While in Paris, I hope you sample "La joie de vivre!" and "Bien manger!"
While MoTab is on tour, our Summer Theater Production will show off its own "Joie de vivre!" and "Bien manger!"
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So, I have been channeling my energy into writing music for a new Children's Musical instead of moaning over the fact that I am not touring this summer in Europe with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. In my research for a song for the character of the French maid, I studied some common French phrases. "La joie de vivre!" and "Bien manger!" were two that were irresistible to build a song around. In the play, the maid manages to convince the guest how wonderful the sights and sounds and flavors of the City really are. She says that the French have a saying that "you do not live unless you live joyously." And then later she follows up with "and it is not enough to live joyously, mais non, it's not just how you live, but how you EAT!" While in Paris, I hope you sample "La joie de vivre!" and "Bien manger!" This is an early DEMO recording of "As the French Say" from the new Children's Musical "The Country Mouse and the City Mouse." You'll need to imagine the City Mouse and her French maid trying to convince the Country Mouse that the City has oh so much to offer --- lights, music, excitement and most of all access to the Pantry and CHEESE! Throughout the song, other City Mice join in to create an exuberant production number "a la Can-Can." The costumes are "1950's" inspired in bright colors, flared skirts, fancy hats and a lot of polka dots!
While MoTab is on tour, our Summer Theater Production will show off its own "Joie de vivre!" and "Bien manger!"
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Announcing the availability of a new Children's Musical from Bailey Kids Musicals. "The Adventures of Dick Whittington" is a retelling of the Old English Pantomime written to showcase the talents of 3rd-6th+ Graders. This show has been successfully produced and well received by three enthusiastic audiences. Accolades came unsolicited from many exuberant members of the audience: "This production was amazing! I have never seen a show at the Elementary School level done so well! I just retired from teaching recently and have done my share of concerts and musicals, but we were never able to pull off a show so well. The kids were so well prepared and their timing was fabulous! It was great! Just great!" "I remember doing musicals 'way back when I was in Elementary school, but they were never anything like this! The show was so fun! I really liked it!" "I like to sit in the back and watch the reactions in the audience. From what I could see, everyone was leaning forward in their seats ready to burst out singing the songs when given the signal. They seemed to really enjoy the show, especially when they got to sing-a-long!" "The Adventures of Dick Whittington" is a tale of the power of Kindness. The orphan boy Dick realizes that whenever there had been bumps along his road of life, some kind person stepped in to help. He learned that doing good deeds and showing kindness is the way to find true happiness. At a pivotal point in the play, Dick sings "Let Kindness Begin with Me." The Director's Scripts, Piano/Vocal Scores and Production Kits for this show are available for Digital Download at SMP Press. The individual mp3 recordings of the Show Tracks are also available at SMP Press. The Production Kit contains the following items: reproducible booklet Actor's Script, Lyrics Pages, and a Coloring Page Invitation to the show. It also includes a Performance License.
So, getting all of the props and costumes and set pieces and extraneous stuff made, assembled, painted, sewed or otherwise collected and set up at the venue usually takes me the entire course of the run. And I do most of it by myself. But getting all of that stuff broken down and packed away after the last show usually happens very quickly thanks to a lot of useful helpers. This time, though, our last show of "The Adventures of Dick Whittington" was during the middle of the school day and not that many helpers were available. In other words, the few backstage helpers just had time to gather and box up the costumes. That left me alone to pack up my van to take things home at my leisure. It took me about a week to finally retrieve and transport all of the stuff back to my house. (Washing costumes, sorting, organizing and putting everything away may take another month!) My husband let me use his truck to haul away the last of the oversized items. I always tried to go over to the school during lunch times when I knew the door nearest the stage would be unlocked and the attendant teacher would be willing to hold it open for me as I hefted boxes outside. The last day, just as I was wondering how I would move the biggest props and set pieces, a bunch of 6th grade boys suddenly appeared.
"Can we help?" "Absolutely! You couldn't have come at a better time!" They were happy and energetic helpers. They made short work out of loading the bulky props into the truck and moving the large flat sets down to the storage tunnel. But, the payback for me was how excited they were to tell me how much they enjoyed the show. When they looked at the set pieces, they were quick to tell me that they remembered the scenes that they were used in. "I know what this is!" they would say. Then they would proceed to sing the song they recalled from that scene. "This is....There is too, too much to do! There is too, too much to do..." or "this is... Over the briny sea, boys! Over the briny sea!" They even tried to do the sailor's little jig! These boys had not been in the show, they had just come to watch it several days earlier when we performed for the student body. I frankly was surprised to find that kids seated 'way in the back of the gym were engaged enough to follow the action of the show, let alone to remember the songs! That really gave me a thrill. They not only remembered the words, but got pretty close to recalling the tunes, too! Kind of renews your faith in humanity, doesn't it? Our second performance of "The Adventures of Dick Whittington" was triumphant on many levels. I was amazed at how the cast supported the substitute players and helpers to make the show go smoothly. And kudos must go out to the children who stepped up to fill in for missing actors! We even had some brand new backstage helpers that rose to the challenge and made our cast look good! Many thanks! Cast of "The Adventures of Dick Whittington" - Provost Elementary March 2016 The list of casualties included one "mouse" with a broken toe, a dancer with a broken arm, a missing Narrator who had gotten confused with when her community children's choir concert actually was, and a family that had a funeral that day. Fortunately, the broken toe and arm did not keep the actresses from performing. The funeral was early enough that the family made it back in time for the show. But the choir concert did prevent our Narrator #3 from performing. Luckily, one of her friends that had been helping on stage crew stepped up to the plate, memorized the lines, cues and movements and did a great job filling in. And another dancer handily changed her position in the "Spices and Perfumes" dance to fill in for Narrator #3 so that there would not be a hole. Whew! But the great news was that our little actress with the laryngitis Friday night recovered her beautiful voice and gave a brilliant performance! Yay!
I don't think the audience noticed or could even appreciate what went on backstage to make this performance happen. I told the kids that these kinds of things happen all of the time in live theater. I told them that this experience of juggling parts and covering for the missing actors was even something that seasoned professionals have to deal with. They were getting a real world experience. I was so proud of them that they hung together and made everything go smoothly! Well, despite some last minute issues, the Premiere of the new children's theater production of "The Adventures of Dick Whittington" went very well. The grand experiment of having the audience join in singing some of the songs worked even better than expected. I think that sending a CD home with the actors actually insured that the families would learn the songs as well. The audience seemed to be very engaged and enjoyed being included in the action! Audience sing-alongs were an integral part of Old English Pantomime. We were not without difficulties, however. Earlier in the day, I learned that the boy who had been working for a couple of weeks learning to pull the curtain would not be there for the show because he had a Scout camp out that night. So, one of the boys in the cast coerced another friend to take home a script and learn the cues. He did his best, but the Curtain cues were a little off. And two of the girls who had been working stage crew during rehearsals decided not to show up, so the two remaining stage crew people had much more to do. And a beleaguered stage manager got stuck holding up a piece of scenery during an entire scene because it had lost its supports during the set change. (Cute set painting, though, thanks to Lynn Stallard!) At first, I was encouraged when so many adults came to help with "hair and make-up" before the show started. But it turned out that they all wanted to watch the performance. So we ended up not having enough helpers backstage during the actual show. Hence, the disheveled state of some of the actors who came out with costume parts and pieces on backwards or inside-out. The most heart-wrenching moment of the evening though was watching one of the lead characters try to sing when she had laryngitis. I ended up singing her solo while she acted it out. Poor thing! We hope her voice is back for tonight's performance! Live theater at the Elementary School level --- gotta love it! Opening Nights are always anticipated with fear and trepidation. Will the children remember their lines? Their dances? Their cues? Will there be enough backstage helpers? Will the sound run correctly? Will we get the lavalier mics operational and turned up at the right times? Will the kids make their costume changes? Will the sets malfunction? But whether we are ready or not, the show will go on. One dance number from "The Adventures of Dick Whittington" that is just plain fun and pretty well polished is "Too, Too Much to Do." In this number, the Cook (the "Dame" character from Old English Pantomime) is a cranky, over-bearing task-master of the kitchen. She is very intimidating and keeps the workers on their toes. The beautiful young actress wears a garish pink wig and loud make up and even wears a "fat" suit so that she can waddle around on the stage. She is getting used to getting laughs. Hope she keeps her composure! It is a fun number. Another element to Old English Pantomime that I am introducing tonight is the "Sing-a-Long." The audience doesn't know it yet, but they have a job to do. They get to join in singing on some of the songs. I have the Narrators primed to wave their arms and get the audience to sing along at certain parts of the songs. I sure hope it works. I will explain things and practice with them before the show begins. The words are printed on the back of the program. There is too, too much to do! There is too, too much to do! With all too few on this clumsy crew, There is too, too much to do! I had the opportunity to try this idea out at a women's club meeting where I was asked to tell about my newest play. I gave them each a copy of the lyrics and motioned to them when they should sing with me. These older gals seemed to enjoy that very much. They thought it was so enjoyable to feel a part of the performance. Wish us good luck! Years ago, my youngest son brought home a library book from school. At bedtime, we climbed onto the lower bunkbed and snuggled up to read. As I read, I noticed that the story was having an interesting effect on my boy. He really got into this tale about Momotaro. He kept saying that his was a "superhero" story. Just what a Kindergartener likes.
In the story, the people in the village were regularly having their food stores raided and their fields trampled by the Oni monsters who had taken up residence in the nearby castle. Those monsters even stole all of their weapons. It was clear that the village needed a hero to go to fight those demons. Meanwhile, the old woman had prayed and prayed for a son whom they could raise to become that hero. Her husband could train him in the martial arts and he could go on a quest to save their village. Finally, just as she was about to give up all hope, the River Spirit comes up out of the water and brings the Old Woman a peach. She says that inside is a baby boy, the fulfillment of her desires. The Old Woman rushes home to show her husband, They are deliriously happy and set about to raise their son Momotaro. When Momotaro is old enough, he sets off on his quest. Along the way, he is joined by three animal compatriots -- a dog, a monkey, and a pheasant. They sneak up to the castle and fight the Oni monsters. During the fight, the Kamikaze wind comes and blows away the Oni monsters. Momotaro and the animals return home as heroes. As I was reading, I could see the play come together. The songs formed in my mind and so did the actions -- in Japanese Kabuki style, of course. This became a fun little show to write -- perfect for the 5-7 years olds I was working with in a summer camp that season. A story of bravery, with heroes, monsters, fantasy animals, Spirit dancers, a rippling river of fabric, little girls dancing with baby dolls, a dancing forest, and slow motion martial arts fighting. All I had to say was that this was a Japanese "superhero" tale, and the five year old boys were all over it! So, in a few weeks, I am producing this show again as a Summer Theater Camp. Looks like we will have 27 kids between the ages of 5 and 10. I am gearing up and preparing for the fun. Wish me luck! Long, long ago in an ancient land where the mountains meet the sea... Click here to view the entire video of "Never Cry Wolf!" 2007 The story of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" is ancient indeed. It was told by the Greek storyteller and philosopher Aesop who lived in the 6th century BC. By his time, the Greek culture already had an even more ancient past. To young children, people who are just a generation away from them in age are considered ancient. When I directed my first retelling of this story with a very young cast of 5-7 year olds, getting them to understand any amount of culture and history was a bit of a challenge. So we focused on aspects of the story they could understand more readily -- having parents who love their children and want them to become the best they can be, doing WORK and the different types of jobs people have, and the bad feelings you get when you do not tell the truth. Some concepts were harder to explain, such as SINCERITY and RESPONSIBILITY. Very young children live only in the present and have a hard time understanding complex emotions and situations. Hopefully through the story they began to get an idea of how our actions and what we say can affect how we and others feel and what happens because of us. The second retelling of this story became a more expanded version that I renamed "Never Cry Wolf." The idea was to create a show that could be learned in a two week Summer Intensive Theater Camp. The families at Church were all onboard to help and provide this opportunity for of our children. We depended on everybody to get involved in some way. I was overwhelmed by the talent that came out of the woodwork to volunteer time and effort. We had moms who could sew and paint and dance and sing to teach the children. Some others volunteered to be Group Leaders who followed the 8-10 children in their age-range group through their day to keep them organized and cared for. They even helped them sponge paint their own T-shirt costumes and design their shields. We had a few mothers who organized Ancient Greek "cultural experiences" with spinning wool, weaving, building mosaics and making/tasting hummus. We even had Nursery and Recess helpers. Some of the moms and dads helped build the stage, sets, and hang lighting, and some gave technical support and video taped the shows and took pictures. We had 75 kids ages 2-14 in the camp and almost as many parent helpers involved with the show. Believe me, this story took on new meaning for the parents -- they got it. This show was indeed about the values of SINCERITY and hard WORK! I only hope the children got it, as well! The last few weeks have taken me through many memories of writing and directing shows...but mostly of remembering the children. As I edited the videos of past shows, I wondered about those children. Some, I know, have grown up, gone to college, chosen careers and even gotten married. Time flies by and in no time, WE, the former teachers, become ancient history. Fortunately, there are always younger kids waiting to come up the ranks.
Perhaps that is why I enjoy writing and directing Children's Theater. I so love seeing things through their new eyes. Last week I had the privilege of attending a chorus concert at Alloway Creek Elementary School in Littlestown Pennsylvania. The students there were performing their end of school concert incorporating three of my Mini-Musicals. Using a few kid-produced sets and props, the chorus performed "The Three Billy Goats Gruff," "The Musicians of Bremen," and "The City Mouse and the Country Mouse." Their talented chorus teacher, Mr. Krape, taught them the songs and very simply staged the stories pulling out the costumed characters to deliver their lines at the four standing microphones. The chorus members standing behind the character actors sang the songs, provided sound effects, did some "choral-ography," and held up their own kid-created puppets as the story-lines dictated. They sang well, delivered their lines well, and had the audience laughing at the appropriate moments. All in all, they provided a very enjoyable show. I especially enjoyed how Big Bodean and Lazy Lug (country mice cousins) perfected their "country" accents!
The concert was introduced with the song "Why Is Grass Always Greener on the Other Side?" which stated the common thread linking these stories together. In "The Three Billy Goats Gruff" the goats want the greener grass on the other side of the bridge. In "The City Mouse and the Country Mouse," the country mouse is tired of her country life and longs to visit the city. In "The Musicians of Bremen," the donkey, who is destined for the glue factory, sets off with other animals to make their living as singers using their very awful and annoying voices. Each story has something to do with "longing for something you want but can't get." But, as the Country Mouse learns, sometimes you do not "realize the good you've got until you've lost it!" The Country Mouse finds that the city life is filled with just as many dangers as the country life, but at least in the country she knows what to expect and how to deal with it! She decides that a Country Mouse is what she wants to be after all! In my experience with Children's Theater casting calls, the overwhelming majority of applicants are females. Also in my experience, these talented and often-times well-trained dancer/singer/actresses are vying for the same one or two prominent roles in the play. How heart-breaking it is, also, when the pretty little girls are asked to play male lead roles because not enough boys showed up for auditions or because there simply were not enough good roles for girls in that production. Knowing this predicament, I have constantly been on the lookout for stories that could be adapted to feature five or more strong female leads in important roles. "Parizade's Quest" is just such a story. The play opens with a story teller (female) reciting her story to a master storyteller (male). He gives her some pointers and tells her he would like her to start over again but this time they will try out the story on "these good people here" (audience). The audience dutifully applauds to give encouragement, and Jamileh begins again. Master Ghalandar promises to be with her and lend support throughout the retelling. In fact he, he inserts more than Jamileh actually expects -- "Why not, it is an unexpected twist. You want to lead the audience on adventures in the mind and just when they think they know what to expect --- you surprise them!" The character of Jamileh, the storyteller, however, goes on to control the entire story including jumping in to play other characters to move the plot along. The actress for this part needed many skills, not to mention having a great memory. Because she was included in nearly every scene, she had no choice but to have the entire show memorized. Fortunately, just such a talent appeared for auditions. Ellie Geslison gave a stellar performance as Jamileh, the storyteller, the Gypsy dancer and fortune teller, the Old Woman, and was the glue that held the whole production together. She is quite the triple threat -- a beautiful singer, actress and dancer and she even learned some tap dancing (new skill) in order to do the Finale. Kudos to Ellie for her talent and grace. Thanks for lending such elegance to this premier performance of "Parizade's Quest!" |
AuthorMy 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! Archives
March 2024
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