So, the two shows for the Elementary School were performed last Friday evening.  We did not know exactly what to expect in terms of audience or back-stage help or even if the lights and sound would function.  Turns out that many parents volunteered unexpectedly at the last moment to help dress the actors in their costumes before the shows.  Fortunately I had some trained helpers that could guide those parent helpers in just how to help.  

          The janitor had set up 100+ chairs and we figured some of the smaller children could sit on the floor close to the stage.  Word must have gotten out, though, because people kept coming and coming.  We had to keep scrounging for more and more chairs. Some teachers graciously opened their classrooms and organized volunteers to transport more chairs for the audience.  I was impressed by their swift thinking and the volunteering spirit of the parents. They simply stepped in and set up the chairs and afterwards made sure they were quickly put back in their original places.  Many hands made light work.  They even helped strike the set and pack up the costumes and props while I managed striking the sound equipment.

These two shows could be easily paired because they could use the same set.

          The first show, "The Musicians of Bremen," was the one I was most worried about.  (Note to self, make sure to ALWAYS schedule a dress rehearsal closer to the actual performance, NO MATTER WHAT.)  This little cast did not get the benefit of a dress rehearsal the day before the performance, and it showed.  The children's timing was a little off because it had just been too many days since they had run their show.  But the parts they remembered looked good and they had an appreciative audience. 

          The second show was "The Tale of Chicken Licken."  These 2nd graders had had the benefit of rehearsing almost daily for many weeks.  The children knew their lines and songs and dances very well.  In fact, they knew each others parts cold and could have easily switched parts or filled in for missing actors.  We almost had to do that because a few of the actors had been sick during the week.  But they came through like real troupers and the SHOW WENT ON!  I was very pleased with the efforts of all of these students. Most of them had never been in a production of any kind ever before.  More importantly, they got the real essence of the effort and that was to take PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY for making this show the best it could be.  And I hope they build on that idea of taking personal responsibility in the other parts of their lives from this point on.

          If there is a universal truth in doing Children's Theater, it is that Directors must be ready at all times to be FLEXIBLE.  You never know the make up and abilities of a cast until the children show up.  And even then, you do not know if these young children will grow and demonstrate untapped talents or retreat into stage fright. Often, you must choose a piece to perform before you see the children.  This play must do the job of advertising and enticing the children (or parents) to want to sign up.  And yet, you cannot be certain if you will have the actors with the right qualities to mount the production.  You cannot know even the ratio of boys to girls that will ultimately be involved.  So, your best course is to find a piece with parts that can be played by either boys or girls, with or with out much developed talent.  Being FLEXIBLE is key!

          My latest project has been an after-school Theater Skills Club at a local Elementary School.  This class was a new option offered to kids who usually stay after school because they need a place to stay until their parents come home from work.  This school offers many classes for the children to choose from including cooking, art, music lessons on violin or piano, recreational sports, building with Legos, or help with homework.  Adding a Drama Class was new to the rotation.  So, we did not know how many children to expect.  I was told only that there could be between 10-20 1st-4th graders signing up.  I also needed to pick a play that could be FLEXIBLE enough to work for a group of that size and be mounted in just 10 hours of rehearsal time (including a performance) over the space of 10 weeks. 

          Obviously, I needed a small show since I would need to teach other rudimentary skills to these few children.  I decided to try out one of my new Mini-Musicals.  I chose "The Tale of the Musicians of Bremen" because it could be done with a FLEXIBLE cast.  That turned out to be a good decision because we ended up with just 3 boys and 8 girls.  Having three boys was just enough to cast the Farmer, the Rooster, and one of the Robbers who were definitely Male characters.  The other characters could be either gender.  Most of these children are very young with no experience in acting, singing or dancing.  So, everything was new for them.  They have been working hard and will be performing their show in a couple of weeks.  The biggest problem has been that they could only practice once a week, so they have had six days to forget all they worked on in the last rehearsal.  Excitement is mounting, though.  We have tried on the costumes and will soon get to work on the stage with the sets and props and lights and mics.  I just hope that they can remember all of their parts without prompting when the performance comes!

          This little Min-Musical will be presented as just the first part of an evening of Musical Theater.  Twenty-six of the 2nd Graders in the school have been working on a production of their own.  They are doing "The Tale of Chicken Licken."  Together, these two shows should add up to a fun hour of entertainment for the children's parents and friends.  This was another good choice for me, since I could use the same set for both shows.  Score another big one for FLEXIBILITY!