Anatomy of a Pageant

Sherri said...
What a hoot to find this!!I am Grace Bradley in a local production and tonight is our first audience (dress rehearsal and a friendly, invited crowd will be watching)I wish our director had have read everyone the riot act, as you say you have. The kids are WILD (except on stage.) When I read the other post about the show, I almost thought for a second that you might actually BE our director.. the very same things .. spots with too little movement, dedicated moms and even the twin thing are happening here.I'm bookmarking the page and I'll be back to check! Keep posting!
5:41 PM, November 29, 2006

Ronni said...
Break a leg! I had so much fun with this.
6:21 PM, November 29, 2006

Anonymous said...
Question for ya... when you played Grace Bradley, did it drive you nutso? I am not enjoying it. Every night, ANYTHING that goes wrong is MY fault. 'Cause I'm the grown up, and kids can't be to blame for anything, of course. It can't ever be that they missed their cue or forgot a prop.. and if the day is saved well.. it isn't ME that saved it, it's the kids those WONDERFUL KIDS.. those kids who talk on stage, yell backstage, hit each other on stage, and don't clear the exits.Five or six of the kids are horrid. Truly. And I'm out there trying to keep it all together but no matter what, I can't succeed.
8:35 PM, December 01, 2006

Ronni said...
Sounds like your stage manager is falling down on the job.I loved playing Grace. I had one kid who was horrible, and tried to shoot me into the first row when wrestling with the doll.Many actors have said that working with kids is just what you describe--they upstage you every chance they get, and go out of their way to mess you up.The director or stage manager needs to gain control of this situation. If he/she does not, then all you can do is your part.The first time I directed this, in 1993, I had to throw a kid out. He was playing one of the church kids, and went berserk and joined the Herdmans ON STAGE during a performance.It's amazing how fast the rest shaped up after I threw the brat out. I was even tactful with his mother!Still, if the director or stage manager won't take charge of the kids, htere's really nothing you can do. Do you have an inexperienced director? Sometimes that's the problem. There is no excuse for kids to be running wild.When do you open, or have you already?
9:38 PM, December 01, 2006



Sherri said...
Before I get into my whinging festival, let me start off by saying this: I've done a dozen plays - had the leads in Barefoot in the Park, Crossing Delancy, did the physical comedy in Noises Off! and I've worked with kids in Peter Pan.. always to rave reviews and sold out houses. I've never felt so discouraged as I do in this play.Yes, we opened on Thrusday - had the dress with audience on Wednesday. The director is experienced but her daughter, who is 13, is stage managing. She's a lovely girl and trying very hard.. but you can imagine how difficult it is for her (19 kids, some of whom are her age) she doesn't quite grasp the meaning of 'quiet.' either.sorry for going on and on..Here's what happened last night:the scene where I say "You're all supposed to have your costumes on today!" got really messed up in the Dress rehearsal, with one kid completely forgetting that he had a line at all. What with the two rehearsal scenes being so similar (at least in our production) I was terrified to skip too far ahead and put us in the wrong place.. I waited as long as I could for the cue to be picked up and finally just went along, but by then all the kids had turned into terrified blocks of stone, with one almost crying. So... I vowed that that wouldn't happen again. Last night, a pause again, right around the same spot. I looked a the kids and they were literally ten feet off their spots, talking and laughing. So I figured, okay, just plow ahead. Well... wouldn't you know it, my decision meant that three of the girls who have no other lines in the play missed their lines about bent halos, etc.There were fits of tears and admonishments from the mothers (who play the bit parts and hence are backstage all the time) "Her father came tonight!" "Her teacher was in the audience!"and it was all my fault. The other night the sound booth cued the wrong song in the pageant and they sat there like rocks. So I started singing. Who got the credit? The angel choir. (and by the way, I do not need a lot of credit, but I sure hate shouldering all the blame.)During rehearsals the director had chosen to have the WHOLE CAST at EVERY ONE right from the start. The kids went rangy at about week two. We rehearsed for 8 weeks Mon-Thursday and Saturdays for 2 hours. It was too much. And yet, we never had a run through till two days before opening. She never threatened to throw anyone out. They kick each other right on stage. They don't pay any attention, they talk and drop things and it is EXTREMELY distracting. Last night a kid had a singing toy and the stage manager let him keep it with him!!!It's been trying for me. I know it's all about the kids but it'd be nice to have had some direction specific to making my part funny. I don't get a laugh excpet when I'm dealing just with the husband in the play (which shows, I think, that it's a question of rection and timing and not pure missing the point on my part.) I efel SOOO lost out there. You don't know how grateful I am for your response. It's tough because I feel I have no one who understands to gripe to about this. It would be tactless to do so at the play, and my husband.. well he's never been in theatre and so far has no clue what to say. And to top it off, my daughter plays Alice (she's WONDERFUL.. got an amazing review just today) so it would ruin the experience for her if I were to complain too much. .. but I kind of have already...ten performances left and I dread each one. Last night I "had decided to just do the best I could, under the circumstances..." but by the end of the play, when the tears came I wanted to shoot myself again. Who can sleep after that?
9:57 AM, December 02, 2006

Ronni said...
I'm sorry it has taken me so long to get back to you. Life has been busy today.I am also sorry that this show is turning into such a nightmare for you. Can you talk to the director? She is probably tearing her hair out as well. She has to know that a 13-year-old stage manager is not going to cut it, without adult backup. I caught some flack when I was directing from the woman playing the minister, because my Beth was a tad bit officious backstage. I got the minister (a former marine) on Beth's side, and she backed up the SM from then on.I have had it be a bit of a free-for-all, and learned that there's no help for it if the kids are out of control. I let them know from the get-go that they can be replaced.It may get better a the run wears on, and everyone gets into their roles, and the terror factor wears off.Break a leg! I'm off to see my 16-year-old son in "A Christmas Carol." He has four small roles, and the company I work for costumed the show.Check in later. I may get time to make an entry out of all this.!
7:09 PM, December 02, 2006