secondary school drama productions

My DS sounds like your - fairly good, but maybe not the best.

He's been a member of a local young persons (11-18) drama group. It is very inclusive and EVERYONE gets a part in every production.
They always write their own shows (led by an absolutely brilliant leader who guides them) including the songs. There is no audition. The older children tend to be allocated the best roles and in their last years, will have leading roles. After a few years in the group, all the children have developed the skills to be able to sing and perform in front of an audience.

He has now left school and started university and will find he has to audition. Not sure how he'll get on (first audition is this week) but he has got used to having leading roles over the last couple of years and certainly won't get them now.

Our school auditions so best child for part gets it - however, two children are chosen for each part so that there are casts for performances so more children have a chance.

Our school seems to have an incredibly talented group of students whether in drama, music, dance, sports, or academic work who always get the main roles/enrichment trips etc.

I'm sure its entirely a coincidence that their parents are teachers at the school,

They may be the best, open audition, parts based on that. Regardless of relatives.

Be thankful you don't have to cast a nativity play englishteacher the recriminations from that can last all year

I try my best to cast fairly. I have open auditions. Often have people in mind ahead of the auditions but have been known to change my mind. As teachers we also have to consider if the student can handle the work load on top of their subjects. It seems we can never win

DS had a similar experience BlackMogul - a new drama teacher started and this time round he has a major role and a previous favourite is now in the chorus. But to be honest DS has really enjoyed the experience of being involved in the productions regardless of what sort of part he had.

I am afraid my experience with two DDs keen on drama was that the drama teachers' favourite pupils got the roles and other pupils who were just as good, had to lump it. There was a lot of talent at the school, so roles could have been spread around more equitably. DD eventually got a good role when another drama teacher held the auditions, or she may have got a good role because she always turned up, every year, for the play so was known to be reliable. Other DD only ever got a chorus part and was very disgruntled. Sticking around could be the answer or do LAMDA classes!

Dd's drama teacher explained it best when they all started year 7. Basically, it's not just the audition that is looked at but the school life in general. If the person isn't putting in the work elsewhere, there has to be a lot of natural talent to take a risk of giving that person the part. There is an awful lot of committment involved with these productions, and a lot out after school time involved.

He finished by saying that at the end of the day, a lot of students who are interested in doing the productions have an interest in drama as a career or hobby later in life. As with professional and other amateur groups outside the school, there will be dissapointments and not everyone will land a part. To give everyone a part gives them a false sense of what it will be like later. And a part of school life is to help prepare them for a life outside the security of school, when they won't be pandered to, where tantrums won't get them anywhere and where they will face dissapointments.

I would be extremely proud of him for keeping on going up and remind him that its important to keep on trying

That is what is going to stand him in good stead

I think you have to look at it in the same way as you look at sports teams- obviously the best players are going to make it to the first team.

Choosing and casting a school production is always fraught with problems. You have to know who your reliable talented potential performers are before you choose a production - no point deciding to do West Side Story if you have no girls who can hit the high notes in "Tonight", for example. Then you do the auditions and cast it from there. I always put everyone who auditions in the show, and tend to run separate auditions for those who want main parts and those who want ensemble roles. The kids in the chorus are often on stage more often than the leads, and often have more fun anyway.

It might be a difficult lesson for a DC to learn, but it is how the world works. I have 8 drama students in a professional play next week - 18 auditioned and 8 were chosen. They weren't necessarily the "best", but it's obvious that they've been cast to fit the needs of the production. Again, sad for those who weren't selected, but a realistic experience.

Well,maybe that's because the talented actors are still applying?
You don't go to your 8th job interview with a company and say'hey, it's my turn now'- you re-evaluate, and ask the company what they're looking for that you're not bringing to the table.

Films wouldn't be much cop if they cast the keenest auditioners, would they?

Alpine- yes if unsuccessful in the auditions for main parts and any speaking role, the children will appear in the chorus. I'm not disputing the important role of chorus because without it the show could not take place and the children also learn a lot from their role. I just wish it did that feel that the auditions were a waste of time and parts had already been allocated and for just one production the Director's niece would not have the lead and sing more songs than anyone else ( I don't want to put a kid down but she is not mind blowing, I'm probably just jealous that my sister is not the Director).

What I also find frustrating is that there are only 6 weeks of learned drama techniques between the two yearly productions. So the odds are if you do not have a role in the first production you will not have one in the second. Unless you have gained a lot from these few sessions. There is also no feedback from the auditions, if asked general statements are given "You were beaten to the post" rather than "You rushed the script, you were too quiet etc". Maybe I'm expecting too much, the group is run by volunteers who devote their time freely to enable the group to survive and devote countless hours to the group. It is not a performing arts school. These are my gripes not DD she just accepts it's the way things are.

Moonmin -DD attends another workshop and they do this type of sketch show and they are fabulous. The material the kids produce is amazing.

Our local Youth Theatre does a kind of revue a few times a year where kids do sketches, songs and little plays, often stuff they have written themselves. Totally different set up to the very meritorial school productions. There is a place for both I think.

Would people seriously prefer that those with greater merit at audition and better suitability for a part be overlooked in favour of giving someone less able 'a go'?
If OP's DS is keen and enjoying taking part then isn't that to be encouraged, regardless of whether he gets lead roles or not? Does he think it is unfair and demoralising if he is missing out of parts he auditions for, or is there more disappointment by the OP? Yes, lead roles are nice but actually performing in a great show, whatever role you have, is a huge buzz. If someone wants lead roles and is missing out, then feedback on how to improve can always be sought, and the more stage experience the better in improving skills. Sadly, sometimes it is not even a matter of ability per se, but who is more suitable for a certain role according to who else has been cast inthe other roles!
Having to cast school productions is a task I undertake several times a year. Every teacher I work with is acutely aware of the value for every child in taking part and the fact that a show only has a set number of principal roles - but also that every role is important in creating the story and show. Yes, children will be disappointed should they miss out on a part they wanted but rarely has there been a production when, by the end, there are children having taken part who have not thoroughly enjoyed it and learnt from it.

Frequently, however, there are parents fuelling disappointment and creating dissatisfaction by undervaluing the role their child has been chosen to play, especially when it is an ensemble role.

I have seen shows where those with merit have clearly been overlooked in the interests of 'fairness'. Sadly, it is hugely UNFAIR on the children of minimum ability when their performance is embarrassingly bad less than optimal. Or when they are upstaged entirely by a more talented individual in a stunning cameo and that is all the audience talks about afterwards!

It's not just school productions where this happens, my DD is a member of a youth drama group and every production without fail the main parts are awarded to the same kids. Before the audition results were announced me and my OH guessed who would be successful and we were bang on. The Director's niece is a good one to put your money on. That's just the way it is.

What others said: open audition is normal, but there are ways round it: you can practise hard, join a youth theatre, join a community am dram group etc.

Schools take these things way too seriously and spend far too much time on them IMO. Rehearsals are OTT and take priority over everything else.
DS2 did it last year, he got a small crowd role which is all he wanted. They started rehearsing in September and he was there nearly every night until December. All other after school activities were cancelled in favour of the show.

It was fab. They can be as cliquey and political as school productions, but the one I belonged to had genuinely open auditions - you didn't even have to be a member to audition. They're usually ridiculously excited to have teenaged members IME.

I joined a local community theatre group in order to mop up the parts other members were too old to play - at sixteen I got to play everything from 12 to 30. I deliberately avoided the youth theatre and school productions as there was so much competition!

It does take a lot of time yes.