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Extra-curricular activities

Find advice on the best extra curricular activities in secondary schools and primary schools here.

Original poster

Any parents of would-be thespians here?

67 replies

cory · 16/07/2013 16:34

I've noticed lots of threads about music and plenty about dancing, but what about acting? Anyone else whose dc lives for the stage? Anyone else who gets to spend their evenings taking "all the other parts" for a rehearsing dc? (I do a mean Romeo, I do Wink).

Dd has just got to the point where she is prepared to admit to other people that she is hoping to make her career in something theatre-related. She is starting A-levels next term. And dreams of the National Youth theatre, stage school etc...

OP posts:
irisgrey · 18/07/2013 14:07

Ds2 acts and dances (doesn't sing) but I'm very relieved that he wants to take school as seriously as his performing. It's a juggle and means he is really busy outside school trying to keep everything going but he is always adamant that he doesn't want to go to vocational school. He has worked quite a lot in the last couple of years but although he wants to carry on and be an adult actor he also wants to be a pilot or engineer so he has no desire to turn his back on school.

At the moment he is worrying about whether he needs to specialise (he is only 10 but a friend is going to vocational dance school so he has obviously been thinking about this). On the way home from school yesterday he said, "Life is very confusing at the moment. I feel like i need to make choices. I could be a very successful dancer and dance all over the world, or I could be an actor and be really famous, or should I go to university and invent something?" No problems with self-doubt!

VerlaineChasedRimbauds · 18/07/2013 14:12

Pictures - I don't know WHAT you mean Grin

DeWe · 18/07/2013 14:13

Russian I doubt we're the same place, strictly amateur, and quite small.

The panto was a local group that we were lucky to start in the 2nd year. It's now got a waiting list for the children's chorus, but because we're already involved our dc get to do it.

Dd1 in particular would love more opportunities, but we haven't gone out of area to audition because it would be such a hassle dragging all the children over there, so she is very limited to only a very few companies.

Lancelottie · 18/07/2013 14:16

Oh god, yes, Cory. DS is adamant that an actor's life is the only thing he'd interested in.

Sadly even I can see that while he's good, there are at least two others in his school year alone who are as good or better (ordinary comp with about 200 to a year; two of them have just got into NYT, DS forgot to mention the auditions, which is sort of typical).

I suspect that means he hasn't got the edge to make it his profession.

But hey, what do I know abut it? This is a child who was painfully tune-free at 5, and last year sang the lead for his school musical, so maybe sheer determination plus a bit better organisation will see him through.

Picturesinthefirelight · 18/07/2013 14:17

My username in there is related to the Thomas the Tank obsession my son used to have.

My username now is a song from a show dd was in at Stockport.

VerlaineChasedRimbauds · 18/07/2013 14:21

Aha! Hello. Now you'll know how much I swear Blush. I try to be eversowellspoken on NAPM.

Picturesinthefirelight · 18/07/2013 14:24

A lot if the info on napm won't be relevant to me now as dd won't be allowed to take part in anything for the next t 5 years.

VerlaineChasedRimbauds · 18/07/2013 14:45

I hope she has a great time at her new school. I hope you'll keep visiting the site though :)

Picturesinthefirelight · 18/07/2013 15:39

I'm feeling a bit list as iced realised just how much time I've spent taking her to stuff & chaperoning etc. Her dancing & drama has been my social life She's got her last dance school show next week & they don't need me to chaperone so I'm feeling extra redundant (was really looking forward to it too)

InViennaWeWerePoetry · 20/07/2013 22:37

Another with no aspiring thespian children, but who is one themselves. Also willing to answer any questions :) Although probably more useful on here would be my mum, I think it's definitely more stressful for the parents. One thing I would say is that an endless list of backup plans is absolutely essential, I think I must be on plan 500 ish by now Grin

Picturesinthefirelight my mum has never forgiven me for all the major Corrie plotlines she missed out on because she was ferrying me around!

EvilTwins · 21/07/2013 12:53

My DTDs are very keen - they're only 7 but are moving to the junior class of our local youth theatre in September (it's an excellent one, linked to our local theatre) and are also in the theatre choir. DTD2 is considerably more confident (and tuneful) that DTD1 but both love it.

I'm a drama teacher, so spend my days with kids who dream of it... I have two supremely talented boys (about to go into Yr 10) and one girl (about to go into Yr 11) at the moment, and am pseudo "pushy mum/teacher" to them because two out of the three don't get much interest (let alone push) from home. Have managed to get 8 of them into a professional play in October through general pushiness with a touring theatre company who is coming to our local theatre, which is v exciting. I have to chaperone for the week, which I've never done before, but am looking forward to.

Original poster
cory · 21/07/2013 19:37

thanks for website, looks very interesting

dd is hoping to audition for the National Youth Theatre this winter (don't quite know how we would fund it if she got in- I'd have to rob a bank or something), the auditionining should be good practice

she is doing a regional type youth theatre in August which she is rather excited about

EvilTwins you sound a wonderful teacher

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EvilTwins · 21/07/2013 19:47

cory - Blush

Lancelottie · 21/07/2013 21:40

Cory, one of DS's friends has just got into NYT. His fundraising so far has been to invite all his equally thesp-y mates to do a turn at a concert and fleece their parents of the entry fee. Despite being rather envious, most of his friends are excited for him and also weren't going to pass up a chance to get up and sing/dance/play.

Seems to have raised most of the fee in one go. Would that be an option?

DowntonTrout · 21/07/2013 22:10

DD started at full time theatre school in January this year.

I'm still unsure whether it was the right thing to do, but equally if felt like the only thing we could do. She loves it. I have sort of known, in the back of my mind since she was about 5, that she would end up somewhere like that.

What makes me think it is right for her is that she says she feels like she fits, everyone gets her. I worry that it is " messing" with her education, but they take 9 GCSEs, which I think is probably enough. She is too tall for the child musical theatre roles at the moment which is just fine really. I would rather that she concentrated on her studies at this age.

She doesn't know what she wants to do or be yet. She does have a back up idea for a normal job though. At the moment her strength is voice, 2nd is drama, dance comes a definite last, although she has made progress very quickly. She will never be a ballerina though!

Original poster
cory · 23/07/2013 18:35

That sounds very exciting, Downton. And 9 GCSE's should be plenty for most careers. I like what you said about "everybody gets her". Dd feels that way about Sixth Form college, that at last she will be with people who want the same things as her.

We are having a 4 weeks lull between theatrical activities now, as the last show finished on Saturday (matinee and evening, furs, heavy layers of make-up and a snow machine- in this weather!). I'll see about taking her to some performances locally and I will help her to get a visitor's pass at the local university library so she can read plays; it will give her something to do (and keep her from under my feet).

OP posts:
saintlyjimjams · 24/07/2013 21:58

Ds2. God knows where he gets it from. He's doing his third professional (west end touring) stint next week. Second time for this show. I ran through his lines with him this morning as it's been a few months since his last performance of it and he was pretty chilled.

I actually think that ds2 will probably end up in IT rather than acting (not sure he wants the acting/MT enough) but the shows are fun at the moment.

KatyMac · 24/07/2013 22:06

DD is so excited as she is going to be doing Bugsy Malone at Summer School this year.........we found out today - she loves musicals, oh sorry "Musical Theatre" Blush

Pictures I have another year then I will be lost too.......

But (as a lot of you know) she was scheduled to do 14 GCSEs & I've managed to knock them back to 9 GCSEs and 2 BTECs (a reduction of 1 science, ICT & RE). But it's still too much!

& the school have agreed to flexi schooling (at least for a little bit)

InViennaWeWerePoetry · 24/07/2013 22:39

This thread is making me all nostalgic about school productions! :(

Downton it sounds like she's getting the best of both worlds if she's still taking 9 GCSEs. 9 is plenty whether you're intending on going down the performing arts path or not. I probably should have auditioned for a performing arts secondary place but didn't, I ended up compromising and moving to a school with a better drama department instead. I do wonder if that would have made a difference to my first round of drama school auditions.

I'm feeling slightly fraudulent being on here without a thespian DC Blush so to add some words of advice: what I wish someone had pointed out to me more forcefully as a teenager is that attempting to go down the performing arts route is essentially making a lifestyle choice as well as a career choice. The majority of people signing themselves up for a performing arts career are also signing themselves up for months of being out of work and no steady income, I knew that but I don't think I fully appreciated the reality of it. I have friends who were earning more than their parents at age 20, but come out of their first job and don't get anything for months. Watching your friends who have gone down more traditional career paths getting stable jobs, buying their first house, etc, while you're auditioning and getting nothing is bloody stressful. That said, it's fantastic work when you can get it.

Original poster
cory · 25/07/2013 09:18

Know what you mean about the career, InVienna.

Though her father and I are hardly in a position to preach- he's an archaeologist and my own career choice was not much safer either. Dh was still living in a rented room when he turned 30. A bad, bad example. Grin

OP posts:
showtunesgirl · 25/07/2013 09:20

A very timely article about this from the Guardian this week: www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2013/jul/23/paul-bhattacharjee-cory-monteith-acting

saintlyjimjams · 25/07/2013 09:27

I have said to ds2 that he should really concentrate on his IT skills (he is very good at anything to do with computers - turned mine on when he was ten & found he'd been coding on it) and really work at improving his programming skills etc as it would combine quite well with acting in terms of having something to make money.

He doesn't really have a clue how hard acting is. Three professional theatre auditions, has got two of them and was through to the final round (of many) for the third. I have told him if he really wants to do it he needs to start auditioning for things like NYMT & YMT as he gets older.

InViennaWeWerePoetry · 25/07/2013 12:14

Cory my parents were thrilled when I announced I wanted to be an actress, most likely because before that I was set on being a dancer, which tends to be even less financially stable!

Interesting article showtunesgirl. I don't agree with the point about friendships made through work not lasting, I still have some great friends from my first job, but maybe I've just been very lucky.

It's a scary world. Someone pointed out to me recently that in 20 years time all my school friends will be in stable careers having worked their way up over the years, and I won't be any more guaranteed of next year's income than I was when I was 19.

Saintlyjimjams I honestly can't stress the importance of audition experience enough. That was definitely part of my mistake first time round auditioning for drama school. I'd done some auditions for child theatre parts when I was much younger, got them, and thought that meant I knew what I was doing for an 18+ drama school place Blush

showtunesgirl · 25/07/2013 12:16

InViennaWeWerePoetry, I too am very good friends with the people I made friends with at my first job. I think it really depends on each cast. There have been some that I've just walked away from afterwards and they were just jobs. But other casts I have come away with lifelong friends.

InViennaWeWerePoetry · 25/07/2013 13:00

I think length is probably a factor actually showtunesgirl, two jobs stand out to me as being places I've made lifelong friends and both are the longest running, most full on ones I've had.

On a completely different note, out of interest, how would you feel about your own DC wanting to go into acting?