Performing in a musical is an experience that young people will remember for the rest of their lives, and it is truly a pleasure to work with your child on this exciting project.  I want everyone involved to understand both the benefits and responsibilities that go along with being in a musical, so I have detailed some of the basics here.

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First off, there are a number of great benefits to being in a musical, including: 

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Active Participation in the Arts: Participating in the arts provides young people with a chance to explore their creativity and imagination in a structured and safe environment. Musical theater is specifically remarkable because it is the only art form that combines all areas of the fine arts: acting, singing, dancing, and visual arts.

 

Improving Literacy Skills: From reading scripts to memorizing lines to learning to tell a story, young people continually improve their literacy skills while rehearsing and performing in a musical.

 

Becoming a Confident Public Speaker: It takes a lot of guts to stand up and sing or dance in front of your family, peers, and what may seem like the entire community. Experience with public speaking at a young age gives students confidence that will be important to them for the rest of their lives.

 

Gaining Critical Thinking & Problem Solving Skills: Putting on a musical is a group effort and every member of the team must work together to make it happen. Throughout the rehearsal process, the students will learn to solve challenges as they arise. Students will learn to trust and depend on themselves and their cast mates.

 

As with any group activity, every participant has responsibilities. Please look over the following items to make sure you and your child feel you can honour the commitment to being a part of a show.

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Attendance: You have received a basic rehearsal schedule for the show. Please look it over closely to make sure your child has no conflicts with the rehearsals or show dates. If there are conflicts, please let the director know as soon as possible. Students are expected to attend all rehearsals they are called for unless prior approval has been given. Failure to do so can result in dismissal from the show.

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Rehearsals: Rehearsals will last 2 hours and be held upstairs at the Baggage Building Arts Centre. Students should bring their scripts, a water bottle, a snack, and wear appropriate shoes and clothes for movement. Also, please make sure you have arranged for your child to be picked up on time from each rehearsal.

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Homework: Students will have some homework for the show, including memorizing lines and songs, rehearsing their dances, and researching their character. Work with your child to create a schedule so they have time to finish both their school homework and their homework from the musical.

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Attitude: The rehearsal room and theatre are safe spaces where young people can take positive risks and be themselves without the fear of being laughed at or alienated. This principle is essential to artistic growth and exploration. Participants are expected to respect these principles and are encouraged to remember it themselves when trying new things.

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Volunteering: The most important thing you can do to help us with the musical is make sure your child commits to everything listed above. If you want to volunteer additional time or resources to the production, simply drop me an email and I will contact you when assistance is needed. I am still in the process of compiling a list of everything that needs to be done, but don’t worry, when I have tasks that need to be done, I will let you know.

           

Finally, please remember that a musical is a living, breathing entity. Things don’t always go exactly as planned, so changes to the plan will most likely be made throughout the rehearsal process. I promise to give you as much advance notice as possible on all changes that arise.

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Sincerely,

Marcia Arpin