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You Had to Audition to Get Into This Family

4/12/2022

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Whenever my siblings and I complained about rehearsing or getting ready to do a show with my mother, she just said, "Singing is what we do."  And then she added, "Don't you know you had to audition to get into this family?"
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I think that was what her mother said to her when she was little, too. (My grandparents were excellent singers and were carrying on that singing tradition from generations before them!) My mother was the fifth child in a family of seven singing siblings.  They grew up singing together for fun and to entertain others.  Many became professional musicians, educators and entertainers.

My mother started training her children to sing practically from birth.  She put me in my first show when I was just two weeks old.  Anyway, all six of us learned to sing together in harmony from our very early ages.  Her line was that when we were in heaven, we made sure to stand in the "singing talent" line.  And then we had to go through an audition process before we got assigned to come to earth into our family.  "Singing is what you were born to do."  So, we did.

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When my children came along, I knew what I had to do.  My kids grew up knowing that they also had to audition to get into our family.  We sang a lot as a family while they still lived at home.  They all learned to hold their own parts and play different instruments.  We enjoyed singing together.

Now, it is harder to gather from so many different places in order to sing together, but whenever we can, we still love singing together.

PictureMegan and Melanie singing
My daughter Kathryn shared an experience she had with her kids from the other day.  They had had a long day of Church meetings and choir practice and visiting other wards.  Then, after a quick dinner, Mom and the older kids needed to go practice again for Stake Conference Choir.  Kathryn needed their help because she was the choir director.

​Eleven-year-old Megan started to complain and drag her feet, but her voice was needed in the Soprano section with her two older sisters and just a few older women.  Kathryn said, "Singing is what we do in this family.  Don't you remember you had to audition to even get to be in this family?"


Confused, Megan said, "Wait. What?"

Kathryn shook her head and muttered as they got into the van, "Where have you been all these years?"

Megan and Melanie have lovely voices, and here's the proof.  "As the French Say" song from the play "The Country Mouse and the City Mouse."
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The Auditioning Process

1/17/2022

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Will 2022 be the year we can put on more Children's Theater Productions?  I know that many schools have been hard pressed to even cast their shows completely this year because of Pandemic problems.  And getting everyone to come to rehearsals has been rough.  But maybe by Spring, anxieties will ease.

In the meantime, many young hopefuls do not understand the Auditioning Process.  Some show up to auditions completely unprepared because no one told them what to expect.  
Other kids know to come with a head shot and a short resume' including personal information (age, height, grade in school, hair color, voice or dance training, a list of previous roles or plays they have participated in, etc.).  

​I have been known to have the unprepared kids just sing "Happy Birthday to You" in the key of F major.  The melody is known by nearly everyone and presents some telling problems.  The octave jump for example lets me know a lot about the kid's vocal range, quality, and ability to sing in tune.  Of course, I prefer children to come with at least 16 bars of a prepared song.  The song should be familiar, in a style matching the play (but not from the play), well suited to the actor, and have a copy for the accompanist in the right key.  

A memorized monologue is great to come prepared to perform, but is not always called for.  Some directors have the kids read a few lines from the script or recite a poem or Nursery Rhyme with some kind of affectation (sweetly, angry, agitated, poised, etc.).  The director wants to check for ability to show various emotions, project the voice, and observe how well facial expressions and body language can be read from a distance.

Then there will usually be a dance component.  The choreographer will take the kids in a small group, teach them a few steps, and watch them repeat it.  The director will be watching to see which actors have dance abilities or finds out what he can or cannot expect from his cast.
In lieu of a picture and resume', something good to do when auditioning for a show is to be sure to come to the initial audition and any call backs dressed exactly the same --- including hair-do.  And be sure to wear something unique --- like a bright orange shirt, colorful skirt or braided hair.  The director may see 100 individuals in auditions for one show.  Be sure to do something to make yourself easy to remember, within reason!  (Green locks or purple frizz might not work for a traditional show.)
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Be aware that when a director looks to cast parts, he takes into consideration the physical characteristics of the people he sees, size relationships in particular.  But that also includes length of hair.  Once I cast a 12 year old girl in a lead role and assumed that with her long hair, she could easily wear it in a particular up-do style for the role.  When we started rehearsals, she appeared with a pixie cut.  She was definitely the right person for the role, but cutting her hair so dramatically made creating the proper "look" for her character challenging.  We finally decided that she could wear a bonnet and some hair extensions.  It was not the right look, but was the best we could do given the circumstance.  (This was for the premier production of "The Adventures of Dick Whittington")

​Because I typically work with very young children or first-timers, I often depend on Acting Games to help me cast the show, especially for a Summer Camp situation.  The right Acting Games help me get to know the kids and their abilities very quickly.  

​Oh, how I hope that we can do more Children's Theater soon!

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    Author

    My name is Betsy Bailey.  I have sung, written and taught music all of my life.  I enjoy writing and directing Children's Theater shows.  This blog will be directed to topics on creating the magic of Children's Theater.  I would love to hear your comments!

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