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

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.

The Frog Prince Musical Now Available

7/19/2024

After our successful premiere performance of "The Frog Prince," I am now ready to offer it in DIGITAL DOWNLOAD format. These materials are now published at SheetMusicPlus.com and SheetMusicDirect.com. Just search for "The Frog Prince" by Betsy Lee Bailey.

"The Frog Prince Children's Musical" - Director's Script
The Director's Script includes stage directions, dialogue, and vocal lines for the seven songs all embedded within the script. Perfect for the Artistic Director and the Music Director especially. Some songs are written in two-part harmony.

"The Frog Prince Children's Musical" - Piano/Vocal Score
The Score includes all of the songs, plus the dances and incidentals. Some pieces have orchestrated parts (displayed in concert pitch) besides the Piano/Vocal parts. Individual Instrumental Parts for live performances may be requested through the Contact Info tab.

"The Frog Prince Children's Musical" - Production Kit
The Production Kit includes the Performance License (good for one run of shows), and reproducibles: a streamlined handheld script for the cast members, an "invitation to our show" coloring activity, and a prop "scroll invitation to Princess Caroline's Party" needed in Scene 2.

"The Frog Prince Children's Musical "- Show Order MP3 Tracks
Accompaniment mp3 tracks are available individually from both Sheet Music Plus and Sheet Music Direct. See Show Order Tracks List to order 21 separate mp3s.

Guide Performance recordings can be heard on the Songs from Musicals tab Songs from The Frog Prince.

Video of the first ever production can be seen on YouTube. The Frog Prince Video

If you like these efforts, please leave a Review or a Like, especially on SMP, SMD or YouTube. Thank you!

Crazy Renaissance Hats

7/12/2024

Oh, how I wished that my ladies could have had hats like these for our show of "The Frog Prince." I was going for anything comedic and wrote some of the scenes envisioning the Ladies wearing extreme hats like these.

This picture is of the cast of the television version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's production of "Cinderella" starring Lesley Anne Warren.

It just takes time, money and effort. All of which we ran out of during the prep time for our summer camp. But it would have been so fun!

My daughter Carolyn Cornwall is currently preparing the role of the Stepmother in a community theater production of "Cinderella" for later this summer. I wonder if she'll wear a cool hat similar to these?

Just wish I could drop everything and go see her show!

The Frog Prince VIDEO

7/9/2024

Despite doing the show outdoors in my backyard where we were subjected to all sorts of distractions such as airplanes flying low, dogs barking, babies crying, sun, wind, and heat, our premiere performance was a resounding success!

For those of you who couldn't come, here is a video of our show:

The Frog Prince 2024 video

Remember that these young kids learned their parts in an intense rehearsal period - 3 hours a day for 9 days or just 27 total hours. That is a remarkable feat for anyone, let alone children, some who have never been on stage before. Learning the songs was fairly easy for them, but the dancing was more of a challenge. I have the feeling that they enjoyed doing the COMEDY the most!

Having a responsive audience was so great. The kids told me that they loved hearing the audience laugh and clap and root for them in the fight scenes. They even liked how the audience gave encouragement to the Princess to like the gifts she was presented for her birthday party.

This show turned out to be a lot like an Old English Pantomime where the audience is an integral part of the show. Way to go, audience!

A fun time was had by all!

Premiere Performance of "The Frog Prince"

7/7/2024

The first ever performance of "The Frog Prince" went very well yesterday. We had a very responsive audience that really got into the show. They laughed and clapped, and "Ooh-ed and Ahh-ed" in all the right places. The singing was heartfelt and the acting was hammed up where it needed to be. And of course, there was plenty of cute factor from our littlest people.

My crew started setting up shade canopies and the 30+ chairs I have during the 9:00 am hour. Other audience people kept arriving with their own chairs until 10:00 am and beyond. That's when the show was supposed to start, but people kept coming and coming. So I gave the audience a pep talk to give them a little more time to get settled. I didn't really count, but there must have been close to 200 people trying to get a spot where they could see the stage. My backyard is pretty wide, but it isn't really wide enough for that many people!

At 9:30 am, before most of the people were in their seats, we attempted to get a cast photo. The sun was low enough still that the kids wouldn't open their eyes and smile. We took a few shots anyway -- at least for history's sake.

"The Frog Prince" Summer Camp Show 2024

It's gratifying for me to hear the comments from the audience after the show.

Older man: "There were so many surprises! The part with the puppets was brilliant. I really enjoyed the show!"

A Grandmother: "You had so many good singers in this cast. It's amazing that you can get so much out of these young kids in such a short time."

Man: "We loved being able to root for the Knights during their battle scene!"

Woman: "The little princesses were adorable!"

Older woman: "I was so glad that this show had such a good message. So many kids' shows these days seem pretty dumb and the music isn't very good. I loved how the songs were so singable! I think we'll go home singing them!"

Now, I just have to pack everything away. Whew!

A Good Audience Makes All the Difference

7/5/2024

Today was the Dress Rehearsal for our Summer Camp 2024 Show
"The Frog Prince." Before the run through, I gave a pep talk to the few people who came for the preview. I told them that for kids, having a responsive audience really pulls a performance out of them.

We practiced giggling, laughing, and full-out guffaws, clapping, and even giving a few audible responses. I must say that they really came through for us. I could tell that these kids, many who had never been in a show before, performed like old pros because of the audience. It was a joy to see.

Even though it was the first time we worked with the microphones, and we didn't have our set completely finished yet, and we even had to go without a few of the costume parts, the show was well received.

Some of the comments were:

Grandparent: "This was the best children's show I've ever seen."

Aunt from out of town: "I sure wish we lived closer, I'd love to have my kids in a show of this quality."

Older man: "This was a genuinely funny show!"

Woman: "The songs were so delightful and catchy, by the end, I wanted to sing along."

Father: "I liked how the kids were learning something good."

Mom: "You did it again! My children had such a good time doing this summer camp. Another great show!"

One of the moms even brought in treats to share with the cast -- Frog cupcakes. So cute!

Making a List, Checking It Twice

6/21/2024

No, it's not my Christmas List. It's my list of all the things I need to prepare for the Summer Theater Camp starting in 3 days. Too bad I got the sickness my family shared with me from having our Family Reunion here last week. We had a great time, but the sniffling and sneezing lingers on. I just haven't been very able to get things done.

My granddaughters came through for me, though. They recorded the vocals for "The Frog Prince" children's musical. Somehow we figured out Garage Band enough that the vocals turned out. I even figured out the processes well enough that I could tune a single note that they got wrong in one of the harmony parts after they left. (I'm actually pretty proud of myself for that.) Little by little I am learning Garage Band. These recordings are now up on my webpage Songs from The Frog Prince.

This show has five original songs: "On a Once Upon a Time" sung by the Lords and Ladies to explain the setting of the story, "A Party for a Princess" sung by the little Princesses once they get their invitations, "To Be a Princess" sung by the Queen and Princess about how she should act at her party, "Knights in Motion" sung by the Knights as they do their swordplay routine, and "A Promise Is a Promise after All" sung by the Frog Prince and Company.

There are also other pieces of music for dances and incidentals, 23 individual bits of music in all. I always wonder at this point if I have included enough songs. And then I work on the schedule and wonder if I have included too much music and if we can learn it all in two weeks. Perhaps five songs with their reprises are enough after all.

Well, I guess it's on to finishing up the paperwork, organizing a schedule, looking over the costumes and props, gathering items to make the scenery, and getting my house ready for Monday. Some list...

Better get to work!

Blaming It All on the Birds

6/6/2024

The Dawn Chorus of birds twittering loudly in my backyard woke me up again today --- long before I actually wanted to be awake (5:00 am). Who needs an alarm clock, right? I guess it's my own fault for sleeping with the windows open. I don't really mind waking up that early, but this morning I realized yet again that I am not as young as I used to be. Aches and pains all over, even in a few new places. (Guess I should really invest in that new mattress.)

Anyway, I've been thinking about how to get good VOCAL recordings of the songs for my new show, "The Frog Prince."  In a few days, my daughter's family will be here for our Family Reunion. They don't know it yet, but I may hit up those granddaughters to sing the songs for me. Even though they are getting older, too, they are still teenagers not grandmothers.

And yet, they will still need recordings to help them learn the songs quickly as they travel cross-country for the next few days. That doesn't let me out of doing the initial recordings.  (sigh!)

Yesterday, I spent most of the day trying to figure out how to record straight onto Garage Band on my Mac computer. Over the years I have relied on my BR-1180 all-in-one digital recording studio. That worked so well for my needs and still would if it wasn't so old that it doesn't communicate easily with the computer even through a DAW. It would even give the recordings a professional polish using the Mastering Tool Kit. Trouble is that the BR-1180 won't import tracks directly from the computer. So I am left wondering about how to use the already recorded accompaniment tracks...

Back to trying to figure out Garage Band. Yesterday I loaded the accompaniment tracks into Garage band and got set-up to do some Vocal recordings, which I did. But figuring out the polishing and editing aspects of working with Garage Band has me stumped.  (Old dog trying to learn new tricks)

I haven't learned enough yet about all that Garage Band can do. So far, I am stuck at trying to quickly get up to speed with the new lingo. And then after most of the day doing prep work, I found that my upper body and neck were all tied up in knots. And the stress was hurting the quality of my singing. I was not happy with any of my recordings. They just made me think of how past my prime I am.

So, I figured I'd start again today to try to get some better recordings. Too bad those birds kept me from getting enough sleep and rest!

(I will blame it all on the birds!)

Here's one of the Herald Trumpet fanfares for "The Frog Prince." It's kind of like the Dawn Chorus.

A Peek at "The Frog Prince"

5/30/2024

Cover for "The Frog Prince" Script

Here is a peek at some of the finished parts and pieces of the new Children's Musical "The Frog Prince" for ages 5-12.

I just finished illustrating the cover for the script. The accompaniment tracks for the 5 original songs are finished along with the dances and incidental pieces. I just need to get the VOCALS recorded now.

We are madly working on sewing the costumes, hats, and making other accoutrements. (The story is set in Renaissance France so I'm trying to throw in some French lingo.)

One of my worries has been wondering if I make this show be able to accommodate many Princesses, how would I attract boys to participate. Apparently, all I needed to do was advertise that the boys would play Knights and have a sword fight.

Already I have more boys enrolled than I ever imagined. I've had to rewrite the script quite a few times now. I like to make sure every kid has a featured part and a named character.

The hand puppets I bought are so cute! Can't wait to see how well the kids learn to operate the Dragon, Frog, and Prince puppets. I also have foam swords, stick ponies, coconut shells to make the "clip clop" gallop sounds, and quite a few ancient-looking instruments.

We're getting close now --- only a few more weeks until Summer Theater Camp!

Here's a preview of the Dragon's Grand Entrance and chase music.

Making Magical Sound Effects

5/24/2024

On a trip to visit my daughter's family in the Olympia WA area, I got to attend an orchestra concert my grandkids were playing in. The SOGO or Student Orchestras of the greater Olympia Area are very good. The students are taught and supported by professional artists in each of their instrument sections such as violins and percussion. The end of the year performances are always the very best because the students have learned so much! I was certainly proud of my performers!

It made me wonder if I could pick the brains of the musicians to get their ideas of how to make some magical sound effects for my Children's Theater show "The Frog Prince." Their brainstorming ideas were everything from complicated to comical.

There is a scene for when the little Knights gallop across the stage on stick ponies. Instantly they all said that I should have someone following them using coconut shells for the "clip clop" sounds of hooves like the scene from Monty Python. Someone else said I could have a percussionist just play woodblocks for the clip clop sounds. (Practical but not as funny)

I also need to have a "POOF" sound for when the prince is changed into a frog --- and back again. Here are some of the suggestions:

1. Wind chimes rustling with a finish by a Chinese gong
2. Harp arpeggios and suspended cymbal roll with a finish by a bass drum and cymbal crash
3. Several flutes playing low very airy notes followed by gong
4. Use a synthesizer to create some weird sound

Then this, "Have someone shake a thin sheet of metal." To this I asked, "Where does one get a thin sheet of metal?" Answer, "I don't know. We always just had stuff like that hanging around at our house."

Preferably, I would like to have the magical "poof" sound produced live during the show. I also cannot have an entire percussion section come play the sound. As much as I'd like to own a Chinese gong, it is too expensive. And my synthesizer died a few years ago. However, I may follow up trying to find a thin sheet of metal. That suggestion actually sounds promising.

I welcome other inexpensive suggestions...

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