And all the men and women merely players;
And one man in his time plays many parts,”
William Shakespeare “As You Like It”
Drama students learn that there is a lot of work that goes into a performance. From memorizing lines to learning dance choreography, it’s important that they put in the time to prepare before opening night. Learning about the connection between preparation and success teaches a young person that their effort matters, and the importance of preparation versus trying to wing it at the last minute.
Auditions are a part of every stage performance. Preparing a song or a monologue, and performing it for the director and those in charge of the production is important in order to determine who will play each role. The reality here is that an actor will not always receive the role that he or she tried out for, and that is disappointing. It’s definitely okay to be disappointed when you don’t get what you were hoping for, but processing that disappointment, and then moving on is crucial to a young person’s emotional and social development.
Stepping onto the stage to perform can be daunting for anyone. However, the thrill of working with others to entertain an audience is also undeniable. Facing their nerves and fears (What if I’m not good? What if I make a mistake? What if I forget my lines?) will help your child learn to tackle new things head on rather than running away from what scares them. Tackling their fears early in life will help them to courageously go after even bigger dreams down the road.
Productions go through countless changes and tweaks on their way to opening night. One day a director might ask for a scene to be played one way, but then ask for something completely different during the next rehearsal. Perhaps that high note in a song isn’t quite working, so it’s changed out for a whole new section, or even a whole new song. Flexibility and adaptability are key attributes that young performers need to acquire during rehearsals for a show. Resistance to change could slow things down, and also create more stress for the actor and those around them. Learning to adapt quickly with the changes will not only help to bring the performance together, but will also help them to roll with the many changes of our busy and constantly changing world.