sell themselves? Earlier this year my D was cast as a bigot in the fall play. So if she gets cast as a prostitute then I guess I’ll be thrilled to have a bigoted, loose D. I’m trying to get used to this stuff!</p>
<p>Ha ha ha! The best teen production I’ve seen showed the prostitutes as exhausted, sick, and totally bored with their “profession.” It was very upsetting - it made me feel so sorry for those girls. They didn’t act like a bunch of back-up singers to a current pole dancing singer!
There are lots of great musicals that are entertaining, but I think Les Mis is a show that can actually change your life. It’s that good and I hope you all have a wonderful time with it!</p>
<p>Both of my kids were in a teen production of Les Mis a couple years ago. D was disappointed at first because she was cast in the chorus but ended up loving it. She was a peasant, a factory girl, a patron at the inn, a member of Thenardier’s gang and a “lovely lady”. She really enjoyed it because the chorus really involved acting, not just standing on the stage singing backup. S was the bishop (first time he could really show off his low range).</p>
<p>jeffandann: Don’t worry about your D’s casting. My D was killed off in 4 shows in a row. I got used to seeing her as a dead body. We enjoyed seeing how many different ways she could “die” - choking, snake bite, consumption, and gunshot.</p>
<p>My daughter is a junior and is currently cast as Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors. There are 1500 kids in the school and about 100 in theatre, with 5 or 6 really good girl singers who are juniors/seniors. But we were shocked that she got the role.</p>
<p>I offered to help her teacher get costumes. She replied to me via email describing the type of dresses I need to look for: “Look for a low-cut, tight-fitting, short dresses… one black and one another color. Just the type of dress every mother wants her daughter to wear.”</p>
<p>She’s a mom of a daughter, too, so she could relate! In the end, my daughter is wearing a nude leotard that hides some of her cleavage under a black v-neck dress…</p>
<p>My daughter is a dancer too, though and her dance team costume shows more skin, so…you kinda get used to it and realize it’s a costume. She dresses very conservatively everyday!!</p>
<p>Oh, loved reading this thread today!.. My D auditions tomorrow for Olive in 25th Annual Putman County Spelling Bee at her school. She is up against the big “star” of the school (the girl who played Annie in 7th grade). My D has never been competitive in the past, never gotten out of the chorus-- but started working with amazing vocal and acting coaches this past year, and has blossomed incredibly. I honestly didn’t know if she had the acting talent she needed (she’s always had the voice). But her acting and choral teachers at school have commented on what an amazing actress she has become. But I guess now we see if they meant it!..</p>
<p>D is <em>perfect</em> for Olive in every way. She made a total stranger cry when she sang The I Love You Song. But the girl she’s going up against is the known quantity, and her parents write <em>very</em> big checks to the school (which shouldn’t matter, but one never knows).</p>
<p>Anyway, your post came on <em>my</em> day of hiding the nerves and not being the helicopter mom, so thanks for posting, Jeffandann. Good luck to your D – Mme. Thenardier is a fabulous part (Helena Bonham Carter is playing her in the upcoming movie)!</p>
<p>And thanks for your good words, ManVan! Good to hear just at this moment!</p>
<p>My D’s school did Spelling Bee last year and she really wanted the role of Olive!!! But another sophomore got it…the girl who had also got a speaking role as a freshman in the huge school production of Wizard of Oz, is an officer of dance team, in every club…get the picture?. While, my D who limited her involvement to just dance team and theatre was in ensemble as a “lollipop guild ballerina”. </p>
<p>In Spelling Bee, she didnt get Olive, but got cast as Marcy Park instead and enjoyed it. </p>
<p>The girl who was cast as Olive last year realized that she has too many commitments and couldn’t really commit to either Audrey nor the urchins in Little Shop, and was just a “hobo” in the ensemble. </p>
<p>And while my D got cast as Audrey as a junior, the main senior we thought we get it was cast as an urchin, but she has the big soul voice necessary. (And she was Rona Lisa Peretti in Spelling Bee.)</p>
<p>So her competition one year may not always be there the next…but whatever part she gets, she should own it completely and do her best!!</p>
<p>“There are no small parts, only small actors…”</p>
<p>My D was cast as Madame Thenardier last year. She was initially disappointed cause of course she wanted Eponine. She ended up loving her role and she stole the show with Master T. It is a wonderful experience for these kids! Best show ever!</p>
<p>jeffandann … quick one about DS, who is now in his second year @ Tisch (acting, not MT). DW was taking him to the airport two weeks ago to return for spring semester. Out of the blue, he says to her, “Thank you for NOT being Theater Parents. I really want to do this on my own”. It took a lot of work to find the right balance of support, not influence, to help him along, but we all think it worked out for the best. Break a leg.</p>
<p>mom2them … DS was Seymour his senior year in LSoH. The director chose a different approach re: Audrey’s outfits. When Audrey says, “I used to wear cheap and tasteless outfits, not nice ones like this”, she actually was wearing a very nice, conservative dress. For me, it made the scene more powerful, showing a maturing Audrey as the play progresses. Send me a PM if you’re interested, and I’ll send you the YouTube link and you can see for yourself.</p>
