Come & join me in general chat all you patents of performers - be it dancers, actors, singers or musicians

[Picturesinthefirelight]

There are quite a few if us onhere though I know done if you from NAPM & Balletcoforum too

Here we can have a general chit chat about what our children are up to so we don't clog up the threads on specific topics

So Sparkly, Katy, Cory & loads more. Come chat!

Dd1 is going to audition/ have a look at Redroofs. It's nearer to us and she seems keen. She needs to go away really. We have had such issues with the school recently about time off for exams and performances that I don't think I can do it for another 6+ years!

Sometimes these children are square pegs trying to fit into round holes.

Hello, can I join. DS2 has just finished his latest show (west end touring) and we've just heard he's been cast as the main part in another paid job. Not sure how much I'm allowed to say yet. It's perfect though as it's fun, near his school and should keep him occupied for quite a while.

So erm acting/performing seems to be back on the future career agenda :rolls eyes:

Are you able to say what show he has just done. I can think of a few touring with a young boy.

The good news for us is the dr didn't charge for dds medical as he used to share a school bus with kids from dds new school back in the day!

As a family how have you found the endless drop off & pick ups? Especially challenging for you I imagine. I sometimes feel that when dd has been in shows like panto or musicals , ds misses out.

And we struck lucky with the doctor as well, that one did the last two working weeks. Hopefully he'll not charge again....

I think I would find a full on theatre thing hard to manage for a long period though - for the reasons you give regarding drop off and things like that. It's fine for one or two weeks, but would be hard to juggle with the 3 of them long term. Even the idea of panto would make my eyes water. This next job is long term but should be more flexible in timing than theatre and ds2 should just need picking up rather than dropping off. It's great actually - am excited for him.

And for the sorts of reasons you mention we decided to bin the idea of an agent after meeting one. They told me we'd be expected to travel to London (4 hours away) regularly - possibly a few times a week (!) - for auditions (esp for commercials). Er no thanks. Not possible. But it made me realise that even if it were physically possible I couldn't cope really with someone else being in charge of our timetable or having expectations for us to attend particular auditions. Okay we get fewer opportunities, but tbh ds2 gets (more than) enough and we get to decide whether we want to audition or not, and don't have to justify or account for not auditioning for something.

If we lived in London and ds2 was an only child, yes sure, but he does have to fit in with the other kids as well.

Not in the same league, but DD is doing panto (local but professional) for the second time this year. Hopefully it will be easier for ther this time - she was the youngest child at 8 two years ago and found it socially difficult backstage and during rehearsals.

Logistics ....eeek.....

Did you get to meet the star (his fans screaming in Manchester before he'd sung a note really annoyed me). Fab show. The kids are desperate to be allowed to see it. Ds wanted to audition but he's too unreliable (suspected asd/meltdowns)

Panto is fun. As well as the local big panto dd has done smaller scale professional stuff too. It's all good experience & they get loads out of amateur stuff too if its well run.

The logistics are scary. And they change rehearsal schedules at the drop of a hat. You are basically expected to give up all commitments during those two months

Teacher - weirdly I find ds2 happily works with adults but gets freaked working with kids a few years older than him. He had an audition for an amateur (friendly) thing early last year & completely freaked out because 'there are THIRTEEN year olds auditioning'

Oh that does sound scary pictures

I'm a licensed chaperone so I got to chaperone Boxing Day otherwise I would have been alone. All my family went out but I had to stay behind to take & collect dd.

I've also chaperoned a few things dd hasn't been in. I quite enjoy it.

Oh chaperoning looks fun, how did you get into it/start doing it? Ds2's latest chaperone was fab, straight out of drama school, in the west end as a kid. Gave ds2 lots of advice - including the need to think about ways to make money - he now wants to be a chaperone when older (he'd be good at it! He's great with younger kids!)

I started off being licensed when Stagecoach provided children for Tosca & Aida tours. Panto chaperoning was unpaid but then got a call from Jo Hawes who needed chaperones at my local theatre for South Pacific.

Oh that's good. Did you have to do a council course? I was wondering about it after hearing that the local theatre had problems getting chaperones for ds2's first professional show. The production company had left it a bit last minute (NOT for the production mentioned above - they were extremely professional). We live so close to the (large regional) theatre I wondered whether it might be a way to earn a bit of extra cash.

I had to go for an interview then you have to do a course once every 3 years in my area.

Hm I might look into it! The chaperones have always seemed to have fun.