To not understand the problem re school play

[user1485342611]

My niece (10) has been given a speaking part in the school's summer play. It's not one of the main parts but she has a couple of lines to say. My sister is livid because the main parts have gone to the same children who got them last year. They are both talented actresses, who belong to a drama club and one has appeared on a professional stage.

AIBU to not really understand the issue? My niece is not particularly interested in joining the drama club, and to be honest is more into sports than artistic activities, so I don't really get why she, or my sister, would expect her to have a lead part in the school play. But my sister keeps saying it's not fair, they should give other people 'a turn' and so on. From my understanding, and having attended the play last year, all of the children who want to go on stage are given the opportunity to say a couple of lines or take part in a dance or sing as part of a threesome etc.
Surely it's logical that the main parts would go to the talented actors who go to extra drama class all year around, and have a genuine interest in acting?

Yanbu

I think those who want a part in it and want to play a role should get a chance rather than it being the same ones every time. Although I really do think those who don't want to do it shouldn't be forced onto stage every year hating every single second (DS is one of those, he's creative but absolutely hate performing arts, it really upsets him and really doesn't want to do it, he'd be much happier to be involved with helping design the set or something)

If your child is gifted artistically, they get the top roles in the school play, choir, orchestra, and the kids who aren't get ignored and given the bit parts

What would you suggest? A choir full of tone-deaf kids? An orchestra made up of those who can't play a note?

All kids should have the opportunity to take bigger roles in school plays if they wish too

Drama clubs are for kids who have a special interest, and want to do it more as a hobby. School plays are for all the class. Kids going to drama clubs shouldn't take priority because they are better at it through doing it as a hobby.

Yanbu. I think it shows a massive disrespect for drama that people think everyone should get a turn at the main roles. No-one ever suggests all the students should take turns to play for the school football team. All students should definitely get a chance to show what they are made of and roles shouldn't be decided without auditions (can be relaxed workshop lessons not scary one by one), but the main parts should be cast according to who would do them best, just as the football team should contain the best footballers. I will often cast 'talented but under confident' or 'not talented but super keen' students in medium or smaller roles and this can be a stepping stone to the bigger roles if they do well.

What would you suggest? A choir full of tone-deaf kids? An orchestra made up of those who can't play a note?

Yes, yes, yes, if it's an inclusive performance for all the class/school. For "whole class" performances, it's the experience of the children that matters, not how close it resembles a professional performance.

depends what the school play is for

If parents really want to sit through protracted productions of mumbling, stilted ,blushing, out of tune singing, left footed dancing but desperate to have a leading part players then I am sure schools would oblige. But despite the clamour on MN for such productions I am pretty sure that they would be pretty unpopular, as would the sports team that never won, the debating society that always lost the debates, the orchestra that played out of tune , the gymnastics squad that could only do forward rolls and the top maths set who all got grade c.

Tricky. Totally see how unfair ti is when the same golden child gets cast time and time again.

Devils advocate over here: Its bloody hard to put on a school play. You get minimum time to produce what is probably a crap script with no budget, and most of the time kids parents don't commit to line learning - so when you know one who does well...

That means the diamond in the rough is hard to spot sometimes. Teachers spend a lot of time with you DCs, and because of that it's really easy to pigeon hole them. However, if you're really that bothered about parts get them get them into a stage school for extra training.

I personally feel that at primary level the school play should be about unity. NOT about stars of the show. It is hard in many ways to perform being sheep No.17 then it is to have lines. Lines are not everything. You are still on stage a lot of the time without them and my heart breaks for the children who are obviously told at home that they have been given a 'lesser' part because DPs have told them as such. There is much more to performance than lines. Ask Charlie Chaplin.

As PP said - really hard also to cast when 3- childen have asked for the same part... sadly 29 will be disappointed. But that's where we can teach them to make the most of it.

Ah this is a bugbear of mine. I think school plays should try and give everyone an equal role - or at least for the children who want one.
Same with speaking at parent assemblies etc. It comes down to what is the point of these things - to put on the best show or for all the children to enjoy themselves, get experience and maybe gain confidence.

I have spent the last 12 yrs watching these things - my children have never been one of the 'chosen' ones. The ones who are are the super confident ones .Which is fair enough to one extent but every time they are chosen they get a confidence boost and a child who has put themselves forward and ended up in the chorus again gets their confidence knocked. I would much rather have someone mumble or fluff a line but everyone participate than have a perfect performance -at the end of the day it is a school show not the West End.

DD1 never put herself forward really. I think didn't see the point. She never got to speak in an assembly - she got one or so lines in a play maybe twice. Even at the leavers' assembly when a few children are chosen to say their favourite memory- hers was a shared memory with one of the chosen ones - who was already one of the 'presenters' but they got to say the memory too.
And DD1 could have done it - for an out of school group she had to talk as part of a presentation to a larger audience a couple of times. The first time I was really worried but she was fine - she was actually good at it - really clear etc. I am just glad she got that experience there - as if the only experience like that she had had was at primary she would think she was useless.
DD2 always puts herself forward ...in the last play she was in the chorus - she told me there was no point going as it didn't matter if she went or not . Then at the last minute she and a few others who had wanted one got given a line - think - 'Look over there' kind of thing added onto the script - if anything it made her feel worse ...

Ah hekabe in our school everyone gets on the stage at some point - but the 'chorus' will be on for a minute -maybe 2 - out of 45 min. The rest of the time they sit at the side....and sing the odd song.
And they have to take part - and it takes up a lot of time within the school day - it is unlike say a football team where they aren't made to sit and watch them practice everyday and (ime at least) they aren't forced to stand on the side lines cheering the 'good' players ...

I am the parent of that child, she gets to read in assembly, sing solos in choir and main parts in shows. She works really hard singing lessons, music lessons, lamda classes, sings in two choirs and does musical theatre for 4 hours a week. Her aim is to be a quadruple threat performer.
She is rubbish at sport is never in any team. Academically she is middle of the road never has and never will win those prizes.
Either all activities at school are inclusive even sports team or all positions in activities are awarded on merit.
Through primary school drama was inclusive and everything else was on merit and it affected her self esteem at school. Now she is at senior school and drama is on merit she actual feels she has a value at school.

I remember when DS1 was at school, the French teacher's daughter always to the main parts.

Secretnetter - you have, unwittingly, hit on the very reason the most talented children should indeed play the best roles. You have laughed at the suggestion of a tone deaf choir, a sports team would never be the least sporty children, so why, why should the school play be the one arena where everyone gets a turn?

I think that it's awful if it's just the same kids that are chosen, but I do think that the arts are seen by some parents as something that is 'easy' and that their little darling should have a go, even if they are rubbish at it.

You are just supposed to suck it up if you are good at drama as all other kids should have a go. But that does not work with sport.

Our school is, thankfully, very good at sharing the parts around. My DS1 is not sporty (which is tough at his school), but he is quite good at drama and I was thrilled when he got a good part in the play. I was chilled though when he was one of the four innkeepers at the Christmas play because he had a blast, and it was good that he saw that other kids were just as good as he could have been (we big up the arts for him as he's not sporty).

However, if one of the boys from the A team football gets dropped it is seen as a very big deal, which I suppose is fair enough.

However, the poster made the idiotic point about how musical groups should include everyone, regardless of competency, obviously has no idea how hard it is for a child to learn an instrument. We put in HOURS of hard work so that the DC can play in ensembles. Playing in chamber groups and orchestras is one of the great joys and the reward for (sometime miserable) practice.

I agree with your point OP.

Harsh as it is, if your DC isn't getting the main part, it's because they're not very good at it.

Thanks for all the replies.

I have to say, I agree with the comments re the arts being treated differently from sport.

The Arts are seen as some kind of free for all, with no acknowledgement of who are the more talented actors, singers, dancers etc. This seems unfair to me.

The cleverer children get the better grades, the sporty children get to be on inter school teams, but the artistic children have to 'take their turn'. Why can they not be given due reward for their specific talent?

This isn't a case of only the talented actors being allowed out on stage. All the children are included, no one's left in the back row of the chorus barely visible to the audience. But the main parts are given to children for whom acting is their particular talent.

Seems fair to me.

I'm kind of with your sister. The children who get pushed to the back might really shine if given the chance. I think the school play is an opportunity to give those kids the opportunity to see if they enjoy it! The drama club kids already know. I wouldn't exclude the really talented kids from leading roles but I wouldn't let the same kids take those leading roles every year. It is important to include everyone.

parents only want to see their own kids anyway. They aren't there for the theatrical experience.

True - up to a point - in primary schools; even there they expect some degree of competence.

Not true in secondary where they want to see the best acting the school can offer. My DS never got a top spot and he never deserved ones; he had other talents. But DW and I still went to see the play.

Surely school is about learning things so how are they going to learn to be confident about being on stage, public speaking etc if they aren't allowed to do it.

I'm sorry but that is utterly, utterly bizarre to me - people go and see school plays that their kids are not even in, solely as a piece of theatre? Really?

Golly things have changed since my day.

But then I also don't agree that in-class sports should be on merit. Extra-curricular sports yes but in PE and on sports day every one should get an equal turn. That's how it was in my day and I am honestly shocked to learn things have changed. How horrible and American. Poor children.

Happens all the time. I have one child who never gets picked for anything and on occasion I have aired my opinion about it to the school...with the argument that how can they know if he can do it if he never gets the opportunity! When he was actually given lots of lines and a part he did fantastically and it really boosted his confidence. I also have another child, who does get picked for everything and I still think it is unfair because I know how it feels to have a child who never gets chosen.

You've misunderstood toastie. People aren't talking about pe or sports day where of course everyone is included, they're talking about inter-school sport where the best team will be picked.

TheExuberant1, yes it is like if they are quiet in reception, or not the best reader then that stays with them right through to 11. I have two GSs and one has always got picked, his younger brother is a summer baby so was only 4 all through reception, didn't get picked for anything and of course that has gone on for 5 years now. I feel like shouting, "It's OK, he has caught up now, give him a chance."

TabascoToastie, I thought the good thing about your child not being picked was that you didn't have to go and sit through another school play. I've obviously missed out on the theatrical experiences as well.