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The Show Goes On...and thank goodness for help from family!

4/24/2019

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I am happy to report that the Summer Theater Camp Compromise Schedule is GO for launch.  The families were thrilled that we were able to skillfully tip-toe around family vacations, Young Women's Camp, Scout High Adventure trips, the 5th Grade Science Camp, a Youth Temple Trip, and Swim Team meets.  But in order to enroll the older girls we needed, we also included some younger siblings.  Fortunately, this show can absorb many participants.  Our final enrollment count is 49 students ages almost 5 to 13 years old.
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My son is busy making some props and set pieces for me.  I have collected most of the pieces I need to do this show from doing it several times over the years, but each stage presents its own challenges.  I need "ancient" columns, a few low wooden stools, and a "rock" for the shepherd boy to sit on.  My son is donating his woodworking skills to the project -- but he is only available this week.  Gotta use the help while I can get it.
 My daughter will be helping me with scenic painting as well as collecting the free cardboard flats we will need to create the "distant" mountains in the background.  She will also paint a whitewashed rock cottage with a red tiled roof.  Can't decide if we will even bother to paint the columns with carved details.  It will remain to be seen if we have enough time for detail work.  
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       Another daughter promised to come down for a few rehearsals to teach the most important choreography to the oldest girls.  She doesn't have time to help us polish the dancing, but I will take all the help I can get.  It will be fun to see her recreate some of the dancing she did when she premiered this show back when she was 14.

I am so grateful we were able to avoid disappointing Summer Theater Camp participants this year.  And I am especially grateful for the help from my wonderful family!

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The Empty Pot

8/22/2018

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Sometimes you write a piece and it sits for a while and you wonder what you will do with it.  "The Empty Pot" was written in anticipation of using it for a school production.  Then, the opportunity fizzled.  Then later in the summer, it was produced by another community theater group and directed by a different group of directors.  So, I was not the director for it's premiere performance.  

It had been advertised as having flexible casting, but when I went to see it, I was really surprised that the main character was a girl -- not a boy.  Other than that substitution, the production was very well done.  I just had a hard time adjusting my mind to the concept of that very important character being performed by a girl.  I suppose it worked, but the lyrics were problematic.  I couldn't tell if they were having her play the character as male or not.  They did nothing to disguise her to look like a little boy.  If they had, I probably would have accepted it better.

The next summer, I had the chance to produce and direct "The Empty Pot" for my first time.  We had a very large cast of 45 children ages 5-14.  Some of the older kids were very talented, so, of course, they needed some more challenging material.  Obviously, I needed to add some expanded scenes, songs and new characters.  The new show also got a new title "A Successor to the Throne."  

Directing that production was a very satisfying!  It was all volunteer for a church summer theater camp.  So many talented parents came out of the woodwork willing to share their skills.  We had wonderful parent Group Leaders, Choreographers, Hair Dressers, Seamstresses, Photographers, Make-up Artists and the list goes on.  The children were great, too.  Even the young children did their best to learn the dances and every word to the songs!

So I guess, technically, I still have yet to direct "The Empty Pot."  But I have directed "A Successor to the Throne" multiple times.
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Foreshadowing Your Future

4/15/2015

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PictureLili and the 4th Graders
One of the lead characters in the "Parizade's Quest" cast, Lili Wilson, who was Parizade, asked me if I did children's theater when I was young.  I told her that I did.  She asked if I ever wrote scripts and shows when I was young.  I told her that I did.  Then she proceeded to tell me that she was writing a show for her 4th grade class to present to the school. She was a bit frustrated that the other children did not always follow her directions even though she had spent so much time and effort preparing the script and getting the costumes ready all by herself.  I told her that directing a cast of your peers is difficult, but to keep trying and they will eventually come around.

PictureLili Wilson as Parizade in "Parizade's Quest"
Lili, I was a lot like you. When I was in 5th grade, my friends and I thought we ran the school. We worked quickly to get our regular assignments done so that we could spend time down in Mrs. Richardson's Music room.  She was awesome.  We would do her bulletin boards and coach the younger classes and help with folk dancing on Fridays. She especially loved having my mother available to accompany her special concerts and programs.  At the end of our 5th Grade year, Mrs. Richardson let us put on our own version of "Peter Pan."  I plagiarized the script, stealing from many sources, and we freely used music from both the Disney animated movie and the Broadway show.  She let us create the costumes, sets, and staging and choreography.  Well, she did have a group of singers sing along with us on risers to the side of the stage so that the event could qualify as a chorus concert.  My mother accompanied and we put on a show!

PictureJudy and Betsy singing and dancing "Wendy"
Judy played Peter Pan, Stanley played Captain Hook and I played Wendy. We danced and sang and pretended to fly and had a great time.  We had wonderful support from our parents and teachers. We had the feeling we could do anything we put our minds to.    We    worked      hard 
and created something wonderful.  Our efforts were rewarded by the fun we had and the enjoyment we gave to those who came to the performance. Little did we know that what we did was foreshadowing our futures.  Judy kept singing, working with children's choirs, and putting on shows.  Stanley went on to play cello in orchestras.  And I continued to write, direct and produce children's theater shows.

So Lili, keep following your dreams.  You may be foreshadowing your future!

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Best Supporting Actress...

4/8/2015

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      Antagonist...villain....comic relief...
yeah, the supporting actors.  Where would the story be without these important roles? Where's the mystery, suspense, and comedy?  The plot of a story is mostly served through the doings of the supporting players. It is all well and good to have fine lead players, but without equally good supporting characters, they would have nothing to play off to make them look so good.

          Too bad that supporting characters and villains get such a bad rap in children's theater.  Without them, the heroes and heroines would not shine. The contrasts between the character traits and individual choices of the protagonists and the antagonists are what make live children's theater so meaningful and instructive.  

          My goals have been to share stories where good triumphs over evil, where love conquers all, and hope springs eternal.  Yes, these goals may seem old fashioned, but they are eternal truths and must be championed, especially for impressionable youth.  And yet, how can good overcome evil if that choice is not offered in the first place?  Hence the need for the villain.

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              In thinking about casting a nefarious character, my heart is often troubled.  Whoever
is cast must be of sufficient self esteem to realize that I am casting them strictly by their acting abilities and not because I think they have evil traits.  Fortunately, a pair of just such actresses were available for the roles of Beheshteh and Chaman Banoo, the jealous sisters of the Queen, in "Parizade's Quest."   These girls needed to portray jealousy, cunning and craftiness with a hint of comedy during the course of the play. 
The audience need not have any sympathies with them for their evil deeds.  In fact, in the end, their banishment should prove to be satisfying to all.  
             
              And yes, I was glad they got a nice ovation for their hard work during the bows.  They gave wonderful performances.

          So kudos to Kaylin Wilson and Candace Taylor for being such great Supporting Actresses!  You both did a great job!

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Models and Inspiration

4/6/2015

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Hard to believe, but it was one year ago precisely that a friend told me about the story of "The Speaking Bird."  She said that it was a tale from the Arabian Nights stories that she had only just become aware of.  She had been struck by the notion that it would make a great Children's Theater play or better yet, a musical.  I happened to be looking for a new project at just that moment. She liked the piece because it was not a romantic "love" story, but a reuniting of a family "love" story.  When I read it, I liked it because it had great elements that make for good theater: mystery, comedy, magic, fantasy characters --- and a bonus for children's theater --- the opportunity for good roles for more than one GIRL.  A beautiful "weeping" Queen, a "lost" princess, a clever storyteller, two jealous sisters, Gypsy dancers, and the magical Speaking Bird.

        Creating a fantasy character that must be acted by a human can be a daunting task --- unless you have a great model for inspiration.  One of my friends has a bigger than life persona and a rare and unique personality.  I informed her frankly one day that I intended to model a character for my new play after her.  And, in her inimitable fashion, she answered, "Absolutely!  I have always thought that I would make a great character.  You'll have to invite me to see the show!"  So, with permission granted, I set off to give Shazelle, the Speaking Bird the funniest lines and the sassiest attitude possible!  Thank you, Anne-Marie St. Felix!

         But, then there is the casting dilemma.  As a director, you wonder if you will have a young actress come to audition with the talent and ability to pull off such a character.  Fortunately, just such a girl showed up.  Lizzie Jensen was perfect for the role.  She summoned enough inner "sassy attitude" to play this over the top character and even learned how to do a tap dance routine for the Finale!  Way to go, Lizzie!

         Here are the two of them together after the last show of "Parizade's Quest." And as Shazelle, herself, says in the play, "Girl, I am here to make sure the story is told right!  I am the magic and mystery!  Comedy, too!" And she really was!  This wonderful fantasy character was a pure delight! "And trust me, honey!  I am telling the absolute truth!"

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Coming Soon -- "Parizade's Quest"

1/30/2015

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Pearls so rare!
Pearls so rare!

A family has been reunited,
That's cause for joy.
We are so excited!
We'd be delighted
If you decided to stay___
On this happy day!
On this happy day!


These are the words to the chorus of the Finale song of my latest Children's Musical "Parizade's Quest, a Tale from the Arabian Nights."  The special message of this story is about the importance of FAMILY.  As always, writing the show is a mind game, but putting it into production is an adventure!

As a writer, you think and think and plan and plan and try to envision all the parts and pieces of the finished production.  You design everything from the sets, to the dances, to the costumes, to how the characters talk and move. But then reality sets in.  The biggest culprits are limitations of budget and time and of course the actual abilities of your very young actors.  How wonderful to have some validation in getting a lot "right" about what you can actually manage to accomplish.  But it is sobering to realize what simply will not fly.
So, you pare down, regroup, re-imagine, and go on!

The happy thing is that the kids seem to like the songs, the story, and the idea of the costumes that they haven't actually seen yet.  Now to get them to memorize their lines, learn their choreography, master the singing of the songs, and accomplish some real acting to tell the story.  The first few weeks are so rough.  Nobody really has a handle on what to expect.  They don't know each other.  They don't know their characters.  They have so much work to do. And as the creator and director of a brand new theatrical piece, I just don't have enough words or time to explain what is inside my head.  
          
The good thing is that they have no pre-conceived notions about the story or their characters.  
          
The bad things is that they have no pre-conceived notions about the story or any reference points for understanding the characters, setting or interpretation of the story.  
          
How come they can't just do what I see them do during my dreams at night?  

These are kids, after all.  Ten, eleven and twelve year olds.  There are just a handful who have had any experience doing a play or dancing or singing in shows.  Fortunately, those kids can be the lead characters and demonstrate to the others how to conduct themselves.  Now if I could just split myself into three or four extra people, we would have time enough to work with all the children on a more individual level.  Don't have that kind of luxury, though.  We will just go on the best we can.  Perhaps, I will think of creative ways to "steal" extra time in some other ways.

After all, what is the first law of the theater?  The Show Must Go On!

                   

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Kudos to the Kids!

10/12/2014

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          Last night I got to attend the performance of one of my shows performed by Upstage Theater for Youth, a Children's Theater Company based in Sandy, Utah.  They produced "Never Cry Wolf" with a group of 30 talented kids ranging in age from 5-15.  I was impressed by their infectious enthusiasm, awesome line delivery, and genuine love of the songs.  It made me very happy!  This image was on their cast Tee-shirts.  Each actor drew a self portrait.  Such a cute idea!
          It is always a revelation to see someone else's ideas imprinted onto your work.  The results are sometimes not as you envisioned, but somehow work just as well.  For example, their stage was quite small.  So they opted to have a very simple set with practically no scenery.  They just used white columns set against the black drapes to suggest ancient Greece. The actors brought on a few accent props and wore costumes suggesting the time period.  Other than that, the show was very simply staged.  In fact, the accompanist sat in full view of the audience at her piano (appropriately costumed, of course) during the entire play.  It seemed quite natural and not a distraction at all.  Besides, she played beautifully.
          Because the show was written for a very large cast (45+), many of the actors had to do double duty and play several roles.  With so few boys in the cast, some of the male roles went to female actresses.  It made a couple of scenes and jokes a little awkward, but the girls persevered and gave a good accounting of themselves.  That's the way it sometimes is in Children's Theater.  All in all, the show went very well and the audience was very receptive.  And, true to form, the little lambs stole the show!
          My favorite part was mingling with the audience and the actors.  Over and over they thanked me for creating such a wonderful show.  They loved the music.  In fact, even the audience members, many of them parents, confided to me that they had had the songs going round and round in their heads for weeks. They told me that they enjoyed the powerful messages of Sincerity and Work that were taught in the play.  One parent hoped that the wayward son that he brought to watch the show that evening would get the message! 
          Well, I certainly hope so, too.  After all,"Being sincere is a treasure."   

    So, once again, big KUDOS to the KIDS of Upstage Theater for Youth.  

          Well done!

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Inventing Backstories

9/24/2014

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         This update on the progress of their show was sent in by the director of a Children's Theater Group in Alabama.  She encouraged all of the children to invent backstories for their particular characters.  Here's how they are doing:
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"Things are coming along so well.

The kids have come up with some great backstories...Iris is Galatia's Great granddaughter. She has a baby that Galatia cares for during the dances. Galatia is 99 ( I know so old but I let them do this, and tried not to micromanage TOO much). She has a big thick walking stick.

The whole village, especially the women rely on the wool from the sheep to spin, weave and sew. SO, when the sheep are gone it means so much more than just the loss of the sheep, it is an economic loss for the whole village.

The wolf sneaks out and watches the sheep while they are dancing, he realizes that Galatia is no longer caring for the sheep, so he is always watching for his chance. It is so cute watching him slink around. We had to talk about how they CAN'T notice him, no matter what he does. He even mimes, (as he is mostly hidden behind some rocks) them a bit as they are doing the "Thieving Wolf Ballet". It was great in rehearsal, so I hope it will work!

Anyway, here are the images that a recent High School Graduate did for us. I sent the color poster, and the T-shirt image.

Thank you so much for writing these shows!"

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These designs for their posters and T-shirts are wonderful!  They were created by an 18 year old girl studying to be a graphic artist.  I think she has a very bright future!  

I just love what their promoters said on their Facebook invite:

"Sophie and I are so proud to be working behind the scenes on this fantastic production! The cast is extremely talented (already gotten goosebumps) and they happen to be adorable as well. So far, I can honestly say that the dancing sheep alone are worth the price of admission. Consider taking a night out and come enjoy the show! Live theatre for less than the price of a movie ticket....hard to beat an opportunity like this for family entertainment!!!"

          It's like I have always maintained, the little dancing sheep in the production of Never Cry Wolf are the real stars of the show!  You just can't argue with cute factor!
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Retelling a Story or Fable with a Moral

9/15/2014

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         My elementary classroom teacher friends have been kind enough to offer suggestions for Lesson Plans for my new Mini-Musicals.  In many states, so much of the curriculum is scripted to meet the Common Core Objectives.  They find that it is exhausting to add anything beyond the well-stated goals.  It is simply too hard to justify "fluff' and "fun."  They are too busy trying to keep up with all of the mandated requirements.  And many teachers are so overwhelmed, they rely solely on commercially prepared pre-made worksheets and packets.

          This is such a shame!  As I have read the National Common Core Objectives, there seems to be a lot of room for creativity and fun.  For example, one of the ELA objectives for 1st-3rd grades is to retell a story or fable with a moral.  What better way to meet this objective than to present a class play?  And if the songs reinforce the concepts of the moral plus other Language Arts ideas, that is all for the better.  For example, the opening song in  "The Tale of the Three Billy Goats Gruff," contains an idiom that is introduced along with many other puzzlements, "Why is Grass Always Greener on the Other Side?"  This song is a good jumping off point for a discussion about asking questions to get information using the words "who, what, where, when and why." 

          In the Mini-Musical "The Tale of the Musicians of Bremen," the moral has to do with Age and Change.  Children may not recognize how difficult it is for older people to grow old and feel useless.  Older people often stubbornly resist change.  The old farmer and his wife in the story have to face Age and Change in themselves and for their animals.  This story shows the animals taking a proactive step to avoid their certain fate (death).  The animals are likable and do silly things, but also allow for a discussion about important life lessons, particularly Age and Change.

          The City Mouse and the Country Mouse discover that both of their homes have pros and cons.  The Country Mouse visits the City with her cousin and is terrified at the noise and hustle-bustle and all of the hidden dangers of the City.  She decides that the "cons" far outweigh the "pros" of City Life.  She races home to the Country where she already knows what to expect.  "The Tale of the City Mouse and the Country Mouse" begins a discussion about Comparisons and Likes and Dislikes.  Through explorations in acting and singing, the students can draw comparisons from the story and their own experiences to become better at determining their own preferences.

          Retelling a story or fable with a moral is what these Mini-Musicals are all about.  According to the advice of my teacher friends, I have included ideas and worksheets to help meet some of the Common Core Objectives for ELA.  The best accolade I ever got from mounting one of these shows came from two little boys.  The confided to their dad that they did not know why I kept telling them how proud I was of their hard work.  They did not feel like it was work at all.  They were having so much fun! 

          Who says learning can't be fun?
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Mounting a Mini-Musical

8/29/2014

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         In the theater world, we call the preparation, casting, rehearsing, and doing all things related to producing a musical play MOUNTING a production.  To put on a full-scale production or even a scaled-back production involves many elements and takes time and energy.

          So, how much time should I allow to do all it takes to MOUNT a production?

          That will depend on a few things: Schedule, Budget, Helpers, and the Stage, well actually, the availability of rehearsal and performance spaces. 

          Schedule - My rule of thumb for doing a 20-30 minute children’s theater production is to plan 20 to 25+ hours of rehearsal time.  For a longer, more complicated show plan 30-35+ hours at a bare minimum.  Now, MOUNTING a smaller in-class mini-musical with fewer complications may only take 6-10 hours of dedicated rehearsal/teaching time depending on how many extra teaching activities you want to include.  Plan the schedule very carefully to work the children in short segments.  Vary the activities every 10-15 minutes so that they stay invigorated through singing, movement, doing worksheets, thinking/memorizing/lecture time, and acting segments and still be able to get much accomplished in each session.

          Budget – Most shows can be MOUNTED with any amount of budget depending on how creative the Director is.  Sets and Costumes can be very expensive especially when multiplied by the size of the cast.  Some productions do not absolutely require elaborate sets and costumes.  Find shows that have suggestions for alternate ways to MOUNT them.  Decide what you can afford and design the production accordingly.

          Helpers – In order to do a musical, the main “helpers” are the Director, Assistant Director (or producer), musical director or vocal coach, stage manager, choreographer, costumer, and scenic designer, and they may even want helpers to help them.  If you do not have people to do these jobs, the few helpers available must do all of the jobs.  Depending on the size of the cast, try to use the 10:1 rule.  For every 8-10 children have at least one adult helper.  That way, the jobs can be equally divided and the children’s varied activities can be more easily managed.

          Stage – “It’s all about the stage” or lack thereof.  In the theater world, this is a common mantra.  Creating the illusion of the world in the story is literally a function of the stage and its limitations.  Sometimes a show must be MOUNTED in a portion of a classroom with none of the conventional perks (lights, sound, curtains, backstage prep area, space, space, and more space).  Sometimes a show will be MOUNTED in a gym with a stage, but the stage still has few of the conventional perks.  So, once again, the production has to be designed within the confines of the space available.  In order to be successful, Directors must be creative!  Sometimes the show won’t move to the stage until the last couple of rehearsals.  In order to effectively rehearse, the rehearsal space must closely match the stage dimensions.  Be sure to measure and set up barriers as necessary to make the practice space resemble closely the feeling of the actual stage.

          So get out there and start MOUNTING one of the Musicals on this site or one of the Mini-Musicals coming soon!  Break a leg!

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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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