To be unimpressed with this drama class script

[ArchesOfWisteria]

Last week my daughter (10) trialled a drama class. She came out happy and said they’d played games and done activities, all good so signed her up.

The following week she’s come out with a script, a simplified Shakespeare. 8/9 scenes long and some big big parts. Some characters speak in blocks in most scenes. It would be challenging for the age group (yr 3-6) but fun.

Shes been allocated one line in the final scene. I kind of expect this in school plays etc, some kids are picked, some aren’t. I’d expect the same for a staged performance to some extent. The play planned is the whole half term and is only for parents.

I’d expect a paid class to have a much better script picked than 5/6 kids getting huge amounts to do, 5/6 getting one or two lines and a few having unspoken parts. We pay the same, I don’t really expect to pay for dd to watch other children developing and practicing skills for the half term whilst she’s audience for them. I’d expect a reasonable equality, as appropriate and everyone to be learning to the best of their ability. Surely there are scripts out there adapted for this purpose, to give balance. It’s hardly a west end production, it’s just a local drama centre group than doesn’t do staged performances.

For disclosure, dd is one of the oldest. She’s quiet, (high functioning asd) but once on stage goes into role and is pretty articulate and expressive. The parts were picked by the teacher observing them in a game then allocating parts quickly to children. She would be quieter in an improvisation game than in a scripted play, but she’s only been there a week so maybe they haven’t seen that side of her. They do a play every half term for parents only, a quick few scenes. As I said, it’s not that she isn’t picked for a key part that bothers me, it’s the fact there are a number of huge parts for just a handful of children whilst everyone else is on the side. It’s Shakespeare, so not something where they are still dancing etc

I have particularly looked for somewhere without big stages shows in the hope they didn’t focus on a few naturals whilst the rest learn to be a good audience for the most confident children.

There is also a skill in being part of the chorus/ensemble which is just as important to learn. And also an important life lesson that you can't always be a star

she read the op, I guess that’s unusual here

’ It’s Shakespeare, so not something where they are still dancing etc’

‘just a local drama centre group than doesn’t do staged performances’

other Tbf could have got from that there isn’t dancing and it isn’t staged

They are literally off stage. It’s a play where they change places, in the last scene dd is present and says a line

Op, I didn't see anything in your opening post that suggested

"It's a showcase. Think of it like a talent show, or an audition where the same scene will be read multiple times by different actors. It's not meant to be cohesive"

I read the op. You said it was a simplified Shakespeare.

Only after that was posted did you say it was something more akin to that description.

So yes, I read the op.

She's been there for a week. One week. Just a couple of hours.

They're not going to give her Titania or Lady Macbeth on the basis of a couple of hours.

I think you’ve hit the nail on the head ‘it wouldn’t matter if a part was shared’
Its just a snippet that doesn’t really make sense or conclude

There’s been all sorts of inference, musical theatre, staging, singing , dancing. It’s just as I described. Nothing else.

You called it "the play". Nobody really had much reason to think it wasn't a play. You mentioned eight or nine scenes. You mentioned a final scene. That all sounds like a play to me.

Caligurl then goes on to describe it a something other than a play.

Immediately after which you describe it as something very similar to Caligurl, and you then say 'it's far from a play'.

Caligurl must be psychic.

I joined a Saturday afternoon stagecoach group when I was 14.
we didn’t get the chance to audition either and my first term I didn’t have a single line, I had to mime out something (can’t remember what) whilst other people spoke.
I was quiet socially but had confidence once on stage and had done many local productions before where I had large speaking roles etc (local am dram, at school etc) I was frustrated but I kept my head down and was determined to prove that I could do more.

The next term I got 3 lines.

Following that (after the teachers had time to know my abilities, strengths and weaknesses - and I’d paid my dues so to speak) I had the main parts. (In both straight acting pieces and musical theatre pieces)

You can’t always be the main person, and although you’re all paying it is unrealistic to try and spread everything equally, neither theatre nor life works like that.
Your dc will still be learning and perhaps next time will get a chunk of dialogue.

Or have good reading comprehension.

Go ahead and report the post of you really need mumsnet to verify we aren’t one and the same poster as you seem to be inferring. Rather than troll hunting though why not just think how she knew- she read what was there in a pretty straight up way.

But as I said, report if you want

Ok, what am I missing from your op, that describes it as anything like what Caligurl described it as?

Help my clearly substandard reading comprehension.

Tbh I consciously avoided stagecoach and similar franchises/ musical theatre ones with staging because I know that’s how it works.
This advertised quite differently (they run other groups in the musical theatre style or with staged annual productions). I’m not raising a budding actor. I just want to find somewhere that grows confidence and enjoyment
I’d hoped to have found something I guess away from the harsher theatre approach. Dd isn’t going to be an actress, a min character, on stage shining brightly etc.
Im not really up for paying for ‘life is harsh’ lessons. I’m looking for personal growth, confidence and enjoyment. She’ll have plenty of other experiences to learn other people are ahead of her

Either report it, get your verification or drop it maybe.
Clearly someone else understood.
Theres another explanation other than trolling, and it’s easy enough to report and check isn’t it?
Report.
or accept something was there

I'll accept something was there when you show me what I missed.

Two options

1. Someone understood what I said and it’s there
2. We are the same person trolling you. You can report the post to check this.

Theres no other option, I’ve even quoted a few bits for you and I think I could waste half the night quoting and explaining more whilst you argued it was impossible to be understood in any way other than the way you inferred. Why waste time on that when you have the quick and easy option of reporting the post to check we aren’t the same poster? I’m leaving the ball in your court now, whichever way you answer that

Yabu it’s her first one of course she got a tiny part.

How long are the sessions? She won’t be just watching other kids rehearse their bit and popping on stage for her one line and off again.

either there will be character work/stage business/dances for her to be involved in OR most of the session will be games/exercises/activities and this Shakespeare few scenes is a tiny part of the whole. I don’t see why you would rule out dances or choreographed movement just because it’s Shakespeare, both are commonly included in this type of kids performance.

Theatre doesn’t work on an entirely equal everyone says 5 lines and stands CS for 5 minutes basis. Thank goodness - because it would be dull, dry and pointless if it did.

I think reflecting on this: I’ve spent time in Facebook, asking around and talking to people to try and find a space for dd. We’ve travelled out of area.
Maybe that’s why I’m deflated.
I know, from teaching, what perform and stagecoach etc are like. I know dd isn’t main character material but she can enjoy drama and it certainly benefits her. She can be part of a play and add to it, she’s not going to mumble or just stand there. She enjoys it. She’s just not ever going to be the shiny one.
Sharp elbowed theatre practice isn’t going to be her.
It’s advertised as an inclusive group, a separate offering without shows. As I said in the OP, she’s high functioning asd and it’s so hard to find spaces for kids like her. It’s so so often she’s quietly at the edge in stuff and another opportunity to do that just isn’t going to help her.

To be clear they came home with the annotated script photocopied at the end. I do have a copy of exactly who is one stage, when, what they do.
I do hope though yes, it’s just a small part of sessions and not a big thing as it plans out. Maybe today was longer to sort it out

You quoted two things, followed by this sentence

"other Tbf could have got from that there isn’t dancing and it isn’t staged"

I'm sure that sentence makes sense to you, but my poor reading comprehension means I'm struggling. To me, the fact that it isn't on a stage is irrelevant - I've seen professional productions that haven't been on a stage - and the fact there's no dancing (umm, ok, most plays don't have dancing) really don't rule out 'a play '.

The fact that you said "The play planned is the whole half term and is only for parents" and mentioned a script, also very strongly suggests a play.

I'm not sure how I ended up here. All I was saying was a play really doesn't do well with more than 5 or 6 main characters. It was only after that, that Caligurl at first, then after that you, that said it wasn't actually a play.

Report and prove yourself please, it’ll end this repetition. Prove she knew as she’s me?

I don't have any need to 'prove myself'. It's more fun to watch and wait to see if Caligurl ever answers the question, while you attempt to speculate as to what the answer might be, including commenting on her quite remarkable reading comprehension.

Fun?
You see for you it’s ‘fun’. A little Saturday night wind up online, getting away with acting like you can’t in real life.
For me, it’s just a bit shit. Someone derailing a thread where I was trying to ask about my asd child’s situation and I was feeling a bit down about it. Another time she’s let down potentially, something I worry about.
Well you have your way. I’ll abandon the thread. You can gloat and make more remarks.
For others- thank you for replying. But this thread has become the weird ‘fun’ that is aibu

Oh I promise I'm not trying to derail the thread. I'm only responding when someone responds to me with a less than satisfactory explanation.

My initial post on this thread was very genuinely intended to aid understanding of how having everyone with a lot of lines wouldn't work. And I haven't suggested anywhere that you are a troll or that this thread isn't genuine.

But when something seems off, and no reasonable explanation is forthcoming (and the person I asked the question to has disappeared), then, well, I'm going to say something seems off.

My vague memory of drama classes like these from when I did them way back in the 80s is along the lines of:-

First performance and you play a tree. Second performance and you get about 3 lines. Third performance you get a decent role. And then you are moved up to the next class and play a (more sophisticated) tree again.

This is the reality of theatre groups I'm afraid (I don't like it either). It just seems to be the way of it. We had been going for a few years when I first queried it, and was told we were 'at the beginning of our journey'. Apparently lots of other kids had been waiting longer for speaking parts!!!! We hung in there because of friendships made. (Which have been the highlight-and have become really important. It's been 5 years now. DS has had one lead role in that time. (Btw, he's good. Not the best, but good.) I have a love hate feel about the theatre group but he's 100% committed.