Encourage Their Interests with Auditioning Tips and Opportunities

        Is there anything cuter than watching your wee ones twirl and leap on stage so proudly (or sometimes so shyly) in their pink tights or black bow ties? When my Lucy took her first ballet classes at Pat Harris School of Dance in Boise, a tiny and timid 3-year-old at the time, we struggled with performance anxiety. By the time her recital came eight months later, we bought roses from the vendor at Kuna High School for our brave dancer with glitter in her hair and a sparkle in her eyes. She had memorized her routine and performed it in front of the largest audience of her life.

        As our kids grow and become more interested in the performing arts, be it dancing, singing, or acting, we as parents learn right along with them—especially if our little performers want to audition for more intensive stage performances that are bigger than the traditional end-of-year dance recital. Luckily, some local companies offer great information for parents of performers-to-be and some tips.

First, take your child to watch performances by local companies. There’s no better way to gauge your child’s interest in performing on stage than to watch others do the same. Ballet Idaho’s The Nutcracker, always a family favorite, is coming right up on December 11, 12, and 13 at the Morrison Center. Ballet Idaho has also instituted a Family Series, designed to introduce children and their families to the ballet in one-hour interactive shows. The audience gets to tour behind the scenes, meet the dancers, learn more about the story being performed, and even do some moves on stage. The next Family Series installment will be The Piano on February 19, 2011 at noon at the Esther Simplot Performing Arts Academy. The Eagle Performing Arts Center’s presentation of The Nutcracker is held December 16-18 at the BSU Special Events Center. And the Eugene Ballet will share their production on December 9 at the Jewett Auditorium.

        Another good opportunity coming up is Cinderella, the final performance in the Music Theatre of Idaho’s 2010 schedule, showing December 3–4 and 10–11 at the Nampa Civic Center. In addition, the Boise Philharmonic has a youth orchestra, Opera Idaho has a children’s chorus, and Capital City Kiwanis sponsors an all-boys community honor choir. Contact them for a performance schedule.

Next, do some research. Take time to look into the companies’ audition rules, dates, cost, and schedules to determine the best fit for your child and your family. A great place to start is by visiting their websites, where the companies provide a plethora of audition information, or by calling their office directly.

        “About 90 percent of our shows have child performers in them,” says Trina Rhoades, Assistant to the CEO of Music Theatre of Idaho (MTI). “But we audition just once a year—in November—to cast the entire upcoming season.” Rehearsals typically begin 8–10 weeks before the show opens and are held on weekday evenings, 2–5 nights per week. MTI charges a membership fee of $75 per child, which allows them to attend performances all year long, as many times as they’d like, and also includes the costume costs for the performance. “On Saturdays during the rehearsal period we invite the families of the performers in for a work day, helping to build the sets and costumes. It really provides the children with a fuller educational experience, getting to know all aspects of a production,” explains Rhoades.

        Typically, Ballet Idaho’s only performance that includes children is The Nutcracker, with auditions yearly in September (with a $25 registration fee), and rehearsals in October and November for December performances. This upcoming season, however, they will be holding auditions on February 11, 2011 for The Sleeping Beauty, which will have numerous roles for children.

        There are some helpful websites and blogs written by parents of child performers as well as other children’s theatre companies around the U.S. Many offer tips and advice for auditions, like these found on musical-theater-kids.com: 

•  It’s important to fill out the appropriate registration forms, which often include bringing a professional headshot (or a clear photograph of your child’s head and shoulders) and their performing resume.

•  When choosing a song for an audition, pick one that is appropriate for your child’s age and voice.

•  If a monologue is required, pick a short poem that can be easily memorized and acted out by one person.

•  For a dancing audition, wear something you can move in and just do your best.

•  If you make a mistake, do not get upset. Simply get yourself together and start again from where you left off.

•  Smile and be yourself.

        Performing in stage productions at a young age can inspire confidence, nurture talent, and teach the importance of responsibility, collaboration, and organizational skills. When addressing the topic of auditions for this year’s The Nutcracker, Ballet Idaho’s Artistic Director Peter Anastos elaborates, “I think it’s important that young dancers have opportunities to perform with a ballet company. It gives them a flavor for the stage and makes a dialog between the professional dancers and the students.”

        In addition to encouraging a love of the arts along with gaining practical lifelong lessons, the process of auditioning and being selected can be fun. Jake Wolford, a 17-year-old high school student from Boise, was recently cast in the coveted role of the Nutcracker in this year’s Ballet Idaho production. He’s taken dance lessons since the second grade, but has only studied ballet for the past year or so, concentrating on tap and hip-hop most of his life. Besides dance performances and a few competitions, Wolford has never acted or danced in a large stage production before.

        “It wasn’t as scary [as I thought it would be] to audition,” says Wolford. “The environment was so positive. My advice is to just have fun and be confident.”

Amy Pence-Brown is a Boise mother of two young daughters, Lucy and Alice, who are just beginning to explore their performing arts talents. While both girls are quite dramatic, they have yet to take it to the stage.