After School Theater 2007/2008

Whew!!! We had our end of the year Theater Program last night. I told my husband, "It was almost exactly what I had pictured." That is pretty darn good in "Soutenus-speak."

Most of my actors are very young (2nd - 4th grade) and we rehearse AFTER school for ~1hour only 1X a week. I guess I expect a lot from them. I have two amazing older students on whom much responsibility rests. They are in 6th and 7th grade.

My biggest headaches were technical in nature. The sound system at our school leaves much to be desired so just trying to control feedback and distortion is a major obstacle. All I can say is, "My husband is a genius."

Lists always help me plan and access. In case you are interested here are the pros and cons:

NEGATIVE

• Technical problems (errrr, "opportunities")
• Lighting (non existent)
• Constant din of noise from the audience (they do this at Mass, too.) I kind of expected it but cannot help but be flabbergasted at the selfishness every time it happens.
  
• Extremes of parental involvement. I had NO stage Moms (thank God). But the same 3 or 4 do everything they can to help and the others . . . NADA!
  
• A classic example of things that drive directors crazy: 1 child showed up in new shoes for the performance. I wanted to scream but I decided to let go, as they say, and "Let God."
  

If you have ever done theater or dance you KNOW you do not wear a new (unapproved by the director) pair of shoes for a performance. Do they slide on the stage, the steps, while you march around the audience in the first scene? Do they stay on while skipping on the stage? Will she end up with blisters? NEVER throw in unknowns like that -- especially when the child is in ELEMENTARY school! This is a child who hardly ever remembered to bring her costume to practice -- at this age I rehearse them in costume the last 5 weeks, at least. I make a huge big deal about rehearsing in what you are going to wear and having it approved by me. So, did I scold the child? Of course not. Now, I WILL have to address it next year. This is not a choir recital where you stand in one place. This is a PHYSICAL, moving and grooving kind of play! Ahhhhhhhhh! OK, I think I am over it.

POSITIVE

• The kids remembered all their lines and even stayed in character (ok maybe 90% of the time)
• They gave it 100%
• They remembered the change I made the day of the show, the finale position and the decorum of the bows.
• They had fun
• All the on-stage costume changes worked
• No one fell off the stage, threw up or cried
• Our guest artists rocked. They were downright inspirational..
• Our guest dancer was A M A Z I N G! even on our feeble & frighteningly frought with hazards, little stage. She nailed the pirouettes, turns in second, fouettes and aerial against said "stage inadequacies." Oh, let me be clear here -- I AM thankful we now own a stage. It is just NOT a dance stage. It is akin to putting a great rider on a horse that is green. If the rider knows how to ride it will probably be ok.
  
• Our guest singer and band brought in the middle school grades of our school. They did 4 beautiful Christian songs -- one that was original. The pre-teen age group is a difficult demographic to motivate solely with a "school play done by the younger kids." Our two older theater students fit closely with this age group, also! I feel blessed that they had peers taking the stage with them. I hope their example of joyously living their faith sticks with all of us! Here is a sample of one of my guest artists -- Nick (filmed here working with Jake -- both young men are pretty well known over at KidzBop.com)
  
  
• My husband wore all hats with stellar success and finesse: live music, sound man, sound cues for kids, solo singer at intro, stage set up and strike, co-director.
• My wonderful 4 to 5 Moms looked around and did what needed to be done to make the play shine....refreshments, backdrop and stage skirting, hand sewn costume pieces, actor motivation!
• My 7th grader asked to do one of the most difficult songs in the show; the Rain song. She asked! I told her if she could learn it and audition it in (I think I gave her the time frame of) 2 weeks, I would see . . . . She did and I was ecstatic. It was a bit "unadorned" but her beautiful voice and characterization made it work. And then . . . .
  
• 2 students in the 3rd grade went out on a limb and learned the back up vocals to that same song ON THEIR OWN. They caught me at recess and asked if I would listen to what they had been working on -- AT RECESS! Picture this: Kids running all over the place, shouts of a nearby game of tag, pounding of running feet, balls flying and these two girls stand together and sing the Rain song back up vocals PERFECTLY and like nothing else is going on around them. Well, my heart melted. They sang back up in the play and it made the Rain song even better.
  
• Keep in mind that After School Theater is unlike summer stock or community theater in many ways but one BIG difference is that I see these kids 1 time a week -- after school when they are tired and hungry and we DO NOT have time to eat. We meet for only 1 hour and then do not get to practice again for a week. We practice wherever we can find space and do not get the stage until the week before the play.