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Jan. 23, 2008

WFMW Children's Theatre Auditions

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My husband has just been through a casting experience with 39 people trying out for just a handful of parts in Magician's Nephew, and I was also present at another director's auditions for Our Town. I thought that while they are still fresh in my mind, I would share some tips for kids who want to audition for plays. Keep in mind my experience is limited, but this will at least get you started.

Be familiar with the story of the play for which you are auditioning. One girl told the director of Our Town, "I don't know anything about the story, I just showed up." or something to that effect. Get to know the storyline (summaries abound online) and think ahead of time about what part you want and what part you might be the right age/size/experience for.
Be loud, but with a range of vocal expression. The ability to project your voice even when your character is "whispering" is a necessary skill that you should practice. A few auditioners for Magician's Nephew were cut simply because they weren't loud enough. Sure that is a skill that can be taught, but when the director has a large pool of auditioners, he is looking for reasons to cut people.
Be emotive, without being cliche. A cold reading is not easy (one that you haven't seen before) but try to understand the scene and the context and show the emotion of the character in the scene. You can read dialogue intelligently without going the extra step of conveying the emotion in a realistic way. The more realistically you can convey the emotion the more impressive you will be. If you aren't first in line, pay attention to the others who audition so that you can have a sense of the scene you are about to read.
Use your hands and face and body. Most auditioners are going to simply read the part-- give a little extra and make yourself stand out. Read the stage notes in italics that tell your character what to do and try to do a little as you read.
Know that your talent isn't the only thing being evaluated. Sometimes you may be an excellent actor who is just the wrong age or size or body type. It may be that who gets the part you are auditioning for is influenced by who gets other roles, and how much the director needs you to "match." This was definitely the case in Magician's Nephew, where a small Aslan and small Digory necessitated a small Polly.
Be aware that your conduct offstage and backstage in previous plays will be a factor. If you are a known troublemaker, you will not easily get a part, even if you are very talented.

Once you are cast or not cast, keep these things in mind:

Don't drop out because you only got a small part. The play needs all the parts and you can learn so much even when you have a small role.
Stick it out. I have seen many times when a lead dropped out and the part was recast from those who were given smaller roles initially, so hang in there and do your best.
If appropriate, ask the director for feedback. Don't necessarily ask "why didn't I get the part?" but you could ask, how can I do better next time?
Realize that you may be a lead this show but an extra in the next show. Don't be a diva.
If you didn't get a part, help with tech work if possible. Stage hands are often needed and you can learn an awful lot from backstage. You may even love it so much you never want to be on stage again.
Have fun! Theatre is an incredibly fun place to be!

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Jan. 16, 2008

WFMW

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We joined a site called My Church that is a social networking site for churches, along the lines of Myspace. It allows you to blog and comment and all of that, but it also lets you add your church and then you can upload pics, sermons etc. Which is pretty cool. Cause I was on the nursery Sunday and missed the sermon, but now I can hear it. As soon as my hubby uploads it. Works for me!

Find other great ideas at Rocks in my Dryer

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Dec. 19, 2007

WFMW Homemade Gifts??

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My MIL told me that she wants the kids to give her homemade gifts this year. That filled me with fear and anxiety thinking of all the wiggly eyes and glue guns and craft foam, but I am broke so I thought I would go for it despite my trepidation. I announced it to my kids, all the while wondering what sort of ideas I could come up with, considering I have no budget and not much time. Well, guess what? They got to work on their own, and other than asking for a few suggestions and supplies on hand, they haven't needed me. My son made a Lego manger, a twig and garland Star of David and is working on a wreath made from the honeysuckle vines in our backyard. Reed is working on some sort of clay project; Sydney and Macy drew nativity scenes, and I just stood back in awe. So here's my tip-- give your kids a little space and time and they come up with awesome ideas.

Check out other hioliday ideas at Rocks in My Dryer

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Dec. 5, 2007

WFMW What do I fix?

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Shannon asked for easy quick recipes for those days when you look up and it's dinnertime and you don't have a plan. Here are my faves:

1) Breakfast for dinner. Pancakes, eggs, bacon or eggs if you've got it. Easy and quick and everyone is happy.

2) Chicken Pie: Mix cooked shredded chicken, Cream of Chicken soup, mixed vegetables, and top with a biscuit crust. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

3) Chicken -n- Dumplin's Boil chicken and add salt and pepper. Drop canned biscuits torn in pieces or bisquick by the spoonful into boiling chicken broth. Add cream of chicken soup before serving.

4) Cheese Quesadillas-- 3 ingredients-- tortillas, butter and cheese. Sour cream to dip in if you're fancy. Butter one side of the tortilla, lay in hot pan and sprinkle with cheese. Fold and serve.

4) Easy chicken Quesadillas-- Add 1/4 c salsa and 1/4 c taco seasoning to cooked chicken. Put a buttered tortilla, the chicken mixture and cheese on a cookie sheet. Top with another buttered tortilla. Cook until brown and crisp. Cut in fourths. Serve with sour cream.

Check out other great recipe ideas at Rocks in My Dryer

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Nov. 21, 2007

WFMW Christmas Giving

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We have done this for 3 years, and it has been so much fun that I am sure we will do it for many more. And I love that it teaches my kids to focus on the joy of giving instead of the Gimme Gimme attitude that sometimes prevails at Christmas. I think it truly teaches the spirit of Christmas.

Twelve Days of Christmas

Each year we select a person that needs cheering up. Three years ago it was an elderly member of our church who had been out sick for a few weeks. Two years ago it was a lady who is taking care of her mom with Alzheimer's and no longer gets to come to church. Last year it was a lady who had recently lost her husband. We found out on Christmas Eve that it was her birthday so it worked out doubly nice. This year, I already have someone in mind.

On the 12 days before Christmas (or you could pick Dec 1-12 if you are going out of town, it really doesn't have to end on Christmas Day) you secretly hide a "themed" gift on their doorstep with an anonymous note. Here are some examples but you can change it to fit your budget or the needs of the recipient. (One of ours was diabetic which made it hard LOL)

1st Day-- we give pears and make a funny note about the store being out of partidges.
2nd Day-- Dove chocolate or Turtle candy ( we used dove soap for the diabetic lady)
3rd Day-- Chicken Soup
4th Day-- We gave a preety notepad and pen and said the calling birds left a message
5th Day-- Pineapple rings (this was the favorite both years, not sure why)
6th Day- We made candy eggs one year and the other year we gave her a half dozen real eggs.
7th Day-- I think we gave bubble bath or bath salts and made a joke about swimming
8th Day- milk duds
9th Day-- a cheap christmas cd for them to dance to
10th Day-- candy canes-- the lords retired but left their canes
11th Day-- for the pipers we gave them hot cocoa and told them to serve it piping hot
12th Day-- instead of hiding it, we show up with Drumsticks (ice cream) and reveal ourselves.

All three years, the recipients were so grateful and enjoyed it so much. I can't wait to do it again this year. We did it as inexpensively as we could, but you could use drawings and things to make it even cheaper if you are on a tight budget. (The funny notes are half the fun anyway, so be creative!)

It really is the thought that counts.

I posted this last year, but it's so much fun I thought I would give it another run.

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Oct. 23, 2007

WFMW Memo to Me

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Reed's piano lessons changed from Mondays at 1:30 to Fridays at 2:30 and that is just enough to blow my little puny mind. I am terrible about remembering piano lessons for some reason, and I had finally gotten into the Monday groove when it changed. So I found Memo to Me, a FREE email service that emails me reminders. They let you set the parameters: weekly, daily, etc; what time to start emailing you and how many reminders to send, etc. It is a great service, and did I mention it is free?

Check out other great ideas at Rocks in My Dryer!

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Oct. 16, 2007

WFMW- Circles

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I may have posted about this before, but Ican't get this song out of my head. I retain information better when it is put to song. I am 38 and I still have to sing the song I learned in 6th grade to remember the books of the Bible and the 12 disciples.

Here's the Circle Song! Math set to music works for me. For other great tips, check out Rocks in My Dryer

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Oct. 10, 2007

WFMW Handwashing

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Cold and flu season is just around the corner, so now is a good time to reinforce the importance of handwashing with your kids. Here is a way to demonstrate how germs are passed:

Put some glitter on your child's hands. You can use a different color for each child if you are doing this with multiple kids. Have them go about their normal activities for a little while, then retrace their steps and show them how many different places they left their "germs." If you are using different colors, you might see that they have transferred their germs to each other.

Next, you can practice good handwashing techniques. Try just rinsing and observe how much glitter is left on the hands; then show them really good handwashing techniques to remove all the glitter (and germs.)

Check out other greta tips at Rocks in My Dryer!

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Sep. 25, 2007

WFMW 30 days of poetry

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I love poetry. My kids just roll their eyes when I burst into verse, which happens more frequently than you would expect. I grew up devouring my mom's copy of Best Loved Poems of the American People, and fell in love with poetry all over again when I discovered Donne and Milton and Wordsworth in college. So I am very excited about this-- 30 days of poetry for kids. Instilling a love of poetry in my kids works for me.

For more great ideas, head over to Rocks in my Dryer.

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Sep. 19, 2007

WFMW The sandwich game

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My kids have at different times gone through a negative phase-- a time when one of them would have an Eeyore attitude about everything. My huband invented a game to counteract these tendencies. We sometimes play it at the dinner table just to help change the focus a bit. You say a positive, and then a negative, and then a positive. So you can say "I like being in 4th grade, but I think spelling is really hard this year, but I am glad I get to practice writing my spelling words in the sugar." So you make a sandwich of the negative with 2 positives for the bread.

Helping kids think positively works for me. check out other great ideas at Rocks in my Dryer

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