<p>What exaclty are character shoes? I know I need htem but Im not sure what they are.</p>
<p>You can do a websearch on character shoes and it will pull up what they look like. Tan is what all the shows here use but at SDM black seems to be most common and we picked up a pair of t-straps in black.</p>
<p>Gosh I hope I can make it to camp. I was in the ER for 7 horus yesterday with severe stomach pains. They did every kind of test you can imagine and everything is normal, but I am in so much pain and Ive tried 6 medecines and nothing works. Time to go try another one.</p>
<p>hope you are feeling better Defying. Please don't let stress cause some of these stomach ailments. If you are worrying about camp-audition, shows etc. STOP right now!! I am telling you that you will have a ton of fun and make lots of friends. Remember this is camp-JUST RELAX.</p>
<p>No I don't think its that. Im not sure though. I was born 4 months early and had lots of stomach surgery so my stomach has always been crappy. They think it might be gastritis and an ulcer combined . Gee great!</p>
<p>Well do everything you are told to remain or get healthy!!!!</p>
<p>I will. Audi can you comment on any of the classes I posted on pg, 15 I think it's the third from last down</p>
<p>Defying Gravity, I am sorry to hear you are in so much pain. I am glad to hear that all the tests checked out which should allay any fears. I realize that does not give you answers but maybe it is a brief bout of something that will just go away. Stay on top of it and if still problematic, follow up with a doctor. If it is something you have experienced before and know what to do about it (I don't), just follow those orders. Sometimes if it something brief, you can't explain what caused it but if it persists, keep talking to your doctor. </p>
<p>My own daughter had an experience in early March. She had just done her last college audition and we were in Boston (earlier in day auditioned for BOCO and felt it went well...guess it did, she got in), so it was nothing stressful as she felt great about it. After the audition, two SDM friends from the Boston area (boy who played Jekyll/Hyde last session and is lead in Aida this session and boy who played Frederic in Pirates of Penzance and is in Follies this session) came in to meet us for lunch and then we went together to see the matinee of BOCO's musical production of City of Angels. By the way, the cast was excellent. We said goodbye and then my daughter and I went back to where the hotel and car were and got a quick dinner and we were about to head to the parking garage to make the 3 1/4 hour trek back to where we live in VT. It was a Sunday night. We started to leave the restaurant and we were actually at Copley Place and she was on the street and bowled over in pain. I waited some and she was in agony and could hardly walk and we had to make it to the hotel lobby in that complex (not the hotel we had stayed at). I waited a while with her at a sofa in this huge lobby and she felt so badly and could not get up to go to the parking garage. I did not know what to do because I had never seen her like this and my mind was thinking, appendix? or something. And I was afraid to start driving on a Sunday night through rural New England when i would not be able to easily find help and so I had to leave her, get the car, ask the concierge for help and they wheeled her to my car and I headed to the ER of a hospital in Boston. As time when on, she got a bit better and they also did all the tests like they did with you and found nothing apparently wrong that they could tell and she was not as bowled over so we drove very very late at night back to Vermont. Nothing at all came of it, thankfully, and we don't know why she was in that kind of pain as it went away. Of course, who would have known that exactly one week later she would end up in the ER in VT and intensive care after a horrendous car accident? This is a kid who had been in an ER only once in her life before (mild concussion after falling doing a figure skating jump....used to be a skater) and this time it was twice in a week's time. I'd take the stomach problem any day over what the ER and intensive care and all that followed was like after the car accident! Still, I hope I never see the ER again!</p>
<p>So, anyway, sometimes things happen that go away and can't be explained. It sounds, however, like you have a history of stomach problems and perhaps you had a bout of it. I'm sure you can be advised of what you need to do. Take it easy and I hope it subsides really soon! </p>
<p>Susan</p>
<p>Ya me to. I told my mother I will not cancel camp and will go to camp with the pain if it does not got away! It will not be the best experince but I refuse to cancel camp. I have stomach problems it seems every summer around this date. Last year on a family vacation to Hilton Head I ahd a very bad stomach and was up all ngiht in the bathroom. I had to go to a doctor down there and it did go away but it was very strange. How did your daughter get into MT from figure skating lol?</p>
<p>In regard to classes, everyone's opinion is different and you have to take what interests you and what you feel you will benefit from the most. My S has been dancing since he is 6 and has taken many classes and done many dance competitions over the years in jazz, tap and hip hop. He is currently in master jazz (the only boy I think) but found the tap too easy. But perhaps you might find it challenging and helpful. It all depends on your level. He took Master Voice two years ago and yes it is a group thing. They sang Bohemian Rapsody (Queen) and while he said it was fun, he didn't necessarily learn much from it. He also took Fosse Dance. This year he is taking directing the musical (something like that) and again, while it is fun he isn't commenting that it is super informative. They allow you to try the class out for a few days and you can change if you want to. Since he made a lead in a show and made OTC, he opted to just stay where he was in his classes and not bounce around. He didn't want to take anything that was too challenging since he had enough on his plate. In the past I think he took Theater Games and found it fun. Again, everyone is different and everyone has different expectations so don't assume that just because my S liked something you will too and vice versa. Try the classes that seem to interest you the most or the ones that you hope to get the most out of (if you are weak in dance, try a dance class to improve). If it doesn't work out, you can change them.</p>
<p>DG:
You can buy character shoes in a dance store or get them online from a dance clothing supplier...try Discount Dance Supply. The most common character shoes are black but could also be nude color and look like a mary jane sort of with a thin strap across the instep and then a heel. There are variations in heel height. They also come in a T strap. But the basic ones look kinda like an adult mary jane shoe. Character shoes are handy to own if you do a bunch of theater. In many shows, the actresses wear these as they are nondescript and can fit many situations on stage. However, in some shows or roles at SDM, you won't be wearing character shoes. I don't know which role or show you will be in but be aware that it could turn out that you do not use the shoes in your show. But they would be handy to have if you keep at it with theater. They are a staple. For many shows/roles at SDM, they provide the shoes if they are specific to the style or role or era. One example, I recall a tap number in 42nd Street when my D had on silver glittery heeled tap shoes and they provided the entire ensemble with those. But in a show like Once On This Island, she was barefoot. So, character shoes are likely in many shows, but not all. In Jekyll and Hyde in the first act, my D borrowed very high heeled T strap character shoes from the costume shop (they have like everything!) because she wanted to be even taller than her character shoes because the boy playing Jekyll is like at least six feet tall and she is 5'3" but in the second act when she had to dance, she wore her own character heeled shoes. So, if you do not have something you can borrow from friends or the costume shop but it can't hurt to have your own character shoes. If you take dance, jazz shoes would be good to get. </p>
<p>I can't help you much with the class selection. My feeling is to ask kids on the camper message board. My D has not taken the full array of classes. Most kids take 8 classes but she could only take 4 each session because the CABARET counts as FOUR classes. In the past several years, she usually takes Dance Master Class and Acting Master Class and those each count as two classes so that is all she could take. Many years ago, she had taken (if I recall) Acting, TV Acting, Comedy, Vocal Coaching, Choreography, but was younger. My niece took many acting classes last session and enjoyed them (she does drama) and I know that Improvisation was one of these. Sorry to not know much more. My D likes to keep up with dance in summer and also to take Acting Master Class to get some training in acting because that is the one area she did not get training in at home. </p>
<p>Susan</p>
<p>DG, when I posted just now, I had not seen your latest post because I wrote mine but did not post it as I was interrupted at the time. But I do concur with Audi that while it helps to get feedback from others about classes, don't take it too seriously because what one person likes another does not and vice versa. Everyone's experiences and perspectives are different so don't put too much stock into what one person says. Take what sounds appealing to you or what might be a new area of growth or something you do not get much of at home. As mentioned, my D had no acting classes at home so taking acting at camp was a good thing for her to do.</p>
<p>You asked:
How did your daughter get into MT from figure skating lol?</p>
<p>She did NOt go from figure skating TO musical theater. Actually she has been involved in musical theater since preschool age (first adult production was at age 4 1/2) and it grew and grew. My kids were involved in many extracurricular interest areas growing up, kinda exposed to many things. Who knew one would ever pursue MT in college or for a career as it was one of many activities my girls did when younger. Both did it in fact. But they also did many areas of performing arts and several sports. Both were what are often thought of as "well rounded types". My oldest D remained well rounded and kept at all her performing arts and sports all the way through high school, quite a varied life. My younger one did just as many sports as the older one but in middle school started to give up some things (all of her sports) and put all her eggs in the performing arts basket (kept piano, second instrument, jazz band, all forms of dance, voice, and musical theater. She used to do: Soccer, Ski Racing, Horseback Riding and Figure Skating for YEARS besides performing arts but no longer. So, she did not go from figure skating to performing arts/theater but did it concurrently with music and theater. She took figure skating for 8 years. I actually think it was a good sport for her because it combines her athleticism with her dance and also performance skills. But she never went that advanced with it because we only have an outdoor skating rink in our community and so the season with skating is not that long and if she were to pursue that to a higher level, she'd have to commute about 50 miles for it and at the time, it was ONLY ONE of her activities and she already was commuting far for shows and dance and ski races. To really go to the top of any field, you usually have to specialize somewhat which is what she is doing with theater but did not do with things like skating. However, one year, both my girls (both figure skated all winter but also were heavily involved in alpine ski racing) traveled once per week to another rink to participate in Theater On Ice. It was a combination of figure skating and theatrical performance. It was kinda cool. But realize they skate outdoors in VERY cold weather. Both gave it up in 8th grade. And of course the ballet teacher was never that keen on my D being a ski racer! LOL. But she started wanting to take more and more dance classes which started to involve weekends and no longer could do the ski racing and also started to take voice lessons which are on weekends and 50 miles away. Things in VT involve a lot of travel. So, no more sports for her though she really was good at them. My other D remains with one foot in the performing arts and one in sports (did three varsity sports in HS). At some point, they had to give up some things when they got older when the commitment to each activity became greater and greater. They both lead full lives but one is still doing a bigger variety and one is doing everything in the area of the arts. </p>
<p>As far as the figure skating accident, I did not see it (luckily) but she fell on a jump and I guess was knocked out ever so briefly but they wisely called an ambulance to be safe and when I drove up to the rink to pick her up, I saw a kid on a stretcher being loaded into an ambulance and waving and it was my kid! It was a mild concussion. That was her only ambulance experience, thankfully, until her major ordeal several months ago. I hope NEVER again. We try hard to only tell the younger one to break a leg (though I don't wanna say that anymore after she fractured her pelvis this year) and we don't want to tell our collegiate ski racing daughter that one either! </p>
<p>Susan</p>
<p>No you don't lol. I would have loved to see your daughter as Lucy as I hear everyone was blown away by her. My experince is Im always OK but not good enough, so its always ensemble or nothing for me. Your good but not good enough for us. I've recently expressed interst in doing a BA or BFA in MT at college so I hope that i can stpe things up. I need to get out of the city though( I despise it so your D. can happaliy take my place, so no NYU for me). My mom recently intereveiwed for a job in NC were my realtives and grandparents live so I hope she gets it. Everyone jsut seems much nicer down ther though it would be sad leaving friends here. I like Vt. though we went there when I was 11 and stayed at a ski resort up there. Im blanking on the name though.</p>
<p>DG, a big thing about going to college is (or can be) trying out a very different environment from where you grew up. My own children were born and raised in rural Vermont and have enjoyed living here but both wanted to try something else for college and I actually am glad they wanted to because I believe they will have experienced the rural lifestyle and now an urban lifestyle and when they are adults, they will have different perspectives about where they may wish to settle. I know when I went to college, I wanted to go somewhere brand new. My kids say that if they had not grown up in Vermont, they could see why many kids would, for instance, want to go to college at UVM in Burlington because it is a really cool small city or college town but they would not want to do that only cause they are from VT and it is not that special to them. So, I could see a girl like you from Manhattan really wanting to try something else. My D who is moving to NYC thinks NYC is the greatest place and it could not be more opposite from where she grew up. We do not even have a traffic light in our town and we live on a dirt road. We have no curtains on our windows cause there are no neighbors...just the deer and foxes. So, just like you wanna get out of the city, she thinks moving to the city is awesome. I grew up in suburbia, went to college and grad school in an urban area and now live in a rural area (ski resort town) and so I have tried them all. </p>
<p>Go for your dreams. When it comes time to look into colleges, visit some and think through what criteria you personally have...what appeals to you as far as location, size, learning environment and so on. It is really about finding the right match for yourself. </p>
<p>Hope you feel better real soon and have a great time at camp. I really think you will. </p>
<p>Susan</p>
<p>Im feeling a tad better today so I hope this goes away, Im getting tired of chicken soup and toast.Will you guys be at camp for the 3rd session shows or not?</p>
<p>Hi Defying...I had a chat with my D. today. I told her you were going and were a bit nervous and she said to say that its a very friendly place! She is really comfy there.</p>
<p>She said aside from the faster pace its very much like doing a play at home. There will be kids that can sing and then there will be kids who have pitch and rhythm problems. There will be kids who can act and others who need to work at it. She said its just like home where some leads/supporting cast members are very good and others not as strong. Just like anywhere. So whatever your level you will be comfortable. (BTW she thinks the gal in the lead of her show is great with a strong voice that projects beautifully.)</p>
<p>It was interesting because I was curious to see what she would think once she got out of our town and met with kids from everywhere and she said its just like home with more kids. We do live in a really high cultural arts area though..(ranked higher than DC for the arts) And she attends the high school for the arts so she is used to the everyone loves theater and everyone tries out for the plays type of thing. In our area theater and music and such are BIG and the sports kids are the underdogs.</p>
<p>As far as the classes she said that some she has learned from and others not so much. There is probably alot she is learning that will sink in later and she doesnt even realize it. She really loves the Vocal Performance one. And the teachers are very good.</p>
<p>She said she likes the dorm atmosphere and she really enjoys her roommates. They are great gals!</p>
<p>Angst - glad your daughter really is enjoying herself and her new show. If she is in "Aida" (which I think you said she was a hand maiden) the girl Sarah who plays Aida is amazing. My son was in Les Mis with her and she was Eponine ("On my Own" was incredible-I still watch the video and rewind it a few times to hear her sing that song). You will enjoy watching her perform.
Def Grav- hope you are feeling better.
Soozie-enjoy yourself this weekend at the gala!</p>
<p>I was sitting at the table and I was mentioning I did not feel well and said something about camp and my mom said "that is if you even go.." If im not better they might pull me out :(</p>
<p>Hi Everyone! I was trying to find info on Stagedoor Manor and came across this website. Small world as my daughter is currently there in Session II. She is the ensemble of "Aida". Angst, I am sure our daughters know eachother! She went last year for the first time to Session III. Had a small speaking part and a solo in "Hair". She will stay for Session III this summer also. She is 15 and a rising sophmore. Having the time of her life at SD! To say she loves it there is an understatement. Def Grav, I hope you are well enough to attend Session III to experience the magic yourself. My daughter describes it as "life altering."</p>
<p>ontherun thats very good to hear. Mabye your D. and I will be in the same dorm. I do hope I will be better before camp. Going to another doctor early tomm. so we will see how that goes. Does anyone have a list of the shows they did last year? I would be curious to know. It seems they did all the "fun" shows last year like Hair,Bye bye birdie,Grease. Ive heard nothing but glowing reports from the vets Susan, and audi and the newbies to camplike Angst. D and now you. It jsut afferms the fact that this camp is amazing. My Doctors D. has been going to Stagedoor for 5 years and would not change camps for anything.If I do go ( which I hope to g-d I do) I will post a full report when I get back August 22, and ask my mom to post under this name what role and show I got.</p>