Dear Parents,
Welcome to the 5th grade musical program 2014-2015. We are excited to get in the skin of William Shakespeare and people of his time: his wife Anne, his actor Burbage, Queen Elisabeth I, ...
Info
If you know me from last year, you'd know that I work in a rather transparent way. All of my plans and thoughts are recorded in documents that are accessible online.
- other announcements are on my
Facebook page or Google+
- newsletters are on my
Blogspot
- I pin Youtube links of the play and costume ideas on my
Pinterest
All of those links, including Doc where all lists are recorded, are accessible from my website,
haoexpression.org, page
Musical, where you can also click on "Script" to print if your child lost his/hers, or if he/she missed the first day of rehearsal.
And you'd know too that I have a rather stern writing and attitude, because I know the sweetness and reward will come on the performance days when the show will be a success!
Policy
- dress code: hair tied back, bangs cleared (I must see eyes). Wear clean socks and done clothing thats closed to body and comfortable to move in.
- students are responsible of their script, parents will be responsible to provide replacement
- students are responsible to know their parts by beginning of October, else they may loose the parts to a group or to another actor. (They are still cast in chorus will still be visible on stage as such.)
- all students to work collaboratively together.
- Zero Tolerance Policy applies. Any child who hurts another, physically or verbally will be excluded from the activities.
What means "Know thy Lines" ?
How many times I've heard children saying proudly "I know all my lines!", to discover that when it was their turn to be on stage, or to say their line, they were nowhere to be seen, or no voice to be heard, and the rehearsal got stuck, waiting for that magic line or that phantom actor. And that is not fair to the children who are focused and know their parts.
So, now I'll say: "Know thy Part", and that means:
- know after what scene I'll be on stage (and go stand in the wing)
- know after who I'll be speaking - that means, the actor needs to know 5-10 lines before theirs, in order to response in a timely manner.
- and of course, know the lines.
And a trick to not miss one's entrance is to stay focus and anticipate.
"Call back" this week
Starting this week, actors who are not on stage when they are needed, who don't speak when they are expected to, or who don't know their lines, may loose their parts to their teammates.
Actors who are already comfortable playing their parts may get extra if available.
A reminder that during conference week, we'll meet 1:15-2:30pm, Wednesday and Thursday.
More lines
Many parents and children have been approaching me for more lines. In performing arts, it is not uncommon that beginners get smaller roles. My daughter started out in 4th grade having zero lines, then one line in 5th grade, but she had fun and learn a lot, and with time and practice she eventually got an important role in 8th grade and I am now very proud of her acting capacity!
In this year's musical, I have 53 children to cast for a 45 minutes performance. Do your maths and you'll see there're not a lot of speaking time for everyone to share. While there may not be enough time for solo lines, there are plenty of time to be seen and heard through acting and singing (acting is not just speaking).
I recently produced a 60 minutes musical play with 16 actors, there of course, everyone had plenty of lines. In November I'll start teaching at the Community Center toward the production of a 60 minutes play with a similarly small sized cast, and there'll be more chance for everyone to get more lines.
But I'll tell you a secret: lines are not important. In my recent production of The Little Prince, the prince's departure was a two-minute-scene with no lines, but it had the power to make people cry.
So, please trust the director, and you will see your children come out of this three-month journey, grown and blossomed!
Hao Bach-Thai Lueckhoff
Movement Based Acting Instructor | Artistic Director
