<p>Congrat Jeffandann! Keep us posted! Our school does the seniority thing as well. Leads always go to the Seniors and an occasional Jr. However we have a super talented (triple threat) soph boy. He got a featured role this year in Legally Blonde but he could easily have the lead each year. He totally understands the drill thank goodness. Great kid!</p>
<p>My D’s PA HS follows a fairly structured approach to avoid as much “Drama” as possible:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Freshman and Sophomores are never cast in departmental productions nor can they work on run crew. They have to work pre-production crew (3-5 weeks of hard labor) and house crew for at least one show. They have to put in at least 100 hours after school their first two years to earn their “union card” in order to be eligible for mainstage productions in their Junior and Senior years. They do get to do a one-act play or one-act musical at the end of the first two years (“Showcase”).</p></li>
<li><p>Freshman and Sophomores can try out for the two all-school musicals but they basically never get cast because not only are they up against the upper-class theatre kids, they are also up against all the dancers (some of whom have solid voices) and all the vp’s (some of whom take dance outside of school). A lot of the ensemble roles in the all-school show go to the upper-class dancers who can sing and the vp’s who can dance. Other than all school shows, the departments don’t mix (MT kids have separate voice and dance, dancers can’t take music or theatre, vp’s can’t take theatre or dance, etc.).</p></li>
<li><p>Everyone gets cast as a lead at least once, sometimes more, in their Junior/Senior years (usually Senior) unless they have grade issues or have received a “card cut” for a serious rules infraction.</p></li>
<li><p>Everyone works run crew their Junior and Senior years if they are not cast in the current show.</p></li>
<li><p>They even try to cast the “techies” as much as possible- it is not unusual to see the “actors” working in leadership tech roles on run crew while a techie has a substantial part.</p></li>
<li><p>The theatre department is only around 30 kids per grade (~10 acting/~10 MT/~10 tech) and they do a total of three musicals (two all-school), three straight plays, and a series of student written/directed plays, so there are always lots of roles to go around.</p></li>
<li><p>Most of the Freshman and Sophomores do outside productions on weekends.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>I would say they do things very well at my daughter’s high school when it comes to the musicals. The directors are careful to talk to all the kids beforehand that it is very difficult in a large high school with so many talented kids to make everyone happy. And they have the same conversation with us parents. And they have historically cast kids that are great fits for their roles. They have to because the quality of the shows put on by the HS have a reputation for being first rate; they wouldn’t be if decisions were based on anything other than talent shown at auditions, etc. Seniors do tend to get cast in lead roles more, and that seems due more to the fact that they have had an extra year to refine their talents, although they certainly have had juniors in leads as well. Frankly, I’d understand preferring seniors in any high school, as it is their last chance to shine.</p>
<p>One of the parents has a son in college in MT, and said his son now appreciates how competitive high school was, because it prepared him for the competitive nature of college. Some kids that were big fish in small ponds apparently have trouble adjusting to that.</p>
<p>My daughter’s school is the antithesis of the performing arts school. Yet they put on a great musical almost every year casting people that are more known for being math whizzes or history buffs who also have artistic talent to bring to the table. Historically, this school was not known for its theatre program. I think that is changing.</p>
<p>Regardless, no way does anyone at her school that does the school productions (1 musical a year and 3 non-musicals) also do something outside of school on the nights and weekends during the school year. It would be academic suicide. </p>
<p>Perhaps that is why the casting pressure is so great. It always feels like a “this is it” moment for these kids that love theatre but have scheduling nightmares to contend with. The anxiety about the musical seems to be the worst and that sometimes brings out the worst in otherwise really incredible kids.</p>
<p>My daughter’s high school is doing “Legally Blonde” this year. When the cast list went up, there was one role blank–the UPS guy! So the girls got together and identified a few likely candidates and started asking. Imagine how it must feel to have girls beg you to “please, we need a really HOT GUY in the show!” They ended up convincing a very nice guy, athlete and good student, who’d never given a passing thought to being in a play. And he’s having a BLAST! Turns out, he’s a good dancer, too. He had no idea!</p>
<p>@halflokum: your post made me laugh a little, because what the kids at my D’s school stress over are academics. Most of them are in all AP classes (pre-AP for the Freshman) - the school is a US News Silver Medal School academically. And while they seem to view shows as, “Another Openin’ of Another Show” they all get really dramatic about what is due next week and how they haven’t slept more than 4 hours a night due to math and science homework. Even though the place is full of right-brainers, the school doesn’t cut them any slack on academics.</p>
<p>@emsdad, sounds like a great school your daughter is very lucky.</p>
<p>@ FrancescaBennett, our amazing sophomore boy got this part! He is perfect for it and he doesn’t end up taking the lead away from a deserving senior/jr.</p>
<br>
<br>
<p>… and in my experience, THIS is the guy that will end up on Broadway! ;-D</p>
<p>So Jeff, Did she get Mrs. T??? I’ve been dying to hear?</p>
<p>I have an update. And she did not get Mrs T, it went to a senior who has been in the competition show choir for two years. A very talented young woman, and my daughter is fine with it. Seniors tend to get more roles here, and I think in as large a school as it is, and with the talent they have, that is as it should be. But after coming home from the first rehearsal yesterday she is going to have several solos so she is quite happy with that.</p>
<p>And another update. My D just texted me that’s she is now officially a prostitute in Les Mis. So going back to last summer she’s been a mean girl (Hairspray), a man (Student directed short plays), a bigot (12 Angry Jurors) and now a prostitute (Les Mis). It’s good to know we’ve brought her up so well…</p>
<p>@jeffandan - I could truly relate. In the past two years, D was Dracula in “Dracula”, Scar in “The Lion King”, Sabine in “The 3 Musketeers”, and finally, Ti Moune in “Once in This Island” - the last being the most relevant role - but its the gender bender roles she enjoyed most!</p>
<p>jeffandann… that you did! She plays a prostitute without being a prostitute; a mean girl without being a mean girl and a bigot without being a bigot!</p>
<p>Well, here WE go again. Musical auditions are this week and I’m preparing for much drama and angst around the house. D is a sophomore with a long professional resume, but she hasn’t broken into the top tier in hs. We do have an incredible amount of talented juniors and seniors, and all things being equal, they will be cast.
D did not even make the ensemble of the musical last year (freshmen girls seldom do), but it was a big blow and very hard to overcome – although it was “Chicago” and their wasn’t really a good place for her since she plays very young. This year is Phantom of the Opera, and she has her heart absolutely set on Meg. Praying for strength for all of us to get through until Saturday!</p>
<p>Sounds similar to my daughter’s school, merlehay. A ton of talented kids, and I think it’s good to give seniors a shot at leads (given that talent levels are comparable). What the kids at our school are advised, especially the girls, is to keep putting yourself out there, audition for everything, and if not picked then make sure you’re staying active by working on crew, etc. My daughter did a lot of crew stuff her freshman and sophmore years and it gave her a good overall perspective on how theater works. Proud to be a techie!</p>
<p>Just have to update the tale of my daughter’s production of “Legally Blonde.” It’s tech week and they’re dealing with the props and costume changes and the surprises that come when you add all that stuff. Well, they UPS guy–the kid who has never been in a show before–is so sharp! He sees the big picture and jumps in to solve problems. He noticed that my daughter, who plays Elle, wouldn’t have time to get her suitcase and quickly proposed a solution. There are kids who have been in 6 shows who still have no idea what’s going on. Did I mention that he’s an excellent student? It really does help for an actor to be intelligent!</p>
<p>I just received a callback for Les Mis</p>
<p>Yeah! I hope you get it!</p>
<p>Fingers crossed for you!</p>