Kids!!! I Don't Know What's Wrong With These Kids Today...
There's no way around it... Kids are the face of Theatre's future. And as often as they drive us crazy, it's important to know how to work with them, and to work with them in a way that will foster in them a love of the arts (ugh, I'm starting to sound like my middle school drama teacher). Therefore, the following blog post will be covering how to work with children in a professional context (if you've never done it before), and will give you a new appreciation of stage managers (seriously, we know they're a gift from God, but you'll have a new appreciation for them once you've worked on a show with children). I've been working with kids (60+ kids at once as a choreographer... Still gives me nightmares) for 5 years, and feel very qualified to give you a few pointers.
Firstly, regardless of whether you're working in a professional theater or not, some of those kids are there because their parents have decided to fulfill their own dreams of playing Mama Rose in real life. Yes, stage moms and the kid who act out. This manifested itself in my last show as a twelve year old who kept drinking out a prop vodka bottle filled with water and pretending he was drunk (true story). While this may sound funny to some people, it was annoying as hell after a four week run. What could we do about it? We asked him to stop (maaaaannnnnyyy times) and sicced the stage manager on him. Did it work? Not really, but there wasn't much we could do. Sometimes you just have to deal with annoying kids.
When you have a problem with a kid and you're not in a position of power, you just have to let the stage manager deal with it (see? I told you there was a reason I loved those lovely people!). That being said, the kids should still know that you're an adult and they should respect you right off the bat. It may make you feel like an old lady/man having them call you miss/ms./mr. but it really needs to be done. That, and you should treat them like they're kids. Don't share your personal business with them. Sounds like a given, but I see adults who gossip about their relationship woes to 11 year olds... Please, just don't.
On the other hand, when you are in a position of authority... Haha, that's a different story. The first day is the most important, and you need to make sure they know who's in charge right off the bat. This means insist that they listen when an adult is speaking and understanding the rules. That's another thing: rules. You need them. Otherwise you may end up with three dozen 8 year-olds running through a church with juice boxes (a disaster that still embarrasses me). That doesn't mean you have to yell and scream to terrify them into submission. There's a very fine line between respect and fear, and like I said, we want to foster within them a love of theatre. They sure ain't going to love the theatre if all they can remember is that director/music director/choreographer who screamed at them when they were ten.
So, at the end of the day, the gist of this post is pretty simple: 1) gain the respect of the kids from the beginning (because that's the only time you'll be able to get it). 2) Know your place! Actors and directors have very different relationships with child actors.
Firstly, regardless of whether you're working in a professional theater or not, some of those kids are there because their parents have decided to fulfill their own dreams of playing Mama Rose in real life. Yes, stage moms and the kid who act out. This manifested itself in my last show as a twelve year old who kept drinking out a prop vodka bottle filled with water and pretending he was drunk (true story). While this may sound funny to some people, it was annoying as hell after a four week run. What could we do about it? We asked him to stop (maaaaannnnnyyy times) and sicced the stage manager on him. Did it work? Not really, but there wasn't much we could do. Sometimes you just have to deal with annoying kids.
When you have a problem with a kid and you're not in a position of power, you just have to let the stage manager deal with it (see? I told you there was a reason I loved those lovely people!). That being said, the kids should still know that you're an adult and they should respect you right off the bat. It may make you feel like an old lady/man having them call you miss/ms./mr. but it really needs to be done. That, and you should treat them like they're kids. Don't share your personal business with them. Sounds like a given, but I see adults who gossip about their relationship woes to 11 year olds... Please, just don't.
On the other hand, when you are in a position of authority... Haha, that's a different story. The first day is the most important, and you need to make sure they know who's in charge right off the bat. This means insist that they listen when an adult is speaking and understanding the rules. That's another thing: rules. You need them. Otherwise you may end up with three dozen 8 year-olds running through a church with juice boxes (a disaster that still embarrasses me). That doesn't mean you have to yell and scream to terrify them into submission. There's a very fine line between respect and fear, and like I said, we want to foster within them a love of theatre. They sure ain't going to love the theatre if all they can remember is that director/music director/choreographer who screamed at them when they were ten.
So, at the end of the day, the gist of this post is pretty simple: 1) gain the respect of the kids from the beginning (because that's the only time you'll be able to get it). 2) Know your place! Actors and directors have very different relationships with child actors.
So... best of luck to you and your endeavors with the little beasties! Better you than me... Now I'm off to rehearsal, where I'll be greeted by 70 smiling, tap-dancing demons. à tout à l'heure...
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