Rubbish role

[catty1234]

My DD is a good singer and actor (she really is, im not being the flattering mother) and today she audition for a main part in her school play. Saw her audition while practising and was honestly really good!
She came home today crying saying that she was something like a bush, told she was untalented and all the favourites that have had every main role and every solo in every school play have got the main parts.
She said she would not be a bush and go through hour's of rehearsals for 1 line.
So IABU to send a letter in requesting she help backstage, because she wanted to do this if she didn't get the role she wanted.
P.s this play has been her fav since she was 3 and the character has been her fav as well. She is now year 6

maybe it is the seminal part - the whole play hinges on that one line

She's just gotta learn to role with it

I was privately relieved DD had three smaller roles in the play she did in year 6, the main roles had shed loads of lines to learn, I was incredibly impressed with the DC who took them on and did brilliantly.

(relieved that I didn't have to go through them with her, not that I didn't think she could do it)

So, this one line part (bush, snake?) ... if your DD doesn't do it, someone else will, yes? It is necessary to the play? Why does your DD think she is too important to do 'hours of rehearsals for one line' while someone else is menial enough?
I am the parent of a Musical Theatre DD and also a director of (big, senior - think Les Mis, West Side Story etc.) school shows and both of us would be heartily pissed off by that sort of attitude.

do we think it's The Gruffalo btw ?

Is she a snake in the bush?

'maybe it is the seminal part - the whole play hinges on that one line'

You're right, they are underestimated in general I think, although I heard somewhere the Burning Bush had to get an agent at one point, such was its fame.

It just goes like that sometimes.

do we think it's The Gruffalo btw ?

Nah, 'Snakes on a grassy plane'

but what if the snake didn't see the mouse - and the mouse didn't look good ...the whole thing would make NO SENSE !

Is it the Jungle Book?

this place can be such a nest of vipers

The chorus of the Lion King have to dress up and pretend to be grass and bushes and things. They dont seem to mind.
Sometimes it's not about the big roles it's about the taking part.

Another thing to point out, building on what cardibach said, is that the world of acting and theatre is brutal at best- yes I know it's only a school play, but you get the point All the best professional actors have done a stint as a snake or the equivalent at some point in their careers, no one goes straight into the main roles in the real world whether they were the lead role or tree#7 in the year 6 school play.

Is there another bush on a grassy knoll?

this place can be such a nest of vipers

a bush of snakes = nest of vipers. That's really good.

Think yourself lucky..my dd was a rock once. As in a boulder type thing.

I have pictures to bribe her with

I can't stop thinking of Wuldric's DC having to be a root. That blew me away.

We all think our children are gifted and wonderful and reality is often a shock. At least she has been given one line.

Teachers tend to give the larger parts to the more mature or academically able because they have good memories. Why should a teacher give a star role to a child who throws tantrums at the age of 11? There are 30 children in the class and probably only 6 main parts.

"So IABU to send a letter in requesting she help backstage, because she wanted to do this if she didn't get the role she wanted."

Learning to cope with disappointment in a mature fashion is important in acting. Even if the teacher agreed to the request you would not being doing your daughter any favours.

A friend of mine, who is now actor/manager of a very successful touring Shakespeare company, got his equity card playing a Cyberman. With Marigold gloves. Who knows where the bush/snake role may lead? :)

Can't you just give her a bird in the hand?

And hang on a minute, the PTA said the OP's DD was untalented? Don't tell me they were the audition audience like some sort of twisted X factor for 11 year olds. [confused[

or even

stop taking the hissss

PTA X FACTOR .. "That just wasn't very good and not what we're looking for today "

I think the children who get the main roles are the ones the teacher knows can be counted on to learn their lines and knows can be counted on to turn up.

They can't risk a good actor who forgets her lines.... Or isn't there....

I know that's why my DS who is rubbish at acting always gets bigger parts than my DD who very much enjoys acting. He's got a good memory, she doesn't.