The show is a retelling of the Grimm's Fairy Tale "The Frog Prince."
There you have it, a "princess" show with parts for 20+ little girls (who all want to be princesses), as well as great comedic parts for a bunch of boys.
Now to finish writing it!
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Here we are already in the month of March 2024. Time to make the announcement official about my Summer Theater Camp for children ages 5-12. This year we will do Camp from June 24-28 and July 1-6 (excluding July 4th). The performance will be July 6th at 10 am in my backyard for families and interested locals (Provo, UT). The show is a retelling of the Grimm's Fairy Tale "The Frog Prince." After reading a very short version of this story online, I realized that it need not include a love story. In fact, because in that version, the Princess had a birthday party, I also realized that many little girls wearing Princess dresses could be invited to that party. This story also can accommodate many Knights doing manly action-hero activities. We will use hand puppets to pull off some of the magical effects. Should be loads of fun!
There you have it, a "princess" show with parts for 20+ little girls (who all want to be princesses), as well as great comedic parts for a bunch of boys. Now to finish writing it!
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Every time I write a Children's Musical, I try to make sure there is an unmistakeable moral. I don't want to be preachy, I just like to portray a story that teaches something good. The message of this new musical "The Frog Prince," is about how if you make a promise, you'd better keep it. "A Promise Is a Promise After All." The last few days I have been writing this song and trying to orchestrate it. I'd like it to have accompaniment using instruments close to what would have been available in the Renaissance. I also wanted this song to be very catchy. This is the song that needs to go out on the lips of the audience! The character who sings it first will be the Frog Prince after he has been turned back into a Prince. Then the entire cast will sing it a second time with the Prince. I usually have between 30-40 kids ages 5-12. Most of the younger kids really have to have easy-to-sing songs. That's double the reason for this song to be especially catchy. So, the chorus just has one phrase repeated over and over: "A promise is a promise, is a promise after all. A promise is a promise, is a promise after all." I had my sister and niece read through the script for me the other day. They said it was so cute and funny. Of course, they are both experienced actors and they read the jokes in a very entertaining way. I just hope the comedy is accessible enough for the kids. They also suggested some funny sound effects. I hope I can work in all of this humorous stuff! Oh, and they liked the songs, too. Here's the first draft of an excerpt from "A Promise is a Promise After All." See if you can pick out the chorus. Going from getting the idea and letting it percolate for a time, making an outline to organize the material, then diving into working on the product is both exciting and exhausting. For about a week now, I have been working on actually writing my new show. Ever since I went to Germany last year, I've been trying to find a Folk Tale that I could turn into a Children's Musical, particularly a "Princess" show. I was disappointed with not being able to find a story while actually in Germany --- not a suitable one, anyway. Perhaps I was just distracted by all the other things we did on that tour. Somehow I overlooked doing a particular Grimm's Fairy Tale that now I think will be a wonderful show. There have been so many versions written using "The Frog Prince" that I just couldn't see would work for my needs. First of all, it has a love story. (You just shouldn't do a love story with little kids!) And it only has one princess. The girls in my shows ALL want to be PRINCESSES!!!! But when I read a simple retelling of "The Frog Prince" online, I realized that it didn't necessarily have to have a love story and it gave me an idea of how it could accommodate many princesses in the story. Next, it didn't have a very big population in the story. I usually have 20+ young girls that want to be in my shows (summer camp, particularly). And sometimes just as many young boys. Whatever show I write has to have featured roles for many kids. Nobody likes just being in a couple of songs or stand in the background. They want a named character who is important to telling the story with lines to say, plus actual acting and plenty of comic situations. So, since Tuesday, I have written a script for 30+ children ages 5-12, 8 scenes, 5 original songs, 3 reprises (with different words), 4 incidentals to be used throughout, 3 purely dance numbers, as well as an Overture and Exit music. The casting is flexible depending on who signs up to do the show, and every character has a name and some lines. The basic songs are done, but they will need orchestrating and recording. However, I still may be doing some editing to keep the show at about 30 minutes in duration. On my breaks from writing, I just had to start looking online and in thrift stores for costumes and props. (Couldn't help myself! It helps me imagine the characters better.)
All in all, a very productive week. Here's the song for the many "princesses" who are invited to a birthday party for Princess Caroline. As I was driving yesterday, I turned on the local classical music radio station. A lively march was playing. I listened thinking this is just the right rhythm and "feel" that I would like for the Overture of my new show. The announcer said it was George Bizet's "Petite Suite" which was a grouping of several of his piano solos for children arranged for orchestra. That immediately got me thinking about just how to open the show. I have two plastic prop trumpets. I can have two Heralds playing the trumpets who can then open the show, welcome the audience, and get things rolling. Later as I was walking out of the Rec. Center, I ran into a neighborhood friend. He is a professor who knows a lot about the Renaissance. His specialty might be in Medieval and Renaissance literature. So I stopped him and asked his advice on a few of my show ideas. He heard that I usually had 20 little girls in my show and said that it made him think of a play that was written during the 14th century that featured 20 nuns playing all of the parts. He suggested an idea for gifts that the little princesses could bring to the royal birthday party. (That was just where I was stuck!) He said that these nuns went to a party bringing gifts that symbolized Virtues. What a great idea! When I got home, I started researching Virtues and listening to Bizet's "Petite Suite." I learned a lot about things that symbolize virtues, and decided that I needed to find the simplest representations of virtues using physical objects that children might understand. So I came up with this list: 1. Generosity - Elephant, 2. Gratitude - Flowers, 3. Wisdom - Books, 4. Love - Swans, 5. Trust - Key, 6. Cheerfulness - Bluebird, 7. Hope - Butterfly, 8. Loyalty - Dog, 9. Truthfulness - Eagle, and 10. Friendliness - Bracelet. This is just the first draft of the list. There are a lot of choices.
Recap: So, yesterday I was able to write a couple of new scenes and get started on the Herald's Trumpet March, decide from the many possible virtues which to use, and research what objects best represent those virtues. All in all, a very productive day. Here is a preview of the first actual song in the show - "On a Once Upon a Time" sung by the Ladies and the Troubadours. This is just the ending part. Cardboard is actually an amazing medium for building scenery. Oh how I wish I could find some cardboard tubes (for free, of course) so I could make some turret towers for the castle set I intend to build for my Summer Camp show! What a fun idea some enterprising teachers came up with. At daycare, the teachers set up cardboard boxes, cut to look like castles, and let the children color on them. Kids have such amazing imaginations that Im sure their artwork suggested a real castle to them. My little granddaughter was actually in a different class and did not get to decorate the "castle," but she did get a photo op. For me, I have to get a lot of the parameters of a show set before I can actually write the dialogue and the songs. Oh sure, a lot of the ideas sort of bloom at the same time --- the set, the costumes, how many characters and their names, the music, the dancing, and so forth. For example, I was trying to write the Opener for the show a few days ago, and got through 2 verses and a contrasting section, I even figured out the ending, but got stuck at the 3rd verse. The reason was partly because I hadn't really settled on just who would be singing the song. The purpose of the song I think I have worked out. It needs to set up the action for the first scene, but it also has to tell some of the backstory of why and how the Prince was turned into a Frog.
Guess I should go back to researching. Maybe I'll get some more inspiration. Those days in 2nd year Music theory class when we were tasked with transcribing ancient musical script were really difficult. Not only was it hard to remember what the modern equivalents were of those "longas and semibreves," it was equally difficult to decipher the ancient handwriting. However, for the sake of learning and because I was so interested in history, I persevered. But what I really loved was hearing the stories of the great composers who luckily we have examples of their music. We even have some examples of the instruments they wrote for and understand some of the singing styles they employed. Fortunately we also have some paintings and architecture from their age that give a representation of the world they lived in. I love doing research into the historical styles from the time of a story that help me create the setting to write a new musical. I like to help my actors understand about the world their characters lived in, even if I do have to add in modern elements to make the musical palatable to modern players and audiences. I have researched and watched performances of several productions of "The Frog Prince." The most famous is of course Disney's "The Princess and the Frog." (That movie had a completely different take on the story than the original.) But then there are quite a few original stage productions featuring actors that are teenaged and older. I was looking specifically for productions for young child actors 5-12 years old. There were none to be found. What I did find were many plays where the music was quite 20th century pop with no nods to the Renaissance --- except in the costumes and set pieces. "The Frog Prince" story was collected and published in the Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales in 1812. Those stories were told and retold for generations previously. Most believe they originated in France and northern Germany from the Renaissance (1300-1700) period on. For educational purposes, I would like to write my take on this story to include many elements from the Renaissance --- including in the music. I want to have the accompaniments be heavily influenced and performed by lute and recorder. I would like the dancing be reminiscent of the the courtly dancing of the period. However, I will allow that the melodies must be simple and singable for the children's abilities and the tastes of modern audiences. The advantage for me in this day and age is that most audiences won't know much about history and won't mind if some things I include aren't exactly period appropriate. Every year I am asked by the little girls in my Summer Theater Camps, "When are we going to do a Princess show?" Well, there are some built-in problems with doing a Princess show. At least, Princess stories that are already popular. The number one problem is that they are love stories. Doing anything that even remotely resembles a love story is a bad idea for 5-12 year olds! The number two problem is that if the play is advertised as a Princess story, very few boys will sign up to be part of it. The number three problem is that most of the popular Princess stories have very few characters ---AND USUALLY ONLY ONE PART FOR ONE GIRL TO BE THE PRINCESS. In my summer camps, I have to find a vehicle that has good parts for at least 20 "princesses" and great (preferably action-hero-type) parts for at least 10 boys. But this year may be the year. I think I have stumbled upon an idea that can accommodate my 20+ girls who would ALL like to be princesses, has no love story, and has some action stuff to recruit the boys. Of course, this show is not written yet, so I don't want to advertise too much about it. Budget is also one of the big problems. I may be able to save money in one way, though. Most of the 5-8 year old girls I know already have Princess costumes. My first thought is to have a birthday party for the main Princess where she invites other little princesses or daughters of the neighboring Nobility. Then the older girls can be grand Ladies. There. They all can dress in "princess" dresses. If most of the girls already have dresses, that could really help the budget. I'm still just starting to outline the action and scenes and sort out ideas to write the songs and dialogue. It's too soon to know what direction these early ideas will go. But I'm committed now because my little granddaughter is expecting her princess musical! Nine years ago, already!!!! Time really does fly! The 5th and 6th graders I wrote "Parizade's Quest" for in 2015 are now probably in college. I had a particular goal back then to find a show where I could feature many female "leads." With the retelling of "The Speaking Bird" story from "The Tales of the 1001 Arabian Nights" I found a vehicle that had FIVE major roles for girls! It also had a different kind of LOVE STORY -- not romantic love but the kind of love that can reunite a family that had been torn apart. In hindsight, this show is probably more suited to a Junior High School cast. But somehow these Elementary School kids rose to the occasion and really pulled off a great show "Parizade's Quest Video." The following is a reprint of a blog from 2015 when I was just writing this show and starting into rehearsals.
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! Marvin Hamlisch, famed composer and conductor, told of the importance of happy collaborations in a documentary of his life that I watched on American Masters the other day. This was an exceptionally gifted musician who could seemingly do it all. He could make up and perform songs on the spot. As a pianist/performer he could change his piano playing styles instantly from pop to Broadway to Bach to Beethoven. He could write beautiful lyrical ballads as well as complex, sophisticated film scores. He heard music all around him, in everything and underscoring the workings of the day. And yet, he understood that his best work could only come about through happy collaborations with other gifted artists. He knew that the sum of each of their contributions made a much greater product when added together. He regretted that his early success with "A Chorus Line" when he was just 29 years old was not repeated over and over again. His collaborators on that project died soon afterwards and were not around to collaborate on any future projects. Hamlisch never found quite the same team to work with ever again. Still, he went on to garner three Oscars, four Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Tony Award as well as a Pulitzer Prize. He was one of just eleven other artists to earn awards in all four categories (EGOT). His great love was Broadway music. In the early 1970's, Broadway was dying. With the success of "A Chorus Line" (1975-1990), Hamlisch was part of the resurgence of the Broadway Musical. That show led the way. The public wanted to see more shows with quality music and appealing stories. Broadway shows became popular again and the area was cleaned up. In fact many theaters even started catering to families with children. Producers learned that they had better "grow their audience" by making shows accessible to the future generations. Marvin Hamlisch spent his later years devoting himself to making sure that the great music of the Broadway stage was not forgotten. As the Pops conductor of eight different concert orchestras around the country, he promoted the works of greats such as Rodgers and Hammerstein, Lerner and Lowe, Frank Loesser and others. He made great contributions to our collective memory of our American Songbook comprised of the best of the great Broadway and Pop composers, old and new. I went to see some Broadway shows in the early 1970's and remember how run-down and seedy the show district was then. The shows we saw were nothing great either. They were not the calibre I had expected to see from all the stories I had heard from people who had been to see Broadway shows in the glory days. What a difference when I went back to see some Broadway shows in the late 1990's and early 2000's. The marquee's were bright with titles of new shows and revivals of wonderful old shows. Many of these shows were family friendly, as well. How refreshing to see that the producers were taking thought for the rising generation. I saw busloads of school children being dropped off to see matinee performances of "The Lion King" and "Wicked." In the early 1970's, I would never have allowed my children anywhere near 42nd Street. Thank you, Marvin Hamlisch for helping the Broadway Musical make a comeback. So many creative people are needed to make a successful Musical Theater Show, no matter the level, all the way from Broadway down to local Children's Theater. Writers, composers, producers, directors, actors, singers, dancers, choreographers, scenic designers, builders, costumers, tech crews, musicians, marketing teams, publishers, even those who run the theater -- it takes so many people to make the magic happen! I have also been grateful to have wonderful collaborators to help make my visions a reality. There really is nothing better than to have happy collaborations! Children's Theater can be misleading. Will the show be a play or musical presented by adult actors for a young audience? Or will it be performed by children for parents and friends? This situation can be so difficult. Many plays and musicals called Children's Theater are actually for teen-aged actors or older. In my experience, there is a shortage of vehicles written expressly for young actors (ages 5-12). I discovered this situation when working with a children's theater company in Maryland. They usually did a main stage production for young actors aged 10-14. Yet in the Summer they had 3-week Camps where the students who signed up were usually children aged 5-8 years old and nearly all little girls who expected a starring role! The artistic director of this company regularly asked me to take care of the younger students. So what exactly do you do with 10 little girls under the age of 8 and two 6-year-old boys? I looked and looked for a vehicle that would suit this group to no avail. First off, most of the musicals I found were written for a few narrators and a chorus. The individual young actors did not get lines to say or any real acting interplay with other actors. The staging was pretty static with the children just standing to sing the few simple songs. The company director wanted me to find vehicles where the children actually got to sing, dance, and act, and everyone needed a featured role with lines and a backstory. (This was no small feat when most of the stories had male protagonists and nothing for a corps de ballet of little starlets!) I just never found suitable material for our groups. So in desperation, I began to write my own musicals. "Stone Soup" was written over one weekend just before Camp started. Other shows written for those 3-week summer camps were "The Empty Pot," "The Boy Who Cried Wolf," and "Momotaro." Then we moved. After we came to Utah, I was hired to direct the school musicals for several elementary schools. Before COVID threw a wrench in everything, I wrote and directed many shows for 4-5th grades and drama clubs. "The Ants and the Grasshopper," "The Tale of the Musicians of Bremen," "The Country Mouse and the City Mouse," "A Successor to the Throne," "The Tale of Chicken Licken," "Never Cry Wolf," "Parizade's Quest," and "The Adventures of Dick Whittington." Nearly every summer I also directed Theater Camps, some in my own backyard. For these shows I literally had to create parts for a large cast with kids ages 5-14! I couldn't help myself, if I had particularly talented kids I usually had to write in a new character and give them their own song. So some of these scripts and scores have evolved over time. "A Successor to the Throne" is an example of how the script and score evolved over time depending on whether I had particularly talented students. Such fun to reminisce about all of the young talented children that had a hand in creating these shows! |
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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