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

Eating Pie Together in Memory

1/14/2025

My husband's mother was a great pie maker. She made the lightest, flakiest, crusts with the most delicious fillings ever. No wonder my husband grew up thinking pies were the one and only true dessert. He loved having pie especially for his birthday. Yesterday January 13th would have been Ellis' 69th birthday. We have a tradition now in our family to all eat pie in memory of Dad's/Grandpa's birthday. It was fun to get pictures and comments on the family post of all of us eating pie together in our separate locations across America.

Kathryn's family in Pennsylvania eating peach pie and ice cream for Grandpa's birthday

The trouble has been that I did not grow up having homemade pies except pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving. It was always my "birthday cake" since I was born on Thanksgiving. But my mother didn't have the knack for making pie crust. So she always bought the pre-made store-bought crusts and just filled them with pumpkin pie filling (basically pre-made from the can). I really never learned to make pies, especially the crusts. Fortunately, my mother-in-law took the time to teach my girls how to bake pies from scratch. They became quite proficient at it, and freed me from ever having to make pies for birthdays in our household. Having pie was 'way more preferred than frosted cakes for birthdays. (Nowadays, thank goodness for Marie Calendar's!)

Anyway, I have been thinking a lot about Ellis. He's been gone now for six years. We all miss him terribly. It is interesting to hear his name called out often again in my house. My daughter's family lives with me temporarily right now. My little 3-year-old grandson Peter Ellis Workman bears Grandpa's name, though they never met in this life. Whenever he is scolded for doing something naughty, his Mom calls out warningly "PETER ELLIS WORKMAN!!!!" Even so, each night he still asks for a Grandpa Ellis story before Mommy Cami tucks him into bed.

Ellis Bailey age 56

Peter Ellis Workman age 3

Ellis Bailey age 8

That has got me thinking that the next picture book I work on should be a Grandpa Ellis story from when he was a kid. There is a story Ellis used to tell at baptisms. The 8-year-old boys really identified with this story. Now, we in the family hold it in our hearts as sacred. This story he never even told his parents. The first they learned about it was when I submitted it and it was published in the Friend magazine of July 2010. It is about how Ellis' life was spared when he heeded the promptings of the Holy Ghost. You are welcome to read this story in a much shortened version from the magazine.

Here is the link: "Turn Upside-Down and Push"
I feel like it should be my next picture book for Christmas 2025.

Chinese New Year

1/7/2025

Chinese New Year, or the Lunar New Year, or the Festival of the New Moon, or, the Spring Festival, are all names for basically the same event each year.

In Chinese culture, Chinese New Year, and Lunar New Year have the same meaning, although the former is still the preferred term. That is because Chinese New Year goes beyond the commonly-known animal zodiac system and incorporates other cultural and religious elements from ancient Chinese culture. It is the most important Festival in Chinese culture.

When my youngest children were very young, we were given a book titled "The Empty Pot" by the artist Demi. One of our friends kept talking about how that book would make a good Children's Theater production. Finally, I decided that indeed that ancient Chinese folktale would make a good musical and I could make that happen.

The story is so beautiful because it tells of a young boy with a green-thumb that shows his integrity. The Old Emperor gives out seeds to all of the children and tells them that whoever grows the most magnificent flower from his seed will become Emperor. What he doesn't tell them is that the seeds are poisoned. None of them could actually grow.

In a year's time, at the Spring Festival, the children come before the Emperor with their flowers. Only one boy brings an empty pot to present to the Emperor. In exasperation, the old Emperor divulges how he doesn't know where the children got their flowering plants because all the seeds he gave out were poisoned. Only one boy had the integrity to bring his empty pot. That boy is declared the new Emperor.

The first version of "The Empty Pot" was 30 minutes in length. It works well for a younger cast. I have since written an expanded version of the show with featured older characters and special songs. "A Successor to the Throne" (60 minute show for ages 5-14) has become a favorite Children's Musical in part because it shows the seasons changing over the course of a year.

Choosing a Spring Musical

12/27/2024

One of the hardest things for a school Drama teacher or Elementary School General Music Teacher to do is choose a Spring Musical.

The problems are many.

First, you never know exactly who will come out for auditions. Will you cater to just the upper grades, or will it be open to all students? Do I need to cap the cast to a certain number? What if I only have girls try out?

Second, do I have a decent budget that can handle buying a popular show, providing costumes, props, and sets? Do I have access to enough body mics (or any mics) and have a decent mixer and sound system for playback?

Third, will I have any helpers? Choreographer, music director, accompanist, sound tech, stage managers, costumers, set designers, etc.?

Fourth, how do I plan rehearsals? Will I have access to places to practice music and dancing? Will we have access to work on the stage?

Fifth, do I even know what kind of show would be good for my potential actors? Choosing a musical before you see the kids is an act of faith. But you need to choose one for marketing and advertising purposes well before auditions.

And the list of questions goes on and on...

I have done musicals at schools, community centers, churches, and even in parks and backyard patios.

Directing plays at a Church or Community Theater, as a director you go about the process usually aware of many of these situations. You pretty well can count on getting help from the community you are dealing with. You probably already know the stage and technical difficulties as well. You may already have access to costumes, props and set pieces you can adapt and use. You may be well acquainted with the sound system and lighting situations.

Directing shows at a school may be altogether different. You may be forced to hunt or beg for helpers from the other teachers and aides or from parents. None of them may have the talent, time, or inclination to be as dedicated to your project as you really need. (You may also be pleasantly surprised! I have.) You may need to be very clever with how you allocate time for rehearsals and lean on some High School kid volunteers.

My advice is to start advertising for helpers early in the process. Depending on the sizes of your show and cast, you will need at least 4 dedicated helpers --- assistant director, choreographer, music director/accompanist, and costumer. (If you can get stipends to pay them, that can help.) Other jobs like stage managers, set designers, dressers/make-up/hair, backstage monitors, sound and lights techs, etc. may be done with more part-time volunteers. Sometimes, parents or older siblings are wonderful volunteers, but they do like to be able to see the show.

If you are new to directing, good luck to you. It helps if you start with doing less complicated shows with smaller casts. It also helps to have your helpers in place so that you can have meetings with them to get on the same page early in the process. Having a show that can be rehearsed in smaller bits can be useful, too.

Here are a few suggestions for flexible, easy to produce shows from my catalogue:

"Stone Soup," "The Musicians of Bremen," "The Tale of Chicken Licken," and "The Frog Prince."

Looking Forward to a Very Merry Christmas

12/6/2024

Stringing up lights, setting up the Christmas Tree, festooning the house with cherished decorations from Christmases past, watching Christmas movies, singing Christmas carols... well these things might not happen in much of a way for me this season.

This fall, I had contractors start a project to renovate my basement. (It is a slow process.) We had to completely remove everything from the downstairs. All that stuff is currently in my dining room, music room, and garage. Also, my daughter's family moved in temporarily with me until they get their housing situated in New York where her husband's new job is located. All their stuff had to fit in somewhere. So, the places to decorate are much fewer this year.

I guess we will just set up the Christmas tree and hang the stockings. Without a doubt, we will be attending concerts and singing Christmas songs. That can be done without getting out a lot of boxes. Don't know if I can convince some of the grandkids to hang the lights outside this year. Here's to hoping that happens.

The book I have been working on to give as Christmas gifts this year just came back from the printers. This book is different from the others I've done. In telling the story of how my Dad told his stories, the book had to be word-heavy. I wanted to use his words as much as possible. Believe me, I edited out a lot, and still had so many words.

My nephew Bob Gabbitas wrote a magical score of program music illustrating my dad's story "Johnny in the Moon." He gave permission to use it to make a movie of my retelling of my Dad's story. My sister Barbara Acheson offered to do the reading.

So, soon, through our collaborative efforts, we'll have a movie of the picture book "Johnny in the Moon" posted on my YouTube Channel just in time for Christmas.

Incidently, links and information about how to get the rights to perform the Wind Quintet music for "Johnny in the Moon" will be posted along with other information on how to order a copy of the children's picture book.

Looking forward to a very merry Christmas this year!

The Dreaded Topics of Change and Old Age

11/26/2024

Mitchell with baby Jericho

My 27th grandchild was born last week. He was well anticipated since this is the first child of my youngest son who didn't get married until he was older. This little boy's arrival was looked forward to anxiously, but few of us have been able to meet him because of some complications at his birth. Although the whole family wants to celebrate and party with this new little guy, we must be patient and wait until he is stronger. Truth be told, we couldn't wait for this blessed change to our family status to get here! Change and old age are not yet issues with this cute little new life!

But CHANGE and OLD AGE can be frightening in other circumstances.

Sadness always comes at the passing of loved ones and people we may not have known personally, but have admired. Sadness (for us mainly) at not having them around to guide us anymore. Certainly not sadness for the ones who have passed on. They are released from this world of pain and strife to a glorious reunion with God and their other loved ones on the other side. But we are left with a feeling of needing to pick up the pieces and find new ways to carry on. Maybe I am just getting old enough myself to have known many great people who have fulfilled their time on earth. Still, that doesn't make the transitions any easier.

In 2013, I wrote a Mini-Musical "The Tale of the Musicians of Bremen." This is one of the German tales collected by the Brothers Grimm. Until recently, I don't think I truly understood that story. I usually dismissed it as un-musical. Who wants to be entertained by animals with obnoxious voices who think they are great singers? In my adolescent thinking, I missed the entire point of the story.

From my more mature vantage point now, I think I am coming to understand it better. This story is about FEAR of CHANGE and facing GROWING OLD -- two topics that the young have no use for whatsoever. Young people are all about embracing CHANGE. And they are usually very EXCITED ABOUT GROWING OLDER. But for people who are truly facing OLD AGE, they encounter complications of ill-health, becoming useless and unwanted, and possibly dying alone.

These are pretty heavy themes, and not the normal stuff of Children's Theater Musicals.

So how can this story be told with songs and staged in a way that is entertaining? Can it actually show many layers of meaning so that those with ears to hear and eyes to see can understand -- but younger children can still find humor and feel joy?

Hopefully, through this mini-musical, the plight of the animals can be seen for what it is --- a fable about facing the universal fears of CHANGE and GROWING OLD with doses of humor and fun songs to delight audiences of many ages.

Old English Pantomime at Christmastime

11/18/2024

Many years ago now, I was approached to write some songs for a collection of stories for an educational company that was teaching English to children in Asian countries. These stories were selected from some of the most famous folktales, fables and original tales from all over the world, but more particularly from England and Europe. One of the stories that caught my attention was "Dick Whittington and His Cat."  I had never heard of it before and was enchanted by its charm. As I did some research into its origin and history, I was amazed by how it came to be.

“Dick Whittington and His Cat” is a very old English tale presented first in Pantomime form in England about 1605. It is loosely based on the story of a real person Richard Whittington who was elected Lord Mayor of London three times, in 1397, 1406, and again in 1419.

English Pantomime was a much-loved popular entertainment for families from the English Renaissance (roughly 1520-1620).   Certain stock players were expected in English Pantomime --- the Every-man (a normal, likeable young man that things happen to), a Love Interest (usually a young, feisty, fair maiden), the Do-good characters (kind persons, fairy godmother, beneficent wealthy person), the Dame (an extremely fat, over–the-top character who has a garish taste in clothing and wears outlandish wigs and make-up — usually played by a man), the Villain (ruffian, bill collector, jealous witch, evil Rat King, etc.), a Comic Duo who provide slapstick comedy, and at least one Funny Animal.

Audience participation in the way of cheering, hissing, and booing was encouraged, as well as a sing-along during or at the end of the performance.

The great William Shakespeare himself used this framework for many of his comedies!

The idea of using this recipe to create a Children's Musical piece was intriguing. I pondered my approach for a couple of years. I did research on some of the many versions of this play that have been produced over the years. Apparently, it has been popular, particularly at Christmas time, in England for over 400 years! In my research, I found that it is usually presented by adult actors to an audience that may include children. But there are many versions in storybook form for children. Curious.

After more research, I found that Pantomime in England is traditionally done at Christmas time. It is considered family entertainment and any number of stories are presented -- usually folktales such as "Cinderella," "Robin Hood," "Jack and the Beanstalk", and many others. "Dick Whittington and His Cat" just happens to be one of the more popular stories.

This show in two forms (for smaller and larger casts) has become quite a favorite. It actually works very well for child actors to perform. Using the stock players and framework of Old English Pantomime gives such a richness of history to this exciting Children's Musical. Enjoy The Adventures of Dick Whittington any time of year!

Alternatives to Christmas Shows

10/28/2024

Characters from "Parizade's Quest"

As I am writing this post, it is three days away from Halloween. And yet I have been noticing some posts asking for help with finding a "Winter" themed children's musical that is not Christmas or snow related. Sounds to me that this show could actually be anything.

We raised our children in areas of the country where winters were just not as hot as the summers, and we never had snow. Still, if the elementary school show was slated to be mounted in December, we still had a holiday theme including Christmas and snow songs. But maybe, at those schools, the teachers are just looking for something different.

Last Friday I attended an orchestra concert that was themed around Superheroes and Fairy Tale Princesses. The music was mostly from Disney movies and the Marvel comics franchise. But what made the concert fun was all of the different costumes. Even the conductors wore themed costumes. For example, the "Superman" theme by John Williams was conducted by Superman, and a medley from the movie "Frozen" was conducted by Elsa, the Snow Queen, etc.

That got me thinking, how about doing an Elementary School show using a generic theme that everyone gets into like "Fairy Tales" or "Super Heroes" or "Tales from Far Away Places." Here are some possible candidates from my catalogue:

"The Frog Prince" - this little show can be produced simply, and a lot of costumes might already be owned by the kids, aka princess dresses.

"Momotaro" - this famous superhero story from Japan can be mounted simply using Kabuki stylizations and masks.

"The Adventures of Dick Whittington" - this show is based on an Old English Pantomime that is often done at Christmastime in England still after 400 years.

"Parizade's Quest" - there's nothing better than transporting your audience to distant lands and times in one of the "1001 Tales of the Arabian Nights."

Seems strange that an elementary school music teacher would be only now looking for help finding a show to mount just a month away. It takes me months of preparation to get even a small show prepared to perform. Perhaps, though, they are thinking long-range towards mounting a show NEXT Christmas.

Who knows.

Enjoy this clip of "Come with Me" the Opener to "Parizade's Quest" performed by 4th and 5th graders from Provost Elementary School.

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.

When You Grow Up

10/9/2024

When trying to have a conversation with little children, often adults will ask "What do you want to be when you grow up?"

The answers are usually creative, like "a baseball player" or "a princess." Of course, young children don't have enough life experiences to know what they really will want to do or be when they grow up. But maybe some do.

When I was in 3rd grade, my teacher asked the class to write what they would like to be when they grew up. I still have that little paper. I wrote, "I like to sing, so I want to be a singer. And I like to play the piano, so I want to be a pianoist. I like to draw, so I want to be an artist. I like to dance, so I want to be a ballerina. And my teacher says I write nice poems, so I want to be a poemist. I know I need to be a wife and mother, but I'm not sure how I can make all of this work in my life."

My teacher wrote back a nice little note encouraging me to maybe pick just one thing to focus on.

But little me kept singing, drawing, dancing, and playing the piano. I even kept writing little songs using my fondness for rhyme. All through school I kept having opportunities to perform. It helped that my mom was so talented that she made me look good and helped me learn a lot of songs.

You might say that I grew up instilled with a lot of confidence in my abilities. I basically had no stage fright. If someone asked me to sing or entertain, I just did.

In 8th grade our math class straddled the lunch period. During the winters when it was cold, we just hung out in the math classroom after lunch. There were a couple of guys who decided that we should do a talent show every lunch break. Those guys were funny and liked to tell jokes and banter being the M.C's. Other kids would show their artwork, or do magic tricks, or demonstrate sports moves. But whenever there was a lull, one of the M.C's would just announce, "Now Betsy will sing us a song." I sang practically every day.

Maybe my teacher didn't understand how much I understood what my God-given talents were already back in 3rd grade. But apparently, I did. I guess if you are on stage practically from birth, you don't know anything else.

Yesterday, I was asked to play one of the Olympics themes for a meeting of the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers. Our guest speaker had just competed in the 2024 Paralympics in Paris. I chose to play "The Call of the Champions" written by John Williams and performed by the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square. I asked the ladies to shout "Citius, altius, fortius" along with the choir. Then I felt like I had to provide entertainment as we listened (mostly to the orchestra), so I sort of directed the air as we listened and brought the ladies in on cue for the three word chant.

Little did I expect that they would thank me for playing that wonderful song and being so entertaining to watch. They said that it was so fun to watch someone who had the talents that no one else in that group had and made it look so fun!

So there, Mrs. Bunton. I am doing all of those things I listed in 3rd Grade. Singer, artist, dancer, pianoist and poemist. And I'm a wife, a mother, and a grandmother, too.

For Poise and Confidence

9/30/2024

So, stage presence is something you've either got or not, right?

Well, some people seem to conquer stage fright easier than others, but I maintain that everybody can learn to be more comfortable in front of an audience.

Years ago, I was responsible for the Primary Presentations in my ward. That is a program done yearly by the children ages 3-11 at Church. Their teachers and leaders help them learn songs and lines to say that present what they've been learning to their parents and others in the Ward. The Primary Presidency and the Music Leaders work together to come up with the ideas they should present and work towards this presentation throughout the year.

I am something of a connoisseur of Primary Presentations. I have gone to so very many over the years due to having 7 children and nearly 27 grandchildren. I have also worked in Primary for 43 years where I taught the music for most of that time. Let's just say that I have done my share of attending as well as writing and directing these programs.

In the olden days, the Church headquarters sent out the exact program to follow. It included all of the songs, the spoken parts, and even suggestions for "staging." Some parts had a variety of options the director could use such as choral readings, group discussion, solo or small group songs, using instruments, visual aids, etc. Some of these presentations were rather elaborate. They really only worked for Wards with large Primaries that were loaded with talent.

Now, the Primaries throughout the world are responsible for writing their own presentations while following just a few suggestions from Church headquarters.

The toughest part of doing these presentations is always the same: how to get the children to speak and sing their parts in an engaging way so the parents and others can understand them.

Unfortunately, not all leaders understand how to REHEARSE EFFECTIVELY to help the children learn their songs and lines, to enunciate clearly, to stand with poise and posture, and to never leave the microphone until after they finish their part.

That's when having some training in stage production comes in handy.

I will never forget back when I was then a Primary President and an older lady sought me out to ask me the date of our Primary Presentation. She wanted to know so SHE COULD MISS IT! I vowed from that moment on that all my Primary Presentations would be rehearsed enough so that even the shyest kid could be understood by the nearly deaf 92-year-old sitting on the back row!

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