During the middle of the second piece, two of the All State Junior High Symphonic Band members carried their instruments, flute and oboe, off the concert stage. A few measures later a third left carrying a saxophone. Were they suddenly sick? The conductor showed no concern or even regard as they left. The concert hall's wooden side doors magically opened for them to leave. It looked planned
The Maurice Abravanel Concert Hall in Salt Lake City, Utah
The Abravanel Hall's stage surround is completely made of special woods to amplify the music in a glorious way. When the doors are closed on stage right and stage left, there is no way to open them from on stage --- no knobs or latches. Stage hands must open the doors from backstage. I noticed this during the next number when one of the percussionists was trying to get off the stage and he kept knocking on the door stage left. No one opened it for him. He looked very stressed.
Anyway, what happened to the kids who left the stage during the previous number? They came on after the piece ended as if nothing strange happened at all. Did they play their instruments off stage for effect? I had been watching to see if they would appear on one of the balconies to play some antiphonal parts. But nothing. If they played off stage, we couldn't tell. We never found out why they left. They had disappeared, then reappeared with no explanation whatsoever. Very strange.
One of my Children's Theater mentors always said that if an actor leaves during a scene and comes back on, in the same or a related scene, he'd better return from the same direction. And he'd better have a motivation for leaving that is easily comprehended by the audience. In other words, their departure better not leave the audience with an unresolved mystery.
Anyway, what happened to the kids who left the stage during the previous number? They came on after the piece ended as if nothing strange happened at all. Did they play their instruments off stage for effect? I had been watching to see if they would appear on one of the balconies to play some antiphonal parts. But nothing. If they played off stage, we couldn't tell. We never found out why they left. They had disappeared, then reappeared with no explanation whatsoever. Very strange.
One of my Children's Theater mentors always said that if an actor leaves during a scene and comes back on, in the same or a related scene, he'd better return from the same direction. And he'd better have a motivation for leaving that is easily comprehended by the audience. In other words, their departure better not leave the audience with an unresolved mystery.
Street children singing and dancing the "Off to Seek My Fortune"
Blocking the action in Children's Theater takes careful planning. Exits and entrances need particular attention. It can be unsettling for an audience when actors, especially lead characters, exit one way then come on from somewhere else. The audience has a hard enough time following the plot line, and chiefly the lead character's story arc, without any lingering confusions. (One possible exception is if the actor comes in disguised as a different character.)
Lady Mary sings "A Toast to Travel and Trade" with her Elegant Guests Children's performances are hard enough to follow for an audience of older people encountering completely new material and trying to process it all. Let's face it. Young children have small voices and hardly developed acting chops. An audience needs all the help you can give for them to understand and enjoy the production.
Scullery Maids tease Dick while singing "Too, Too Much to Do"
If you are a director working with young child actors, try to make the material as easy to follow as possible! Keep the blocking open and focused on the main plot lines. Work to diminish any possible distractions. Move characters on and off stage in meaningful ways. The last thing you want are unexplained departures!
Moroccan dancers try to lure the sailors to the marketplace in "Spices and Perfumes" Often ensemble members must play different characters in different scenes. These dancers in "The Adventures of Dick Whittington" played street children in the opening scene, the scullery maids in another scene, then had to quickly change to be elegant guests in another scene, then become Moroccan dancers in the marketplace. Because they played different characters in different unrelated scenes, they could be blocked to come in from many different entrances.
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