Stage school end of year play

[Mrscouldron]

Hi. I’m not sure I am being unreasonable here. Both kids 6 & 8 attend a stage school. A local one for 90 minutes a week. I received an email this afternoon regarding the end of year panto. I assumed all the children would be given a part. Even just a small non speaking part for the younger ones. It turns out we have to pay £120 per child for them to audition and they aren’t guaranteed a part. Is this usual? Each week starting from the autumn term they will be rehearsing. What will happen to the kids who don’t have a part? Aibu to be a bit annoyed about this?

No experience but that sounds ludicrous and I would not pay that!!

Absolutely not usual. My DD attends a stage school and they allocate parts with all sorts of reasoning but it is never anything they would charge for and there would be uproar amongst the parents if they tried!

Sounds very money grabbing.
Is it a Stagecoach?

My DD goes to a stage school, they have open auditions all through the year for productions which you may or may not get parts in, they are free to audition for, they also get to take part in a couple of productions on a smaller scale annually. There are no costs aside from the termly fee and ticket costs for productions. It seems absurd to pay for an audition you don't get a part in.

thanks for the replies. It’s not stagecoach. It’s a small stage school run by a family. It’s been around for several decades! I’m glad to read I’m not being unreasonable. Im not sure what to do next. The kids love the group and have made friends but are definitely going to be disappointed come the autumn.

One of my Dd did a drama group as a child /teen everyone got a part in the end of year show it was usually entered into NYT competition anyway I think if you are paying that much for a stage school your kids to be on stage. I'd find them something else.

Two of mine attend stage coach and we have never had this. Everyone has been included in every production. No paying for anything other than usual fees. Costumes provided.

Yes, it’s not stage coach. I’m really tempted to see if I can get them into stagecoach. I feel like they have been working really hard and then are not going to be in any production we could go and watch. It feels very mean.

Find out who does NYT in your area and what age they're covering. There is often some charge but it is kept as low as possible and there are always discrete free places if a child would be prevented from otherwise attending. One I was involved in very recently it was £30 per child total inc crisps/biscuit fund. The money covers emergency production needs. Costumes, scenography, and tec is all provided, and everybody of all abilities are catered for and perform.
There's an expectation of commitment to the production for children and parents. If you have that, you're in.

Thank you. I will look into this.

Be aware that Stagecoach is very variable. It is a franchise so each branch is really only as good as the people who run it and that can vary so much.

Our DD went to one for a while and we were seriously underwhelmed. We let her do it for quite a while because she did enjoy it and she/we had no illusions about any serious performing arts future, it was just a fun activity. However, the standard of teaching at the one she went to was very poor and the people who ran it appeared to have little idea of how to put on a performance.

On one occasion they were in a charity performance in a neighboring city with two other Stagecoach schools. Of course we went. I cannot begin to tell you how disappointing the performance by DDs group was. Not the kids fault, just piss poor planning and organisation by the staff. One of the other groups wasn't much better. The third was terrific. I think the good one wasn't that they had more talented kids so much as the staff really, really knew what they were doing and how to put on a performance.

So some of them are good, but some are shit, so check your local ones out carefully.

My DDs use to go to one that was great all the kids got time to shine then they sold it, one of the staff took over and it became like this, very money grabbing. One dropped out as she didn’t like it, then we pulled the other.

Thank you for this. I assumed they would all be of a similar standard. I don’t think either of my dc are interested in acting later on in life it’s just a really fun activity for them. They enjoy it and it’s really been a big confidence builder for my youngest. I will have a good look at all the offerings in my local area.

Hope you can find an alternative. I wonder what Equity or other bodies who represent actors/other performers would think of such a practice.

It just sounds like a money making scheme for the owners. There is 1 like that where I am every year the owners kid now grandkids got lead parts and others had to pay for auditions, seemed just a big ego boost foe the owners.

I'd look at NYT or see if an arts centre run kids classes. It's a great boost for them and does wonders for confidence it would be a shame for them to stop if they enjoy performing.

It turns out we have to pay £120 per child for them to audition

Is this a typo?? That's ridiculous!

Are you sure it’s not £120 to be in the production? That would make sense if additional teaching hours and extra on top of the usual work.

Can’t talk about YT, but as an ‘amdrammer’ in adult groups, I know some groups charge an audition fee. BUUUT it’s normally a charge for non members which is then often offset against membership subs if you do the show. And definitely not £120-that is ludicrous. That’s slightly less than my subs for a whole year!! I’d want to know what that audition fee is going towards, and if there are expected further fees towards things like lib and scores, usual subs, etc.

(Should add, not all amateur societies ask for audition fees by the way-my current one doesn’t-but have seen it in practice).

I'd imagine that those who don't get a part will be chorus, which for a panto is usually quite a bit of stuff to do. Mine loved being in panto choruses.

Dance/stage schools often charge for costumes so it may be that's where the audition money is going. For dance mine always got a tutu to keep which they loved. However some hire them, and then the price can be similar but they don't keep them.
Ask what it's for.

It just sounds like a money making scheme for the owners.

Every commercial venture is a money-making scheme for the owners. That's how our economy works

Mine do drama. They go to classes which have end of term shows which everyone in the class is in. That’s included (well except we buy tickets to watch but they’re not expensive, it’s a not for profit group & the classes are a lot cheaper than the equivalent Stagecoach so I don’t mind that).

Then they do 2 big shows a year. You audition for those separately and do pay a production fee to audition (but it’s refunded if they don’t get a part). That is about £60 for members I think & £90 for non-members (kids who don’t do classes with them). They rehearse outside of usual class time so it’s the cost for that, costume etc.

It was ballet that really got me. Hundreds of pounds on show fees, costumes etc & all done within the usual Class times.

Unfortunately not. It’s for their extra time to watch the auditions apparently!

It’s for their extra time to watch the auditions

If they don’t audition they won’t have any part at all apparently

My kids have been in loads of different theatre groups and dance classes and every single production has involved everyone in the group even if they were just in tge ensemble. And I have never ever been asked to pay for an audition. Some of these included performances at proper professional theatres. Even for the pro panto at our local theatre you don't have to pay audition (though about 300 kids audition for about 40 places).