Hi,
At GCS we have all grade levels, so I try to include as many as possible.
For auditions, I have a separate day for MS/HS and then for Elementary. I typically set auditions for 2 hours and if needed, I add another day. For the elementary students, I just have them sing a couple lines from a song of their choosing.
For costumes, I typically ask the younger students to provide a base costume and then purchase or build ears, tails, skirts, scarves, etc.
Be ready to be flexible. Younger kids will want to tell you all their stories and take up a lot of your time if you aren't firmly structured. Leave time for story time every once in a while during rehearsal. Keep things simple. Don't give overly difficult choreography. Teach them 1-3 songs in the show, maybe not all the group numbers. Have staff or volunteers ready to watch these kiddos when they aren't on stage.
For middle schoolers, they need to see you with lots of energy and understand clear, quick tasks to stay engaged. Allowing various students to lead in physical or vocal warm-ups is a great leadership opportunity for them.
High Schoolers should be leading any place they can in the musical. Allow them also to lead warm-ups, engage with the middle schoolers, and have their own space to be high schoolers. I have separate cast parties for the age groups as well. It can be as simple as cupcakes for the littles and a bonfire for the bigs.
Give parents all the information up front, such as costumes, fees, tshirts, ads for playbill, sponsor info, rehearsal schedule, etc. I communicate only through email.
Typically our rehearsal schedule is broken down by scene, but my elementary kids have separate rehearsals until 2 weeks before GO. That's when everyone comes together. For the Elementary only rehearsals, I don't keep them more than an hour and half, but typically only an hour. I schedule them two days in a row, then once a week moving forward.
We have also performed the show or final dress rehearsal for our elementary students so they support their peers and see how fun a show can be.
I do not allow parents to sit in on rehearsals. If you want supportive parents, give them opportunities to help with the show: painting the set, building costumes, selling concessions, bringing snacks for tech week, etc. It can cause a big distraction during rehearsal if parents are there. However, maybe schedule a dress rehearsal that parents are welcome to, that way they get a sneak peak and there really isn't time for distraction when the show is running.
These are just some things that have worked well for our program. I hope it helps!
------------------------------
Heidi Brack
Theatre Teacher/Director of Fine Arts
Gaston Christian School
NC
------------------------------
Original Message:
Sent: 07-26-2023 18:47
From: Summer Rickman
Subject: Logistical Advice Needed
In an attempt at building both our music and theatre programs back up at the high school level (we've both taken a hit after COVID and still haven't fully recovered)- we are looking to extend auditions for our musical this year to elementary and middle school students (they will be mostly chorus members, I think). I've only ever had high school students involved in the musical so this is new to me and I'll admit, I'm nervous about the logistics. The plan is to do Wizard of Oz- we will have high schoolers audition like normal with prepared monologues and songs of their choice, but for the younger ones I was thinking it might be easier to do it 'cattle call' style and have all who are interested meet to audition as a whole group at a set time. That's about as far as I've got. Here are some concerns that keep ticking around in my mind as I try to envision this:
- How do I most effectively organize this?
- How long should auditions last? Is 2 hours too much? Too little?
- I'm thinking of giving everyone the same few lines to say then hear them one by one, teach them a few measures to a song and have them sing in groups and then teach them a few counts of choreography and have them dance in groups. Does this sound like the right tactic?
- I have no idea how many kids to expect. We are a large district (13 elementary schools and 3 middle schools, I know numbers for each MS are around 750, but I know only a small portion will audition- elementary might have more kids audition) I want to take as many as I can, but I'm also concerned about costuming as that's always a struggle for me. Any ideas on simple DIY munchkin/monkey costumes?
- What kinds of things should I anticipate including younger kids in the show? From the kids themselves and parents, community, scheduling, etc
- How do you best communicate with the parents of the younger ones?
- Do you let parents sit in on rehearsals? I don't with high schoolers, but also most of them drive themselves- I know I will get this question from parents of the younger kids.
- How often do you schedule the younger ones to rehearse and for how long?
For those of you who have done this kind of thing before or regularly have elementary, middle, and secondary kids in your plays, please, share your wisdom and all your pointers! Thank you so much!!
------------------------------
Summer Rickman
Hobbs High School
NM
------------------------------