Ridiculous demands from theatre group

[nameyname]

Name changed as I think this might me identifiable! DDs are in a theatre group which does a show with adults and kids each year (Oliver type of thing). Middle dd has been doing it for four years, youngest started this year and older dd auditioned every year but not been in it before this year as she has never been offered a main part before.

They are expected to rehearse for two hours every week but older dd has a role that means she is not in a group with the other children but in different scenes so she has to go to extra rehearsals on a different night and attend the main rehearsal where she is often hanging about for ages to do her but as they insist on running it in order rather than letting her do her bits and go home. She doesn't really mind but is really irritated by the fact that the adults who aren't involved with a scene are often invited by the director to comment on what they've just seen but she is never allowed to offer an opinion.

She came back last night from rehearsal really fuming because director told her off for not having learnt all her lines yet and made her feel bad because she couldn't do it off by heart yet, I know they need to learn lines but the show is still a month away so she's got ages to prepare.

The other thing that is really annoying me is that they are expected to provide costumes which are going to cost me a fortune for three kids, this is supposed to be a free activity but in reality it's going to cost me over £100 by the time I've bought costumes and tickets.

So the question is wibu to have a word with the director to point out that this sort of thing is supposed to be fun but her attitude is sucking all the joy out of it for my family, specially dd1?

Umm... Assuming this isn't a joke??

13??? You need to stop her turning into a dislikeable mini - diva!!

Experience....?? School plays are NOTHING like a theatre company... All is different... Not least the expected standards.... It is completely different performing to smiling indulgent parents... And to strangers paying good money to see good theatre!

She needs to learn some proper stagecraft and working to produce the best show/play possible....

If I was rehearsing a piece and somone wirh a comparativley small part had not learnt lines a MONTH before... I would be looking to replace... It REALLY holds rehearsing up when people are still using script.... It is much more than just learning lines....

OP the waiting around is why so many people in theatre smoke - there's often not much else to do! If you watch Downton Abbey the ads are all preceded by ads for Kindles. The whole basis of the Kindle ad is actors being bored in between their scenes that they read and play computer games.

I do amateur dramatics and all the principals (not me I'm no good) have to wait for their bits especially near to the show. You run it in order so everyone knows what comes where, she will need to interact with the other people so she can't just come and go when she wants to. My daughter trains professionally in London and quite frankly your daughters approach would be crushed very early on. You hang about for hours. As for not wanting to be in the chorus, that's an insult to every chorus member. It is team work.
Also agree lines should be learned by now.
My daughter also teaches and finds the younger teens very difficult and extremely rude and disrespectful.

I love that the "ridiculous" demands are:

• actors learning their lines
• actors attending rehearsals
• actors having costumes

I mean, what are they thinking?!

Have shown this thread to ds2. Him being the one of my dcs with a Drama degree. Laugh? He said it brightened up a rainy afternoon, no end. His advice? Don't encourage your dd to give up the day job, so to speak. Only if she's finding this production intolerable, for sure she's never going to last five seconds in the profession. Or even at further education level.

I'm guessing the people 'waiting around' are still enjoying themselves and feel like they are contributing to the overall success of the play.

If it's sucking the fun out for you all then why are you doing it?

morethanpotatoprints I thought this thread sounded awfully familiar. Do you have a link to the other thread?

Sounds completely normal to me - as someone who spent most of childhood and early adulthood acting.

Did she have a starring role last year as well, morethan? We already know she wasn't in the chorus...

The show is a month away & she doesn't know her lines yet?

We'd be expected to be off book after a couple of weeks' rehearsal - and we were am dram.

I think you need to be teaching your daughter about team work. How would any play come to fruition if everybody had her attitude about being in the chorus?
And the hanging around helps creates the camaraderie between the cast and crew. And is indeed a good time to be learning lines!
How many people are in the cast? How on earth can you think it reasonable that the director should be scheduling rehearsals around your daughter?
You are doing your daughter a disservice by encouraging her attitude.

Your eldest DD does sound like a diva, what with refusing to take part of not offered a proper role, expecting not to hang around and not to have to learn her lines.

How are the costume costs a surprise if one DD has been doing it for 4 years?

With a month to go, everyone, especially those with larger speaking roles, should be off script. If you're daughter hasn't learned her lines yet she is letting the whole cast down. Perhaps her attitude is why she hasn't been given a main part before?

When she is at rehearsal she should be going over her lines either in her head or with someone quietly away from the main action, whenever she is not in a scene being directed/rehearsed.

If she listens to the more experienced adults giving feedback then she might learn something. If she has something positive to contribute, then she could put up her hand and say it.

As for the costumes, it is not unreasonable to expect you to provide them. but if this was not clearly communicated then I understand your frustration.

YABU about the rest though.

*your daughter. Oops.

I have images of a 13yr old Diva swanning in opening night doing her lines then swanning out again

Or rather, swanning in on opening night, waiting for the prompt to give her the lines and then flouncing out again!

"it does seem like a massive waste of time though to be waiting around for hours every week. I can't believe people put up with that as standard."

OP - I think you need to go and show them how to put a play on with zero/minimal downtime for anyone I'd love to know how you pull it off!

what are you going to do whilst the sound guy is doing mic checks?
What happens when the director needs a scene redone?
What will you do with the actors, whilst the lighting guy is trying to get his lights focussed, when it turns out a stage directions need to change?

Dd is a techie person and she says there is always 1 person who huffs and puffs and never knows lines or dances or songs she says they are a pain in the arse and they hold everybody back

There really isn't any other way. In professional theatre many of the crew are paid by the hour, the producers would love to cut the waiting around time as their wage bill would be less, but you can almost 100% guarantee that if someone is sent on a break/sent home, they're the going to be needed. The same goes for actors.

I used to do theatre in my younger years. Nothing you have pointed out sounds unusual at all, bar my group was lucky enough to have a costume designer. Obviously had to contribute materials though. Anyone with your daughter's attitude wouldn't have lasted long, we were there for fun, but my goodness we all had to do our bit, from chorus to star. Diva attitudes were not welcome, as much as not learning lines and routines. Sorry, but yabu. Your daughter needs to learn her lines, how long does she spend reading outside rehersals?

The OP isn't exactly engaging in this thread. I'm also wondering if it's genuine.

I think it's genuine, it's just perhaps staying away because she's not getting the support she expected?

I'm a professional theatre actor. But even as a very experienced grown up I never feel that being in the lead role entitles me to comment on the other actors' performances. That's generally considered a bit rude and diva-ish from any actor within a company. That's the Directors' job. I certainly wouldn't expect to receive feedback from a 13 year old child! Also, if your daughter is blessed with talent and hopes to make a career out of the theatre, she will need to learn there is a LOT of waiting around involved. theatre is first and foremost about teamwork. It's not about being 'the star'. It's actually quite hard work, and an entitled attitude will get you nowhere. However talented she is, at 13 she will still have a lot to learn. Also if I may be actory for a moment, one of the most important personality traits for an actor is humility. Without humility an actor cannot be open enough to properly transfer emotion to an audience. You would be doing your daughter a great favour in her future career if you can teach her this now.

Don't put your daughter on the stage, Mrs Worthington.....