@MxPickles and break a leg to your DD today! Sorry, missed that one!
@NotEvenSlightlyReasonable It is hard on the kids when they build their hopes up and it doesn't go their way. But as you said, that's a reflection of the industry, and fortunately this year they seem to be back to letting people know quite quickly, so if it's a no they can move on. The kids are often better at accepting it than their parents, and although obviously we wish for good things for them, I think this kind of experience helps prepare them (and us) for their adult life. In the old days it would have been called character building. I suppose now it would be seen as building resilience, something which, as a secondary teacher, I see daily is in very short supply with some children. ALL the kids on this thread are to be congratulated; not only for any recalls they get or ultimately any shows they get into, but for having the courage to go to a probably unfamiliar place with lots of unfamiliar people, and singing, dancing and being uninhibited enough to improvise and act in front of strangers. It's a huge thing to do (not sure I could!), and I admire them all for doing it.
Philosophical bit over. There are parents on this thread whose offspring have experienced the whole range - a no after audition, a no after recalls, an ensemble part and a lead! And yet the kids still keep coming back for another year. I think they get a lot from the day itself, and even managing disappointment is good practice for life's adult disappointments.