To think school production role allocation is unfair?

[guaranteess]

Dd school production this week, and during the interval i overheard the teacher talk to the lead role's mum, telling her that her son was chosen to be the lead before they even did auditions, based on his personality. Meaning the children that were auditioning for the lead were just wasting their time, as they had already chose the lead. The child wasn't even going to audition for that role, until the teacher asked his mum to encourage him to. I don't think it's very fair, they should either allocate roles based on auditions or to scrap auditions and allocate just on the child's personality, which is practically what they are doing anyway.

Aibu to think it isn't really fair?

Never has been fair. The same children starred in shows all through my school years.

What exactly did she say?

@herculepoirot2 something along the lines of 'mrs Drama teacher came to me in September and said that so so will be the lead, she was adamant she wanted him, he has that charisma to pull it off' she then went on to say that even though he isn't a child that naturally enjoys drama and performing, his personality is able to allow him to pull off the role.

I Won't lie, he is really good and he has been rightly chosen! But I just don't understand the point of having auditions?!

I agree with you, OP. If anything, there should be more children who get a chance to have a turn, even if they might not do it as well as the perpetual 'golden child' would have done it.

When they're adults, the less confident/able kids will have plenty of time to learn that, whatever industry or area they go into, those perceived to be the best will rise to the top and get all the fame/glory/recognition/huge salaries and they may hardly ever get a look in and be continually kicked down job/career-wise. Sadly, that's adult life.

School is there to help ALL children thrive and be treated as valuable and equally important.

It's never fair - I'm talking about junior school. Teachers always have their own agenda.... sometimes with very good reason..... sometimes to give a child a chance to shine who doesn't shine elsewhere. Sometimes to make rehearsals run more smoothly, sometimes because they like a child, sometimes because the child has a loud voice....

If someone else auditioned and was better, they would have been given the role. Auditions are good experience regardless of whether a teacher or parent is convinced of the outcome.

I agree with @benfoldsfive

That's show biz, OP. They can't base it purely on the auditions because they need to be confident that the child will perform in front of an audience. A child could be great when auditioning in front of 2 adults but if the teacher knows they will freeze up on stage, they won't get the part.

A teacher friend told me before that she gave good parts to the badly behaved children so that they’d have something to focus on and be less disruptive.

From the outside it seems like rewarding bad behaviour, but I’m sure the class benefited from it in many ways.

Long-winded point short; they have their reasons! Whether it’s behaviour based or personality based. And it seems unfair to us but that’s also just how life goes sometimes!

School concerts annoy the hell out of me, the same children get given the best parts each year and nobody else gets a look in. Imagine the less confident children got given the main parts to boost their self esteem and got shown they can do things to if they put their mind to it! 🙄

Sorry but that's just the way it is - if it's any consolation, having the best little actors in the best roles makes the whole thing more tolerable to sit through

I always got the lead roles at school; primary, secondary and college. I was funny as a kid, a good mimic and had a decent voice (then I smoked for 15 years so that's gone). I know it pissed other kids and their parents off, I had some parents say to my face that I should turn being the lead down because it wasn't fair on their kid, or say that I was only chosen because I was loud or bossy. That was nice

I do no acting or singing now, and in no way do I think I had any more talent than my peers, I just was maybe a bit braver about putting myself forward, learning the lines & songs and learning about the characters. Maybe a bit of this is at play. Also, aren't most school productions specifically chosen so that there may be one or 2 "big" parts, but there are also a lot of other parts with plenty of lines? Then v small parts for the quiet / shy children? Every school play I've been in and seen since has followed those lines, that's why they generally trawl out the same old shows year after year I must have seen Bugsy Malone 1500 times

That’s sort of the problem though. A lot of times it’s the obnoxious kids who get picked!

That annoys people.

I can’t get worked up about it though. School plays are invariably shit anyway!

Drama teacher came to me in September and said that so so will be the lead, she was adamant she wanted him, he has that charisma to pull it off' she then went on to say that even though he isn't a child that naturally enjoys drama and performing, his personality is able to allow him to pull off the role.

I don’t read from that that he was chosen for the role before the auditions at all. I read that the Drama teacher backed him to get it. And why not? He’s good. If the part went to the best person for it, what does it matter whether the teachers already knew who that person was?

I am an ex-drama teacher. You want the best students for the roles in the play..so that they play is as well executed as possible. Our aim, in fact, was to create shows that were to a professional standard.

You also want students who you can trust and who you know will turn up for rehearsals.

We would choose our school productions with certain kids in mind eg when we had a really strong Year 7 we decided on Oliver. Another year we had some amazing sixth formers who could both sing and act so we put on 'We will rock you' which needs an quite a few strong leads.

So yes, we 'knew' who we wanted for the role and that influenced the plays we chose.

I think it annoys people in a way sorta doesn't because we all have to sit through the play (in primary) whereas if your kid isn't on the team you don't have to watch the match.

Having said that my kid is fab at acting and I think he should get the chance to do something he is good at rather than someone else who may mess it up and be given it to improve their confidence. At least with an audition the shy kids can have a go and shine.

YABU. They need to cast pupils who will be good in that part. I don't see why it's wrong to have someone in mind for a role, but still audition in case someone else turns out to surprise you. However, some kids would be very nervous about having a big part. Some would find it impossible to learn lots of lines. Some are shy and can't be persuaded to speak above a mutter. As long as everyone gets to be involved, I think it's fine.

I guess the drama teacher has seen what they are capable of in lessons at secondary school.

YABU. the parts should go to the kids who are best at acting. its just too painful to watch otherwise (mine aren’t great actors - support roles suit them fine). Auditions are for practice, and for surprises.
„i knew“ from the teacher translates to “i was fairly sure he would be great during auditions “

I suppose auditions could take place so as the school can have an idea for the understudy, I do presume they’d have an understudy.

A teacher friend told me before that she gave good parts to the badly behaved children so that they’d have something to focus on and be less disruptive.

that's shocking

and what a terrible message to the rest of the class.

But otherwise I can understand the best parts going to the best kids.

I guess the point of having auditions is because otherwise some parents would complain.

All this 'everyone should get a chance' stuff is not very fair in the child who's actually good at it is it? After all, the best runner wins sports day, that's their chance to shine. The best at maths knows it every day. Why shouldn't the child who's good at acting get their turn to shine?

These things are always unfair. So much so my DD and half the cast once walked out of a school production as they were so fed up with the drama teacher always picking her favourites, as the production was more a reflection on her supposed abilities as opposed to making it fun for all the DC.

The DC saw right through her.

Ha and funnily enough the main lead who the teacher always chose also walked out because she was fed up of everyone hating her due to this teacher always choosing her for the main lead.