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

Making Adjustments

6/23/2022

Often times going into a show I know many of the children. Then again, even the children I have known grow and make big changes from year to year. I learned long ago something about creating a Children's Theater Musical --- create the characters in terms of age or size groups. That way going into production you already have an idea about how to cast. You just need to make final adjustments when you see the kids.

First, I organize the enrollees into age groups. Then I look at their heights. Some of the younger children may have to play an "older" character because they are tall for their age. This play has two definite populations --- adults and children. Obviously, the smaller children must play the children. This time, we have one very tall 12 year-old girl who will be a head taller than the other girls near her age. She will even be taller than all of the boys. We decided to give her a featured role where her height will be an asset, not a liability.

Over the years I have done "A Successor to the Throne" quite a few times. I have collected costumes for that show in many size ranges. I ask the families to send in the heights of their children even before they turn in their Registration Forms. That helps me organize the costumes to make sure I have enough that will work.

For example, this show has many dance numbers for the girl population. Five pink Spring dancers, two yellow Summer dancers, three Autumn dancers, and 4 Winter dancers. Because of the sizes of the kimonos, I know which age groups I must pull the dancers from. Practically all of the girls sing and dance in these numbers, but the featured dancers need to fit into those particular costumes.

Of course, for some of the characters, the final decisions cannot be made until I actually meet with the kids. If a character has a solo, he better be chosen from the boys who can sing well. If a character has a bigger line load or must play comedy, she better be picked from the girls who can do those things.

This show has many featured roles with speaking lines and solo songs. No one character has to "carry" the show, though. The lines and songs are distributed fairly evenly amongst many characters. That's why we can presume to produce this show from start to finish in just 30 hours of concentrated rehearsals. The trick is to have enough adult specialists to help. Two of my daughters and some nieces will be helping me this show. I am so blessed!

Character Values

6/17/2022

Kindness, Honesty, Sincerity, Integrity, Courage, Gratitude, Appreciation -these are but a few of the important Character Values we acknowledge are needed in society. Good parents hope to instill these values in their children. Many schools have incorporated programs such as "Character Counts," advocating and teaching these values. But in many areas, these values are forgotten.

Before I began writing Musicals for Children's Theater, I was in a position to need to choose vehicles for our youngest population in our Theater Camps. I searched and searched to find material we could use that fit our criteria. We needed shows with Flexible Cast options. (Usually we had many more girls than boys who enrolled.) We needed shows with Featured Parts for every cast member. We needed Engaging Stories and Singable Songs. We needed shows that could be mounted successfully with a Limited Budget yet worthy enough be mounted on the main stage with all the bells and whistles.

I got frustrated that so much of the material out there did not fit our mission and criteria. The shows "talked down" to our youngsters. The songs and lines were quite "baby-ish" and dumb musically. Almost every story featured a boy as the Lead character. Most had only a few featured parts with lesser ensemble parts. Some had Love stories -- a huge no-no when working with this age group! And a lot of these stories were built on way-out fantasies. The costume potential was fun, but in reality, they had no other redeeming features.

As I was searching for Children's Musicals for the very young, I saw mostly shows using Grimm's Fairy Tales, Aesop Fables, and other folk tales, But, the good productions of these stories tended to be for older casts. I also noticed that most of these productions lacked "heart." They were so shallow, just skimming over the greater significance of the tales.

Why do a show for kids, performed by kids, unless it is useful to those kids?

So, I have made it my mission to write Children's Musicals that are entertaining and fun but clearly have "heart," or an overarching moral or value that is never preached but is nonetheless present.

"A Successor to the Throne" - Honesty, Integrity
"Never Cry Wolf" - Sincerity, Work
"The Adventures of Dick Whittington" - Kindness
"Momotaro" - Bravery
"Stone Soup" - Cooperation
"The Country Mouse and the City Mouse" - Appreciation
"Parizade's Quest" - Love, Reuniting of Family
"The Ants and the Grasshopper" - Planning Ahead, Gratitude
"The Three Billy Goats Gruff" - Patience
"The Musicians of Bremen" - Optimism, Dealing with age and Change
"The Tale of Chicken Licken" - Overcoming Fear

Enjoy "Worthy to Admire" from "A Successor to the Throne" sung by Mitchell Bailey age 10.

The Extra Dance Number

6/13/2022

We were driving along, when my son suddenly burst out singing "Shapoopie" from "The Music Man." Something had prompted him to start singing his own alternate words to this comic dance number. He got us all laughing hysterically. Then he said that he really didn't understand why that song was even included in the movie which is possibly already the longest musical in history. Besides, it is so silly.

My sister explained that sometimes an extra dance number is needed in a musical to perform certain functions. In a live stage show, an extra dance number might be used to cover complicated set changes or costume changes. It might serve as a time when the ensemble gets another needed chance to perform, or it can just provide some comic relief. "Shapoopie" serves all of those roles as well as giving some plot subtext to help develop the "love" story between the main characters.

Having an "extra" dance number for the ensemble is actually tremendously important. The performers need to feel properly utilized when they do a show. There is nothing worse than being cast in a very long show where most of the ensemble members just sit backstage playing cards for hours. Besides, the energy infused into the show by colorful dance numbers is felt and usually greatly appreciated by the audience. When a show's energy lags, an "extra" dance number is just what perks it up again.

My Summer Theater Camp Show this year is actually filled with many dance numbers. "A Successor to the Throne" keeps the entire cast busy from beginning to end. Many of the dancers are especially busy with quick costume changes and picking up specific dance props such as parasols, fans, ribbon wands, and farm tools (yes, farm tools are used in a dance about working in the summertime). I have been busy trying to figure out who gets to dance in which numbers and how they get on and off our little patio stage!

Celebrating Seasons

5/31/2022

Memorial Day 2022 was the coldest I have ever experienced! We went to decorate the graves wearing sweaters and rain jackets. Our mountains got some fresh snow. It was cold. The Memorial Days of my past were marked by getting to finally go to the swimming pool and coming home for a cookout and s'mores. Well, instead, this year we turned on the heater and had a fire in the fire place.

My yard loves the cold rainy weather, though. The roses are getting ready to explode. In a couple of days we should see the bright pinks, reds, peaches, and yellows of all of our roses. I am hoping they bloom quickly so we can enjoy them for a couple of weeks before I have to do some serious pruning. The bushes have grown so tall that they will block the view of our patio "stage" if I don't do something drastic.

Our Summer Camp show this year "A Successor to the Throne" is all about celebrating the different seasons as the story rolls around a full calendar year. We start out with the song "Spring Is Here" where the girls dance with pink parasols and colorful flower wands. I feel sad that I will have to prune back the roses so dramatically. They would add lovely Spring color to the set. The flowers would look nice for the song "Summer Comes," too. But I guess they just wouldn't fit the orange color scheme of "Autumn Lingers on the Breeze" or the whites and blues of "Wintertime."

We also have a stone step walkway that right now is almost blocked with the thorny branches of the roses. When it is cleared, it will become the parade entrance for the Emperor and his entourage. The story revolves around the old Emperor's plan to let the flowers choose his successor. I really should have pruned more energetically in the fall. But alas. I didn't. Hopefully, I won't have to cut back all of the beautiful roses. We really should leave some for the Emperor's Palace Garden.

I love how Nature provides the most beautiful set decorating!

In Praise of Choreographers

3/5/2020

Autumn dancer

Over the years, it has been my privilege to work with some very talented choreographers. Quite often, these people just appeared out of the blue ready to provide their services. They may have been parents of a cast member or two and heard what I was attempting and wanted to help, or they were dance majors in college just wanting a chance to choreograph an entire show, or they were already on staff at the school and willing to take on another assignment. Regardless of how they came to cross my path, our collaborations became something wonderful!

My first show at Provost Elementary was a leap of faith, for sure. I was approached by the After-School Clubs coordinator to direct the school musical. She had first called the Theater Department at BYU to try to get a college student to come direct, but my friend Teresa Love in that department knew that I had recently relocated to Utah and recommended that they call me instead. The show we agreed on was "A Successor to the Throne." I said that I already had costumes and props ready to go, but would they please find me two assistants and a choreographer.

Not knowing the strengths of my assistants or the choreographer caused me some anxiety at first. The assistants were young aides (college students working part time at the school) who did well for rehearsing lines and general managing of the cast members and their stuff. One even had some real theater skills. They proved very capable at doing what I needed them to do. The CHOREOGRAPHER Greg Rawlins (another BYU student), turned out to be brilliant. He not only came up with beautiful dances, he worked well with the kids encouraging them to do very professional quality finished work. He even painted flowers on the plain pink parasols to give the dances added interest. See his work on the video "A Successor to the Throne - Provost Elementary School 2013."

Chelsea Ally taught dance at Provost Elementary through a grant from the Beverly Sorenson Foundation. We were so lucky to have her expertise to also choreograph several of the school musicals. Too bad we did not get video from those productions. Her ability to pull performances out of kids who had "never danced a step before in their whole entire lives" was remarkable. She did "Never Cry Wolf," "The Adventures of Dick Whittington," "Momotaro," and "Chicken Licken."

I have been amazed at how lucky I have been to have many other talented people just appear and want to help. Several parents of kids in my casts have admitted that they had dance training in the past and were comfortable "teaching and maybe even doing some choreography." Wow! That was an understatement! These moms were just great! I am lucky to also have talented dancing daughters who helped their mother out on occasion.

Looking forward to working again this summer with my daughter Camilyn Workman who has agreed to choreograph this summer's Theater Camp. Cami was a principal dancer in the very first production of "A Successor to the Throne 2006" (See "Autumn Dancer" photo above.) The kids are in for a treat!

Planning Summer Theater Camp 2020

2/26/2020

Imperial Garden Dance

Someone commented to me the other day that summer plans for kids get busier every year. I am not sure that's exactly true, but it may be. I am sure that depending on how many children are in a family and how old they are might play a big part in how busy the schedules are for that family.

Anyway, determining when to hold my Summer Theater Camp has certainly become more challenging over the years. Because I cater mostly to the families in my neighborhood, I learn about all of the plans and scheduling difficulties of these families. My Camp has to compete with Swim Team, Young Women's Camp, Youth Conference, and even 5th Grade Science Camp, not to mention family vacations, Family Reunions and the 4th of July.

We all prefer to do the outdoor backyard Camp in June when the weather is somewhat cool (by summer standards in Utah anyway). Later in the summer has many more complications with Utah's Patriotic and Pioneer holidays. August is very short because school starts in the third week. Besides July and August are usually very HOT! As I sent around a questionnaire about possible dates for Theater Camp, nearly everyone said that they preferred June.

That left me scratching my head trying to figure this all out.

Last year, we held camp over three weeks, but called different ages of children on different days to skirt around everybody's conflicts. Guess that is what we will end up doing this year, too.

The good news is that I have picked a show, "A Successor to the Throne." This was actually the second show we produced for a summer theater camp in our backyard in about 2011. My daughter and her friends directed it with a group of the neighborhood children. It was a great success, even though we had some mighty rain storms that threatened to halt the show. At the last minute, the sun broke through and the show could go on.

Ah, the joys of outdoor children's theater!
* * * * * * *
One of my favorite parts of this show is all of the Chinese Dances. The girls get to dance using parasols, ribbon wands, dance fans, puppets, and lots of flowers. They have a fun time and the dances are beautiful!

Being a Team Player

2/10/2020

Night Patrol martial arts routine from "A Successor to the Throne"

Being an author, composer and director of a Children's Musical automatically sets you up for looking like a control freak. And it is easy to get into that mind-set of wanting to put your vision and JUST your vision into play. However, if you are wise, you will welcome other helpers and be open to their contributions. You need to be aware, though, that those helpers will come with their own ways of doing things that may be very different from what you envisioned.

Choreography for Dancers in "Never Cry Wolf"

While there is a recognized and respected hierarchy of jobs in the Theater, sometimes small community or school groups have to do their best with whatever they get. The Director oversees choosing the show, recruiting helpers, auditioning, casting, and overseeing all decisions related to what happens onstage and even backstage. The Producer sees that the needs of the Director are met -- finds the performance venue, rehearsal venues, oversees budgets, resources, and manages financial and personnel matters. Musical Director - teaches songs, may accompany the show or direct a group of musicians, or manage recorded tracks. The Choreographer plans The choreography and teaches dances, may oversee some Dance Captains. The Costumer oversees all aspects of costuming from designing to making, fitting and repairing costumes, also manages sewing committee. Stage Manager is responsible for planning movement of scenery, pulling drapes, lighting, stage crew, and entrances and exits of actors. Other helpers may include Scenic Designer, Lighting Designer, Sound Engineer, Hair and Make-Up Designers and crews of folks who work for these people. In Children's Theater, it is helpful to have Group Leaders assigned to 5-6 children to help them manage their costumes and changes, learn their lines and dances, and otherwise help them be where they are supposed to be, doing what they are supposed to do.

Most small Children's Theater shows are produced by a few people doing all of these jobs. The larger the cast, the more difficult the work loads of these few people. My advice is to either limit the size of the cast or recruit more helpers!,

Actors against cute set from "The Adventures of Dick Whittington"

Over the years, I have learned to be accommodating of other "ideas" as I have learned to work with the helpers who came and volunteered for combat duty. Sometimes, these helpers took my little ideas and developed them in beautiful and exciting ways. (I was humbled, astonished and overwhelmed by the amazing results!) Sometimes, our ideas were polar opposites, but we figured out compromises that ultimately worked. In any case, the focus should be on the kids and what they should get out of their experience in a Children's Theater show. All adult ego's should be checked at the door. We need to be TEAM PLAYERS!

Looking Ahead in 2019 to "A Successor to the Throne"

1/3/2019

So glad to close the book on 2018. It has been such a hard year of watching my husband's health decline as he has been fighting pancreatic cancer. However, the first few days of 2019 have been markedly better for him -- less pain and able to eat better. I am very hopeful that his health might improve!

In the meantime, I can look forward to seeing "A Successor to the Throne" produced at a Charter School in the area. I have made my costumes and props available to them, as well. However, that means I must dig them out of my very packed storage shed. But it can be done -- after the snow melts away!

"A Successor to the Throne" has been such a favorite show. It is based on an ancient folktale presented in darling paintings by Demi in his adorable children's picture book "The Empty Pot." While researching how to bring this little Chinese folktale to life, I was impressed by the colorful Chinese culture of music and dance. Because this story revolves around the calendar year, seasonal dances became a must. So, this show opens with a Spring Festival "Spring Is Here" with dancers dressed in pink. They dance with beautiful pink parasols as other actors dress the set with flowers.

"Summer Comes" is a work song for the men in straw hats who use hoes and rakes to till the earth. Summer is ushered in with dancers using red fans showing the hot and sunny weather.

Autumn dancers in orange kimonos dance with ribbon wands and scarves. The mothers sing a melancholy song about how the earth gets cold and dreary as "Autumn Lingers on the Breeze." The set is redecorated with orange, yellow and red fall leaves.

Winter comes in to the song "Wintertime" with dancers dressed in ice blue kimonos carrying ice wands and long white scarves representing blankets of snow. Children run under the scarves and blow snow crystals toward the audience..

Another dance is the "Imperial Garden Dance" where the dancers wave colorful Chinese dance fans in fluid formations. Most of the older girls in the cast join in this dance. These Chinese dance fans are simply beautiful as they float and wave high and low in flourishes.

The boys as the Red and Black Guards get to do a martial arts sequence, too.

And of course, no royal entourage is complete without an Imperial Processional with lanterns, flower wands and of course a puppet dragon. THIS SHOW REALLY HAS SPECTACLE!

The Empty Pot

8/22/2018

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.

When Applause Isn't Enough

8/9/2013

We all like validation. A pat on the back for a job well done. A nice compliment when we have done something special. A smile. A kind word. A thoughtful remark about our comment. These are important to help us feel connected to other people and to boost our self esteem.

A second show of a run is usually the hardest. Coming off of a successful opening night, the performers tend to struggle to pump up to the same energy and focus level of the first show. As a director, I always try to think of things that will help. This spring I directed the show "A Successor to the Throne" at an Elementary School. The kids were so excited, bouncing off the walls and hardly contained in their skins for opening night. Then they waited all weekend for the second show on Monday night and for a third show for their peers during school the next day. What they all seemed to want to do was talk about comments from opening night. I shared with them some accolades that I received and then all their hands went up. They nearly all had something to say. So, we just took some time to share.

From listening, I realized that very few of these children had ever had an experience doing a musical play like this. Apparently, the shows the school had done previously had all the standard elements - a handful of leading characters, two or three ensemble numbers sung to a prerecorded accompaniment CD complete with vocal tracks, and only enough parts for a small cast --- but no one, including administrators, staff or parents, really expected very much. The previous shows were mediocre at best, but adequate enough for an after-school club activity.

What these children were telling me was that they were so pleased that the show had enough meaningful parts for 50 kids and that no one person was the star. They all felt important to the telling of the story. They each had many jobs to do throughout the show that kept them very busy. They learned some acting techniques and dance steps and they did their own singing!

The comments from the audience and parents to me were much the same. The audience was delighted with the music, and the dancing, and the colorful costumes. They were amazed at how well the children sang and that they could understand every word. Many people said they had read the book The Empty Pot, so they knew the story, but they were thrilled to see how it came to life with so much added depth and colorful characters.

The children continued to give wonderful, polished performances for their next two shows with very few fumbles. They were troupers. I was gratified to know that they got more than applause. I am so pleased that their audiences gave them the accolades and thoughtful critiques that they needed to validate their hard work. It's true, sometimes applause is not enough!