Drama School and Children’s Theater
Is your child a budding Mylie Cyrus or Zac Efron? Do they have dreams of singing their little hearts out on stage or performing in front of the cameras? Are they dramatic by nature? Do you think they might blossom if given a chance to express themselves performing in a children’s theater?
If your kids are interested in dramatic performance, acting and the theater, there are a few choices you can make to ensure your child has a positive experience expressing his or her talent.
Traditional acting schools: If you live if Southern California, you’ll find no lack of acting schools that promise he or she will not only learn to act, but learn to audition well enough to win a role on their favorite TV show or a starring role in the movies. Buyer beware here. There are so many scammers in and around Hollywood that play upon a parent’s desire for their children to be in TV. Yes, there are legitimate acting schools that will teach a child the skill of acting and auditioning, and even invite agents and casting directors with connections in television to see your child perform. But these are few and far between. Check them out carefully and get referrals. Talk to other parents who have been through their program. Don’t be swayed by promises. Ask if they give your child practice time in front of a camera. This is important if he or she wants to go into television. Also, if they advertise that they’ll get your child into TV, ask what percentage of students actually end up earning a role. My guess is that outside of Southern California, the schools are more focused on actually teaching the skill of acting as opposed to techniques for acing the audition. But, I don’t know. Please write in with your experiences.
Community Theaters that Produce Children’s Plays: This is usually a good way to introduce your child to the theater and the discipline of acting. Usually they start out in the ensemble and learn all aspects of production, such as costume preparation, set designing and props. It can make a very rewarding experience if the whole family gets involved in the show. And it’s generally free. Although expect to do some fundraising. Expect a lot of late nights. Most importantly, get to know the director and make sure he or she will create a non-competitive, positive and encouraging experience for your son or daughter. Check to see if they offer summer or holiday acting camps. That can be an intensive and rewarding experience for your child.
Children’s Theater Groups. These are popular in Southern California. There are groups that put on musicals at your school or at a local venue, like a local college performing arts center. For a fee, they will cast your child, among a hundreds of other children in the ensemble. Oliver!, The Sound of Music, Wizard of Oz, and Annie are some of the shows they typically mount. Your child is guaranteed to be in the show and perform before an audience (usually made up of proud parents and relatives) for at least a couple of performances. You will be charged anywhere from $150 to $300 for the experience. Your child will have an opportunity to learn and rehearse musical numbers, sing, dance and work as a team member in an ensemble. If the group promotes non-competitive, encouraging experiences, this can be an invaluable experience for shy kids. These groups typically hold auditions for the lead roles and give all children an opportunity to audition. You will either be required to come up with some sort of costume (searching thrift stores, sewing or hot glue gunning!) or they’ll charge a costume rental fee (typically an extra $60).
Both of my daughters have had a positive experience with a local group in Santa Clarita called ESCAPE children’s theatre. They’ve learned a great deal about the theater and the discipline it takes to prepare and perform for several shows back-to-back. Be forewarned, however, that this endeavor requires a great deal of time and effort from the parents…schlepping kids back and forth to rehearsals, rescheduling other activities that conflict with production week and show times, and volunteering your time and talents to the production (not required, but strongly recommended.) But a good time is always had by all, and the directors here are positive, supportive and encouraging. Both my children have grown in self-confidence from the experience, and have had a chance to develop their acting, singing, dancing and team building skills. Learning these skills will also translate to school as public speaking is now emphasized so much now. The ensemble, team-building experience will translate into many other areas as well.
I must mention one very negative experience with a children’s theater group called MET2 out of the San Fernando Valley. (Yes, I’m naming names, to spare you and your child from a horrible experience.) The show was Annie and my daughter was cast as the understudy for Annie. She was required to learn the entire play, word-for-word in two weeks and then sit in the rehearsal studio watching the other “Annie’s” (who had already done the part in other productions) rehearse the part while she was ordered to sit in the back and take notes on blocking (where the actors move and what they do physically on stage). The rehearsals lasted hours and she was continually yelled at and berated for not paying attention and not taking enough notes. She was eventually “fired” from her role and kicked back into the chorus, but given a chance to “get it back” by participating in a “challenge” to the lead actress 4 days before the play opened. As you might guess, my daughter was so terrified of this director by then (who, coincidentally also played the lead role of Miss Hannigan) that when she got up to audition, she froze and forgot her lines. She was then yelled at, berated and humiliated in front of her peers. She begged for another chance, but it was not given to her. I wanted to strangle these people. I thought my daughter would never recover. And, although I don’t believe in quitting anything you’ve made a commitment to, I told her she could quit at any time and I would understand perfectly. Much to my daughter’s credit, she decided to stay and continue in the ensemble, because she just loves theater and, admirably, sees her commitments through. She did, and was terrific as a little orphan in the ensemble. But I’m sure neither of us will soon forget how nasty and unprofessional these people were. The thing is, I’d been warned about this group. A few other mothers in my town had bad experiences with them and would never go back. I should have listened to them.
So, I guess the lesson is to be careful out there. Before you commit to any children’s theater, acting class or Community Theater, get plenty of recommendations from other parents and then demand to stay to watch how the directors work with your children.
The good news is that a positive, encouraging theater or acting experience can really bring out the best in your child, increase their self-confidence, develop their budding talent and allow them to shine their light.
Again, we’d love to hear about your experiences in any of these types of programs, particularly outside of Southern California. Write us with your comments.
