School play....why do auditions???

[Schoolmum2468]

It's school play season AGAIN...and again the same old story happening again. (3x DC...always the same story)

I told DH weeks ago when we found out the play who would be given which parts. And low and behold....I was correct.

And my DC has come home in tears because they weren't given any of the parts they auditioned for. Even the extra part the teacher asked them to audition for

The child who told mine not to bother going for part A because it was their part...yup got the part

The pushy parents child got the main part (AGAIN!!!)

"Shy" children who have now come out of their shells now they're the eldest in the school.... literally background scenery.

My DC's friend is also upset because they wanted a speaking part and got 1 short line "no way" type of thing

My DC wanted an acting part and got narrator (again). They've been told in the past that it's because they're a good reader....but now in yr6 after years of being narrator (both in end of year plays and Xmas nativities) they thought for the last play in primary they would try really hard to get an acting part.

So what is the point of asking children which part they want and going through auditions if teachers are going to ignore all that and just chose who they want.

And why not give other children a little bit of a chance in the spotlight if they want it. Chances are the shyer ones are going to be even more lost in secondary and this may be their last chance. It's a school play....why not add lines for children who want them. It's primary school not a theatre production!!!

If any teachers can explain why they do this year upon year....please enlighten me.

Yes your right. Our school finest do auditions as no need as the same DC get the parts year in year out. Seems to be from reception the children are grouped and it never changes. I let it go straight over my head. No point in showing my kids how annoying it is.

Not all teachers are different for each year. The talented and super keen kids are fab. The ones being pushed and judged by their parents and making teachers giving their DC 5 more lines due to another child having more lines is not doing the school any favour.
Those doing outside clubs will be judged on their merits and probably think it it is fairer because auditions and selection processes are not opaque. For example, role will go to those that can attend dates for rehearsals, learn all lines by hard and have LAMDA grades or Singing grades or choir experience. Very upfront in the criteria.

Nope, in my experience, there is just as much disgruntlement about who gets the lead roles in extracurricular drama clubs. If anything, I think a lot of those organisations are even less likely to give big parts to the kids who aren't natural performers, as it's the quality of the shows that they put on which typically sell their services to parents.

Eurgh it’s always a hard one. Our school tends to give main parts to the kids they know attend drama groups however if I’m honest most of them weren’t actually very good actors in the last play and were outshone by a few outstanding performances by other children for whom this was their first attempt. I guess they try to play it safe and go for kids who are likely to learn lines 🤷🏼‍♀️ (agree with pp about the pigeonholing at primary - children change dramatically during early childhood)

I put on about 20 school plays every year (ranging from informal class plays with speaking parts for everyone) to massive musicals where 2-3 whole year groups work together.

I always thing I have a pretty clear idea before auditions who will get which parts. It sometimes feels like a huge waste of time squeezing them into an already packed timetable. But I have to audition for three reasons:

1. so parents can't complain that their child wasn't given a fair chance and seen performing by at least 2 teachers.
2. because there is usually the occasional child who performs far better than expected and throws all the plans up in the air.
3. so the children feel it was done properly.

Ironically it seems the auditions don't stop number 1) happening!

I'm on kind of the other side of this. My children ALWAYS got the main parts in primary school plays. Every year I'd go to the teacher involved and say please don't pick MsMasterCurlew this year-it's not fair and he would always say that he ouches the best person for the part. I think it's how some schools operate.

It is unfortunately possible to perform on stage really well but audition badly, and vice versa. I've seen both happen.

Experience does matter. If two kids are similar in standard, but I know one was brilliant in the lead role last year and one is an unknown, I'm more likely to go for the safe bet. Auditions are tricky. I've seen amazing auditions from flaky people who then don't bother to turn up to rehearsals. Bad auditions from people who then do great things with a small role and are recognised the following year. People who audition AND perform well but are such a pain in the arse to work with that they aren't cast again. People who are brilliant but don't suit the roles on offer.

Also, in my experience the people who are cast every year are the most talented.

I was too shy to audition for anything in Primary, but I do successfully now. If your child wants to do it, treat Seniors as a new start.

We have been on the other end of this…. My daughter is really good all round at sports and her teacher actively selected her to do all sporting events regardless of talent for any particular event . I got the football and athletics but not swimming as she’s pretty average. She was always thrilled to take part and I never said anything to school but I did wonder if other kids and parents were naffed off. I got the feeling he does this every year as I’ve seen it with other kids in different years.
it really brought her out of her shell and increased her confidence BUT the down side is she never has to try hard know she’s in a bigger talent pool she makes less effort and as a result hasn’t been on teams at school. My son however tends to practice running and football a lot More as he is not at natural athlete. I’m not sure this helps but I think as your child moves on they will quickly see that talent is what is rewarded and pushy parents tend to be somewhat filtered out at bigger schools. I hope so anyway ….

they should all be given an equal chance to audition. But then the best one should be chosen. I don’t think it does kids any harm to learn that ‘everyone is equal’ doesn’t mean ‘you should be chosen for opportunities over others who are more suitable.

By that logic only 6 kids would be doing maths lessons and the others would be sat at the side watching and maybe joining in with the odd partial toon role to show willing.

I still feel heartbroken for the same thing happening to me when I was 10. I'm in my thirties now. My DC is too young for plays at the moment, but I had hoped that things had moved on by now. Teachers, please take note and give all kids a chance in the play. If they freeze up, so be it, at least they had the opportunity and knew that you believed in them enough to let them try.

I found that many teachers did not know the difference between shyness and introversion. I am very introverted, so was a quiet kid at school and wouldn't be volunteering answer's but not shy in anyway. I never had any issue in public speaking. I was of only 3 kids in the class to be given no part at all, even after enthusiastic auditions. The same thing had happened, the parts had decided in advance and auditions were just to give the impression of fairness. They had already decided as I was a quiet kid, I wouldn't want a part.

The day I found out I had no part, I cried so hard, that they had get my mum to come collect me from school. I cried all week and withdrew from school. I felt letdown by my teachers and that they had no trust in my ability.

This was over 20 years ago, I really thought things would have improved by now, so it's very sad to hear it is still happening. Teachers, please do different if you can. You are letting down your students

Firebolt

Well said. It’s clearly a painful memory for you and as the adverts say ‘teaches can make a difference’ I’m sorry they let you down.

Agree @Firebolt

My DD was also introverted at school, tended to sail under the radar and didn’t push herself forward for school plays because she knew from experience that the parts would be going to X, Y and Z who were the more extroverted children. If the teachers had bothered to get to know her they would have found out that she had (has) a fantastic singing voice and appeared on stage in a variety of roles in a musical group she went to at the weekend - the teacher there knew how to get the best out of all the children, not just the very outgoing ones.

Yep- it would be a great play if all the shy children who mumble into their jumpers and refuse to look at the audience were the main parts and all the talented, confident actors and singers were put at the back and given non-speaking parts!

Who said anything about shy kids who don’t want to be on the stage and mumble into their jumpers?

My dd is still in infants but her school (across the board I’m told) doesn’t do auditions. The teachers pick who does what based on what they know about them from class. It seems to work on the whole. Obviously they can’t please everyone, there will only be one or two main roles which 5 or 6 children may want. It’s a bit shit but it’s life unfortunately.
My dd is shy and wouldn’t, at this stage, get up in front of an audience and speak on her own. She will however happily sing along with everyone else so she often goes in the choir. As she gets older I hope she grows in confidence but if not, the choir it is

My friend was always Mary and I was always St. Elizabeth!

I agree OP it's ridiculous

I really cannot understand why teachers do it, simply laziness?

As she gets older I hope she grows in confidence but if not, the choir it is

Shes destined to be in the choir forever, have you read the thread? Children aren’t allowed to grow in confidence and will never be given the opportunity as they have been pigeonholed forever.

Why would “pushy parents” have any input into a school play? Surely the parts are allocated by the teacher, following auditions for each role?

That’s when you parent to plug the gaps and try to find something they can feel successful in. FFS, it’s not all down to the poor teachers.

I was talking to dh and saying that one of the issues is that opportunities at school nowadays are few and far between, which means each one takes on more importance.

At my primary (1 form entry primary) every year we had:
2 assemblies per class (often acting a small play)
Big Christmas show where every class did something. At a younger age all would be on stage with the infants doing one play (and year 2s taking the parts), and year 5 and 6 would do one together, again with year 6 getting the better parts. Backstage was also quite contested, mostly among the older boys!
Easter Eisteddfod: This was done as a house competition and everyone was encouraged to learn a poem and audition. The best were chosen to perform for the parents. Year 5 and 6 again did plays, this time normally separately.
Summer performance: Year 5 and 6 did plays, sometimes together, sometimes together.
Leaving assembly: Year 6 all would have something to say.

So for every year there were 4 opportunities, 3 of which everyone would have a part they could say "I am XXX in the play". year 5 and 6 had 5 opportunities.
Plus there were things like harvest festivals, carol services etc where there would be readings done.
You never got to do things like carol service more than once over the school (I did Harvest festival in year 3) and although by the top end parts were given to the better ones, it was reasonably shared around. Certainly if I think of the ones I can remember, there is very little overlap in who had the best parts. I was Cinderella in year 2, but didn't have another top part.

And for the plays you'd be rehearsing a couple or more sessions a week from half term, assemblies a good 2-3 weeks beforehand.

My dc had: (much larger school tbf)
1 assembly a year per class (everyone reads one line)
1 Christmas show (with parts given to around 10% of the year. The rest get to sing in the choir. Heck, one year they had parts for about 20% of the year-so they gave 10% two parts )
Year 6 play (normally a few more parts, but most end up being non-speaking crowd in most of them)

So the majority of children went through the entire school with one line in assembly per year. Even if they'd worked it out so it had been different children each year, still more than half would have been choir every year.

I'd have quite liked them to challenge me to do a better job. I think I could have with very little difficulty. At any rate I would have made sure that rather than having (eg) one shepherd with 10 lines, I'd have had 10 shepherds with one line. And the choir would have been divided into angels, shepherds, etc so they could feel they had a part (and costume)
I was always left feeling somewhat astonished how bad their plays were. 🤣

This. The teacher bashing on this thread is incredibly sad. I am always in awe of the (voluntary) work that goes into a school show.

I agree, teachers can't win. You don't do auditions and you are accused of just giving parts to "favourites". You do auditions to make sure you haven't missed anyone you didn't realise would be good at acting and you are still accused of showing favouritism.

I'm not sure what parents have to do with it. I've been teaching 20 years and parents have never had any involvement in allocating parts. I teach KS1 and we do a nativity each year. I ask the children who would like a speaking part. Everyone who wants one gets something, even if we have to split lines up. More often than not we don't get enough children who want to do a speaking part. I get them all to try reading a line or two and give the larger parts to those with clear voices. Knowledge of who will practise and learn the lines does have some influence.

I teach in a one form entry which probably makes it easier as not so many kids. Year 2 get the speaking parts.

You do auditions to make sure you haven't missed anyone you didn't realise would be good at acting and you are still accused of showing favouritism.

Maybe do plays that involve all? There’s no reason every child can’t make an impact.

You pick the best - for who? Who’s benefiting from that? The loud kids will continue to be loud the quiet kids already know their place.

Why not risk it and give a child a chance?

Exactly this! Why not give shy kids a chance to improve their self-esteem?
Also as someone pointed out, some previously shy kids have now come out of their shell, but forever pigeonholed. Over-confident pushy kids still chosen for everything, years later.