Betsy's Blog on Children's Theater | BaileyKidsMusicals.com - BaileyKidsMusicals.com

Building Costumes

5/21/2025

This year's Summer Theater Camp Show is "No Time for Monkey Business." It is a Jungle Tale crossed with "The Pirates of Penzance." The Aesop Fable (that the musical is based on) "The Fox and the Monkey" is one of the very briefest fables in all of the Aesop collection. I have had to add more characters and action to fill out the storyline. The cast must be very flexible, too. With that in mind, there are only a few characters that should be designated definitely male or female, old or young, or even triple-threat performers. Nearly every creature could be either male or female. And that is a good thing, since this summer's camp enrollment is overwhelmingly female.

Costumes I have basically finished or found are the Old Lion King (male), 3 Tricky Trappers (male), Fox, Monkey, Fancy Bird, Flamingo, Woodpecker, Sloth, Cheetah, Leopard, Rhino, Zebra, Elephant, Hyena, and small Bear. Wishlist: Giraffe, Gazelle, and maybe a Tortoise or Hippo.

Old Lion basic costume

They way I go about building costumes is to canvas thrift stores for clothes items that could be made into something that would approximate the character. For example, I found a knit top and knit pants in a light tan color that would coordinate with a furry, fluffy pillow that I imagined I could make into a lion's mane. Out of those items, I had enough fabric to also make ears and a tail. The actor will also wear some kind of shoes and we will paint a black nose and whiskers on him. Not bad for a costume that cost less than $12 that could fit a large 12 year old.

Fancy Bird basic costume

As I have worked on the other costumes, I realize I cannot finish them until I have actors to fit them to. But I must admit that I have gotten a good start.

Also, I wanted the show to look colorful--- more than just a wash of tans, browns and grays, so I have included some exotic colorful birds in blues and pinks. The costume pieces are simple -- just a colorful skirt and knit shirt and pants.

The Fancy Bird (one that has no real life counterpart) has her own short song to sing as she twirls around. I still have to make her a beak. I'd better get back to work...

Underscoring in Shows and Movies

5/13/2025

When planning the scenes, dialogue, and action for a Musical, there's always the problem of when, if, or where to use underscoring. Yes, having certain music cues has a role in heightening the suspense or drama in storytelling, but for children's theater pieces it can also easily become too much. Small voices and lack of stage presence in the young developing actors can mean that the music will OVERPOWER their performances.

Some Broadway shows are like operas in that they use what we call a "through composed" score. That means that the music continues throughout the show --- as accompaniment to the singing as well as providing emotional underpinning for the dialogue (if there is any that is unsung) and the action sequences. This also means that the timing of everything needs to be precise.

Music for a young children's production should support the singing, of course, but when can it feasibly be used to support the dramatic action or dialogue?

As I watched a documentary of "The Music of John Williams," I learned that movie makers like Steven Spielberg usually put cuts of sample music under their previews of scenes to give an idea to composer of what they want musically. Apparently, John Williams didn't like that. He preferred getting his own ideas for underscoring a new movie. And aren't we glad he didn't just follow the director's ideas? We might never have had the incredible scores of the Star Wars or Indiana Jones movies.

"No Time for Monkey Business" is a retelling of the Aesop Fable "The Monkey and the Fox"

But back to when to use underscoring in Children's Theater shows. The casts for my shows tend to be very young --- ages 5-11 generally. Some of the kids have never been on stage before, let alone sung a solo over an orchestra. I have learned that they need the support of having the MELODY played along for them as they sing, but not too loudly. They also need a thinner orchestration so that their voices don't get lost amid the more interesting sounds of the music.

Then there is the problem of TIMING. Sometimes these little actors get stage fright and forget their lines, or don't deliver their lines quickly enough, or need prompting for cues, and the list goes on. If they are doing the show to a pre-recorded through-composed score, there is a good chance that they won't get the timing right.

I've gone to see several through-composed shows done at the Junior High School level, and even with older kids I was so disappointed. Not only do the kids need very good AMPLIFICATION, they also need to be BLOCKED in such a way that the poor audience can figure out which characters are singing or delivering lines. When all the voices are in Treble Clef, it is extremely hard to differentiate who's who in a cast.

For my new show, "No Time for Monkey Business," the introduction of 10 brand new songs happens mostly in the first two thirds of the show. That is plenty of new music for an audience to digest. So, I've decided to use parts of these songs as dances and LEITMOTIFS (thematic elements) to underscore some of the drama in the show, especially as it relates to particular characters.

For example this "Jungle Theme" will be used as:
1. the introduction to the show
2. a song about what to do after the death of the old King
3. mysterious mood music

Now, I am going back to building costume pieces...

Making and Storing Special Props

3/28/2025

Our basement renovation is switching into high gear now. This started out so that I could have more space to store special, delicate props and musical equipment. But you know how it goes. Once you start one project, it impacts another place in the space, and pretty soon there's not a spot left that hasn't been touched.

Anyway, there is hope now that I will get a large storage closet to use for these special instruments from my show "Never Cry Wolf." The post below tells about my experience with making them

No Musical set in Ancient Greece could be complete without some authentic Greek instruments -- authentic looking at least. In my enthusiasm to help the cast immerse themselves into the ancient Grecian world, I have spent quite a bit of time creating a Cheyl's Lyre, an Aulos, a Pandouris, some Pipes of Pan, and Tympanum. These have been fascinating to learn about and wondering how they would actually sound.

From what I can imagine, they would not sound musical to our modern ears. However, I have great respect for the idea of using these unusual instruments as unique features for my upcoming production of "Never Cry Wolf." In Scene 5, the artisan character Altair the Magnificent, brings his Muses and Musicians to help him get in the mood for painting a set of Commemoration Amphora (the Greek vases famous for capturing scenes of Greek life from the ancient times.)

The production number "Set It for Posterity" allows the Muses opportunity to adjust the poses of the Politicians to help them look heroic for their portraits on the vases. The Musicians, of course, play their authentic replica instruments during this wild and wonderful romp complete with demonstrations of 1960's dance crazes and a rock 'n roll guitar solo. Yes, the instruments are key to this number!

The Pan Pipes and the Aulos are blowing instruments. The Pan Pipes were tubes of varying lengths blown somewhat like we would blow a harmonica today. In fact, they are considered the first mouth-organ. The Aulos is unusual because it is a double reed instrument with two sounding tubes. One of the tubes provided the melody and the other the drone for the harmony (probably an open 4th or 5th). It was a precursor to the bagpipes. From studying the drawings of these instruments from pottery and museum pieces, I decided that I could make stage replicas just using bamboo. I had my son cut up a bamboo placemat and a couple of bamboo tiki torch holders I scavenged from a thrift store. After tying them together with twine and rubber bands, they make amazingly authentic-looking, though non-sounding, prop instruments.

The Tympanun are simply variations of hand drums. I decided that Quaker Oats containers were the perfect size and shape. I painted them and added "skins" out of fake leather held on with glue and rubber bands. Seems to work out well. Sturdy enough for four performances, anyway.

The Pandouris is a type of lute with just 3 strings. I had my husband cut the shape of the sounding box and the neck out of an old length of a light-weight wooden shelf. I added sculpted insulation foam glued onto the board to create the shape of the sounding box. We added nylon fishing line strings using small dowels mounted to the board. We wanted her to be able to move around and pretend to play like a Rock Star, so we gave the pandouris a shoulder strap made from a macrame purse strap. She really got into the groove and rocked it, baby!

The Cheyl's Lyre is more interesting because it needed to look like it was made from a turtle shell and ibex horns. We took apart an old wooden crutch to imitate the shape of the ibex horns. The long screws and predrilled holes simplified the work to just cutting down the boards to the lengths we needed. We added sculpted insulation foam to create the "turtle body" sounding box and added strings. After painting, it looks amazingly good as an ancient lyre.

Being a musician, I wanted this Musical to incorporate the musical flavor of Ancient Greece as much as possible. It was fun researching before writing the music and as well the script, and it has been fun now creating the musical props. I am glad they will not sound, though. We don't want them interfering with the soundtrack now, do we!

The ace up my sleeve was our son Matthew who can really play the guitar!

A Show for Very Young Actors

2/7/2025

Grasshopper with Gene Kelly flair

The Aesop Fables are a grand source of theatrical material. At a point of wondering what to do, I was able to mine Aesop's Fables for ideas. "The Ants and the Grasshopper" was perfect for my situation.

This little musical came about in a burst of inspiration brought on by some desperation. One of the Theater Skills classes I began teaching in the Fall of 2015 had eight First and Second Graders - 7 girls and 1 boy. I was planning to just let them learn theater skills by working with Acting Games, short skits and songs. But it soon became clear that they wanted to do a play with a real performance.

I quickly searched through many materials and decided that I just needed to write them a show. Obviously, I needed to tailor the parts to the personalities and talents I had. The boy had a great voice and could move. It made sense to cast him as the Grasshopper and give him some "Gene Kelly savoir-fare." The girls needed clearly defined traits in order to bring their characters to life. So, I gave each Ant one main emotional character trait such as "Effie, Miss Efficiency," and "Winnie, the Whiner."

When working with 6-7 year olds just one hour per week, there are certain things you just plan for. They will not remember directions from week to week, so you drill, drill, drill all of the LINES and BLOCKING while you have them. They tend to be shy and speak with small voices. So, you drill, drill, drill about PROJECTING the voice. They like COSTUMES, so you'd better have them! Costumes really help both the children and the audience imagine the characters and bring them to life. CATCHY SONGS are very important to a children's show. The songs are the loudest, brightest, and most unified part of the production. Better make them the best they can be. The songs must carry the setting, emotions, and message of the tale. The audience should be able to go out singing the songs with the kids on the way home. The message of this version of "The Ants and the Grasshopper' is taken from a quote by John Maxwell. He said, "Play now and pay later, or pay now and play later. Either way you'll have to pay."

I have since directed this show with many different kids and in different venues. It has been nice to add colorful sets and parts for a broader mix of boys and girls.

Enjoy the Grasshopper's dancing song "Summer Loafin'."

People are so Clever

10/15/2024

It is easy to get depressed about your own creative efforts when you compare them to other people's creative efforts. There is a children's book writer and artist who has made podcasts about illustration for years. I started following his podcasts when I was first looking for inspiration for writing my own children's books. His name is Shoo Rayner, out of the UK. Lately, after going through some hard knocks in his own life, he has been posting about getting back to the basics to find inspiration to write and illustrate again. I hope he finds his way. I have certainly learned a lot from him.

When I look at other creative people's work, I find it hard to be rational about my own work. The talent and abilities they display are so great in my estimation, and my own seem so lacking. But then again, if we don't get distracted by negative feelings, we can always learn something from them. And if we continue on a learning path, we can grow in our abilities.

The trick is to keep focused on your own goals. Your talents are not the same as someone else's. They are yours. It's up to you to work with them and develop as you can.

Over the years, I have had two big desires.

One is to write Children's Musicals for the youngest actors. But I did not want to "dumb down" the material so much that an adult audience couldn't enjoy the material. And I have especially wanted to provide songs and stories that promote good character values. So, I have been very careful to focus particularly on those things.

The costumes, props, sets designs, overly produced accompaniment tracks, and anything else just had to remain in second, third or last place. My goal was to provide pieces that the youngest actors ages 5-11 could enjoy and learn to perform well. I had to force myself NOT to be discouraged by other people's works that really excelled at all of that other stuff. That could not be my focus.

Another desire I've had is to document the funny family stories we have told in our family for years. I felt that these stories needed to be passed on from generation to generation. I may not be the best artist or storyteller, but I can do my best at passing along these stories through the medium of children's picture books.

I have toyed with the idea of trying to get these storybooks published. I have even sent in a couple manuscripts to be reviewed by editors. Two comments came back, "These are obviously family stories. They lack the general appeal for a national market." And "You should always write in simple prose, not verse."

In one of the Shoo Rayner podcasts, he also commented about how people like to send him stories asking him to illustrate them. He said how hard it is to illustrate a story that is so obviously a family story. It's all about the prospective audience. And sometimes, the only people to appreciate them are the ones who already appreciate the people in the story or understand the "inside" jokes. Obviously, a writer is sometimes not the best judge of his own work or the targeted audience.

Being a composer, I like to write in verse. And, as far as target audience goes, my family is pretty large. I guess I don't really mind keeping my focus on my posterity as my target audience.

Still, I can't help admiring clever people and their amazing works.

Aesop's Fable "The Monkey and the Fox"

9/3/2024

Adorable kid as a fox

For my good, I suppose, my children like to keep me busy. The latest idea is for me to write a new Children's Musical using the Aesop Fable "The Monkey and the Fox."

I was not previously acquainted with this particular fable. Not long ago, my daughter Cami checked out an Eric Carle retelling of this fable from the library. She said she had some ideas for how this could make a wonderful children's play. It just needed some tweaking and some fun songs.

Here's an idea for ears and a tail

At first when I researched the fable online, I read a summary that was literally just a few sentences. Most of the Aesop fables are very short anyway, but this was exceedingly short. My first worry about the story was how to fill out the POPULATION. This story had very few characters. When I mentioned that to Cami, she said that we had an entire Jungle to work with! I could always write in extra parts for more animals. This story is a perfect vehicle for using forest or jungle animals of all kinds and the parts do not have to be specifically male or female --- PERFECT FOR A KID'S SHOW! (Kids love acting like animals!)

Cute concept for a lion

The next problem is COSTUMING. Animal costumes can be expensive to buy or even to make. Then she said an economical way was to just use MASKS or EARS AND TAILS. Then the children can wear solid-colored shorts and T-shirts in the color of the animal such as grey for an elephant, yellow for a lion, or brown for a bear.
Masks can be problematic, though. It's better for the audience if the parents and grandparents can actually see the children's faces!

Ideas for a jungle set

After reading the abbreviated story only once, I really didn't think there was enough of a story to make a 30 minute musical. But yesterday, Cami told me to go get a pen and paper so that she could give me her ideas. In just a few minutes, she had told me her thoughts which were actually well fleshed out. She had the setting, the characters, the plot line, some dialogue, and even song titles.

They were impressive ideas! I immediately went to the computer to write them down so that I wouldn't forget them. After I combined my ideas with hers and wrote them out in a first draft script, she proof-read them. She was able to fix the order and some of the lines to flow better. Soon almost the entire script was mapped out. Pretty good for one morning's work!

Too bad I'm already working on a different huge project, so this one needs to perculate on the back burner until after Christmas. But, it looks like I will be writing a new show for next Summer's Theater Camp 2025. Thanks Cami!

Inspiration Brought on by Desperation

4/18/2024

The Aesop Fables are a grand source of theatrical material. At a point of wondering what to do, I was able to mine Aesop's Fables for ideas. "The Ants and the Grasshopper" was perfect for my situation.

This little musical came about in a burst of inspiration brought on by some desperation. One of the Theater Skills classes I began teaching in the Fall of 2015 had eight First and Second Graders - 7 girls and 1 boy. I was planning to just let them learn theater skills by working with Acting Games, short skits and songs. But it soon became clear that they wanted to do a play with a real performance.

I quickly searched through many materials and decided that I just needed to write them a show. Obviously, I needed to tailor the parts to the personalities and talents I had. The boy had a great voice and could move. It made sense to cast him as the Grasshopper and give him some "Gene Kelly savoir-fare." The girls needed clearly defined traits in order to bring their characters to life. So, I gave each Ant one main emotional character trait such as "Effie, Miss Efficiency," and "Winnie, the Whiner."

When working with 6-7 year olds just one hour per week, there are certain things you just plan for. They will not remember directions from week to week, so you drill, drill, drill all of the LINES and BLOCKING while you have them. They tend to be shy and speak with small voices. So, you drill, drill, drill about PROJECTING the voice. They like COSTUMES, so you'd better have them! Costumes really help both the children and the audience imagine the characters and bring them to life. CATCHY SONGS are very important to a children's show. The songs are the loudest, brightest, and most unified part of the production. Better make them the best they can be. The songs must carry the setting, emotions, and message of the tale. The audience should be able to go out singing the songs with the kids on the way home. The message of this version of "The Ants and the Grasshopper' is taken from a quote by John Maxwell. He said, "Play now and pay later, or pay now and play later. Either way you'll have to pay."

I have since directed this show with many different kids and in different venues. It has been nice to add colorful sets and parts for a broader mix of boys and girls. Such a delight to learn that it will be performed again somewhere this year!

It's All So Exciting

11/3/2023

Such a happy day! I sold another complete Musical show package!
"The Tale of the City Mouse and the Country Mouse" is such a fun show. It can be done in either a short version (mini-musical 15 minutes) or a more filled out version (30 minutes). The mini-package includes a script, vocal/piano score, lesson plans, and accompaniment mp3s. It is fairly uncomplicated to mount, even in a classroom or club situation, because it only has 2 production numbers that everyone sings together. This version is best for younger actors (5-9 year olds).

"I Love the City Life" 2-Part is begun by the City Mouse who tries to convince her cousin the Country Mouse about how wonderful life in the city can be.

"A Country Mouse" begins when the Country Mouse decides that being back home in the country is best.

As is the case with a lot of performing situations, the girls usually outnumber the boys. This mini-musical is great for cases like this. Both lead characters are girls!

The expanded version "The Country Mouse and the City Mouse" has more songs, more characters, and more for them to do. Once I had a small club group of 10-12 year olds --- mostly girls. I reworked this show to showcase the special talents of my actresses. So, some new songs were added that quickly became favorites, as well as some incidental and chase music.

"What is It Like?" - for the Country Mouse and her family

"As the French Say" - for the City Mouse, her French Maid, and the Country Mouse (and City neighbors)

"You Can Learn a Lot" - Opener and Finale

Such a fun show. I am so glad it will be performed in the near future.

Elementary School Chorus Concerts

5/16/2023

What do I do for an Elementary School Chorus Concert?

How long should it take to teach all the songs?

Do I use a few Narrators, or many, or none at all?

Many Music Teachers run out of ideas for chorus concerts. Here are some themes that seem to be used a lot: Under the Sea, Outer Space, Down on the Farm, Wild West, Time Travel, The Great Outdoors, Movin' On, Mystery, Springtime, Christmas, Patriotic, and so forth.

As fun as it is to search for the perfect theme to build a program around and then search for songs to fit the program, sometimes it is nice to have the program already packaged for you.

Recently it dawned on me that using songs from my Children's Musicals catalogue could form the basis of some fun 4th-5th Grade Chorus Concerts. A few years ago, a Music teacher in Pennsylvania asked me to put together a Chorus Concert for their school. He liked to do programs that were more like shows with stories, characters, solos, costumes, scenery --- the works. All of the actors/singers would be pulled from the main chorus. So, sets and movement needed to work within the confines of their stage/riser space.

"Three Mini-Musicals in Concert" was what they used at that school. I even got to go see it performed. (I didn't mind the travel because my granddaughter was in the show.) The Mini-musicals are: The Ants and the Grasshopper, The Musicians of Bremen and The Three Billy Goats Gruff.

Some of the 4th-5th Grade Chorus at Alloway Elementary School in Pennsylvania

From Fables to Folktales showcases the famous storytellers who passed down the fables and folktales we still enjoy today.
These tales have been told and retold for generations. Many have important morals promoting Character Values that we would do well to live by today such as Honesty, Sincerity, Kindness, Bravery, Cooperation, Appreciation and Work.

Each narration "lead-in" gives a brief historical setting about the fable or folktale.

Tales of Far Away Places centers around how some children dream of going on a Quest or wonder what life was like for kids long ago in different cultures.
The script calls for Narrators and Soloists to tell about their desires to travel to distant times and places. The "lead-in" narrations also give historical settings to each of these songs and the fable or folktale the musicals were based on.
The far away places and distant times are ancient Greece, ancient Japan, ancient Persia, and the American Old West, as well as Paris, France in any time, Elizabethan England, and nowadays

Two Versions of the Same Story

2/21/2023

Sometimes I am surprised by the talent that comes out for one of my shows. When I direct, I often don't really know the students or their abilities until we are well into the rehearsal phase of the show. There have been occasions when I felt that I had to add a new song or new character to an already written script. And that has always been due to the amazing talents that appear.

The first version of "The Tale of the City Mouse and the Country Mouse" came about because of a Drama Club class I was teaching. These kids needed a short show that they could learn in just a few sessions. I quickly wrote a script and two songs for them in this 10-minute mini-musical. That was all we could manage at the time.

The second version of this story was a more expanded show aimed to be part of a Summer Camp. The younger kids did "The Ants and the Grasshopper" and the older kids did "The Country Mouse and the City Mouse." Because some very talented actors and singers signed up, I felt free to write more songs, add more characters, and even include more comedic situations.

In this version, the Country Mouse and her siblings get a new song. In Musical Theater, the first introduction to the main female character includes her ARIA. That song clues the audience into her longings and deepest desires. "What Is It Like" fulfills that requirement.

One of the most enjoyable songs from the expanded version is "As the French Say" which was written for the City Mouse and a new character, her French Maid. I know a French lady who helped me use the French sayings properly. We got to learn what "la joire de vivre" and "bien manger" mean. So fun!

It was even fulfilling to be able to add incidentals and travel music for transitions. It became such a delightful show!

For that Summer Camp, I also wrote an Opener/Bows number that could be the umbrella to tie the two mini-shows together. "You Can Learn a Lot" was fun to bring the two casts together singing and dancing their hearts out.

Here is a video created from bits and pieces of phone clips from audience members of our Cousins Camp done during COVID in 2020. We as a family decided to go ahead with our Family Reunion regardless of restrictions. Most of my grandchildren at the time were between the ages of 4-12. They humored Grandma by doing this show together.

Bailey Kids Musicals copyright 2015