Dear Drama Club Parents,
Below you will find lots and lots of the information you will need to know to help your child be as successful as possible in the upcoming months before performance of Swamp Tales on Friday, 12/18/09. Please note that we will begin sending these updates to you electronically if you have provided an e-mail address to us. Up to date information can also be found on our blog at CalaisDramaClub@blogspot.com .
Schedule - We will continue to meet each Monday after school until 5:15. As we approach basketball season, we may need to be flexible about ending earlier or perhaps even cancelling a practice for a game. We will let you know of these changes as soon as we know them. We do have one mandatory Saturday practice before performance on Saturday, 12/12/09. As we near this date you will see more info on times but do plan for a long practice (we’ll need to work around K-2 basketball practice). This is a day we use to finalize all details of performance and complete a full run-thru in costume and with props.
Dates to remember:
11/8/09 – All lines memorized, no more scripts
11/15/09 – All music memorized, no more lyrics
12/7/09 – Costumes due
12/12/09 – Saturday practice – we’ll need some help and shared snacks for this day if you’re interested.
12/18/09 – In school dress rehearsal in morning, and Performance at 6:30 pm.
Music - Your child(ren) received discs and lyrics for the songs accompanying the play today. Most of the children this year requested to be part of a smaller group singing a song in addition to the song “All Star” that all sing as the show’s finale. Please refer to the lyrics packet for a list of which kids will be singing each song. The disc has a copy of each of the four songs, one version with vocals and one version without. For most of the children this means they will need to learn two songs in the next two weeks, “All Star” and one more. This will require lots of practice (and lots of patience from parents) for kids and parents. Please help your child sing along with the vocals until they have a good understanding of lyrics, pitch and timing. In two weeks time we will expect that kids can be learning to sing along with others without the vocals in practice. Please pay special attention to the lyric changes in “All Star”. We felt the need to alter a few of the lines to be a little more positive so lines three and four of the lyrics have been changed a little. Please help your child in learning the changes and understanding how to “sing over” the vocals during those lines.
Memorizing Lines – The kids have one more week to memorize their lines and many are already well on their way. See below for helpful tips:
While the most obvious reason for memorizing your lines may be so that you don't look silly carrying a script on opening night, there are many other reasons. You don't just say those lines for an audience, you also say them to crew & cast members who have cues, blocking, and dialogue that rely on your words. If you are constantly needing to be prompted, you are making it more difficult for everyone else to rehearse. Also, when your lines are memorized early, you have more time to concentrate on really acting - you can worry about blocking and your character's feelings, since your lines are coming to you easily. You must be able to rattle off the lines without thinking about it. Stress can do funny things to our brains, and you can't rely on the lines "coming to you" in the middle of the play. Only once a piece is totally memorized can you conquer stage fright. Memorization is the beginning of everything. It's difficult to walk in and win over an audience if you aren't sure of the words of your song or lines. Memorization has to come at the top of the list of preparation.
Just Do It
Often, those of us who complain that they have difficulty memorizing songs and monologues for auditions or performances have not actually spent any considerable amount of time on it. Remember, rehearsals are for working with your director and fellow actors, NOT for learning lines. Memorizing your lines is actual work, and there is no way around it. Having a scheduled time of each day set aside for this type of work is important if you are serious about performing. Using the time when you are off-stage during rehearsals is also a good idea (and it makes you look good!)
Say It Out Loud
Common sense should tell you that things should be practiced the way they should be done. It stands to reason then that in order for you to memorize your lines you must practice them out loud.
Pay Attention To Cues
Remember that the lines that you memorize will not be performed in a bubble. There are other people involved. What good is memorizing your lines if you don't know when to say them? Learn to expect and know the lines that come before and after your own.
Pay Attention to the Story
Whenever possible, learn your lines while also practicing you’re your whole script. Getting caught up in the story is the best way to learn lines. Try reading with a parent or to a sibling.
Split It Up
Playwrights make things more convenient for performers by splitting the script into acts and scenes. Take advantage of this by splitting up your memorizing work into manageable pieces.
Look For Patterns
Pick out the most important words in a sentence and find the relationship between those words. Are there rhyming words? Does the same letter repeat at the beginning of words? What links one important word to the next important word or one sentence to the next sentence?
Do What You Have To
Everyone learns in their own way, so do what works for you. The list below is a good starting point, but if something doesn't work, find something else.
Costumes – Our goal with costumes are always for children’s “dressing up” to give a sense of getting into character and to meet this goal economically. While parents are ultimately responsible for providing their child(ren) with costumes, we hope to share lots of that responsibility by asking all to look at the attached list of suggestions to see if you might have something lurking in your closet or dressup box that your child or another’s might be able to use. We do not want parents to feel like they need to purchase expensive costumes. In general we suggest starting with a base costume such as sweats or leggings and a turtleneck all in one color (try to find something they already have in their closets or purchase something they could wear everyday) then adding a “signature” piece such as a crown for a king or wings for a fairy. The following list are suggestions only and please take them as such. For questions check in with Cat, Carolyn, Sage, or Michelle. Please note if you know you are looking to purchase a few items, now is the time to do so with after Halloween sales.
Fiona (Riley): dress similar to one worn on movie, perhaps a past Halloween costume.
Donkey (Addie): base layer in gray or brown with head band tailored with donkey ears. Donkey will need a tail and there are a few parents with experience in costume making that may be able to help if you’re looking for an idea .
Puss’n Boots (Taylor): base layer in any color with hat with a large feather, tall boots, a tail and a thin sword.
Woodcutter (Alex): very simple clothing, perhaps an old and worn button up shirt, should look a little tattered. Needs a “safe” ax prop.
Amelora (Lily): needs two outfits. One very simple dress or old fashioned skirt and shirt when playing the woodcutter’s daughter. One fancier dress and crown when becomes queen.
Farmer Alvin (Walker): Overalls or jeans and button up shirt. Perhaps a straw hat?
King (Blake): would be helpful to see if anyone already has an old King costume but if starting from scratch it would be nice to have a base layer that could be worn again and a “robe” and crown.
Rumplestiltskin (Tony): Can be very simple, would suggest “ill-fitting” clothes such as ragged shirt and too-short pants. Will need a beard.
Royal Messenger (Jang): Should be a little fancy but dressed for outside. Perhaps a “fancy” dress (old costume) covered with a robe or cape
Royal Guards (Leo and Patrick): look for older costumes such as a knight costume. May include a shield or sword
Peter (Owen), Gertrude (Sage), Hansel (Justin) and Gretel (Livvy): Should all be quite simple, old-fashioned looking clothing. The family is quite poor and make their living making brooms. Girls should have skirts and perhaps aprons and boys should wear pants and button up shirts. We should be looking around before snow falls for a bony looking stick that Hansel can stick out for his “finger”.
Sand Fairy (Aine F): should be dressed for bed, a long nightgown and/or robe. Will need wings and a “fancy” drawstring bag for fairy dust. A tiara would be fabulous.
Witch (Nicole): Should be a dress and witch’s hat, perhaps someone already has this costume? Can be a pretty or ugly witch, depending on how Nicole wishes it to be. My preference would be pretty as it’s all the easier to trick the kids withJ
Gingerbread children (Leo, Patrick, Savannah, Cameron, & Haley?): Brown base layer of clothing which can be adorned, however you see fit, with items looking like candies and raisins. Will add bows to the girls’ hair and face paint to all. Brown mittens would also be nice if we can find anyone willing to purchase or knit a few pairs quickly.
Gritch the Witch (Zoie): Similar to Nicole’s witch but Gritch needs to be a little “ugly”. There is definitely a wart in Zoie’s futureJ
Big Bad Wolf (Cameron): base layer clothing in brown, black or gray. Added hair band tailored with wolf’s ears and a tail fashioned to pants.
Mouse (Jang) base layer clothing in black, brown or gray, with head band tailored with purple mouse ears. Will also need a purple mouse tail.
Piggies – Duck (Ashlyn), Chicken (Alaina), Cow (Savannah), Old MacDonald Farmer (Nolan), Circus piggie (Aina K), Zookeeper piggie (Cameron), Lion (Sophia). The challenge to keep in mind for these costumes is that all are piggies in disguise as something else. So help your child dress as their disguise and then all will need to add a few items like a pig nose and/or tail. For example: Nolan will wear overalls and a shirt as a farmer with a straw hat but we’ll add a pig’s nose/mask and a pig’s tail to show he’s really a pig. It would be nice if Aina K had a tutu to wear, Sophia should have a Lion’s mane attached to a headband, Cameron should have a whip as a lion tamer.
Thank you for your attention to all of these details,
Michelle, Carolyn, Sage and Cat
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