High School Theatre- Teachers in cast?
Printed From: Community Theater Green Room
Category: Producing Theater
Forum Name: Directing
Forum Discription: For questions about handling shows, actors, crew, board members, children ...or do we repeat ourselves?
URL: http://www.communitytheater.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=5040
Printed Date: 5/04/24 at 10:23pm
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Topic: High School Theatre- Teachers in cast?
Posted By: MusicManD
Subject: High School Theatre- Teachers in cast?
Date Posted: 4/16/11 at 4:39pm
Came very close to having to step into my cast for the final day of our run during this last show. One actor was out sick, and another didn't show up at school until later. The first we were able to cover with two actors already in the show, but the second would have had to been me.
Just got me thinking about the idea of adults in a high school production. I've got three situations in my head, and I don't know how I feel about each of these:
1) A choir director in a neighboring high school decided he wanted to play a main role in his show. From the auditions forward, he was the lead. I don't know any other details, but I can't imagine any situation where this would be warranted.
2) Another neighboring high school was doing Bye Bye Birdie several years ago. Two weeks before the show, the student playing Conrad was caught getting "friendly" with his girlfriend in the green room during rehearsal. He was kicked out of the show and suspended from school, so the drama director stepped in and played Conrad. Slightly awkward, but understandable.
3) When I was in high school and in Joseph, the woods teacher was cast as Potiphar. Although I didn't question it at the time, I do wonder why a student wasn't cast in the role.
What are your thoughts about adults (especially the director) being used in a high school production?
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Replies:
Posted By: KEB54
Date Posted: 4/16/11 at 6:07pm
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I think it's OK in certain situations. All major roles should go to the kids, but sometimes it is fun for the kids to have a teacher have a part, especially a silly part, maybe one that kids aren't keen on.
Recently our local school principal played Ed Sullivan in "Bye Bye Birdie". None of the kids knew who Ed Sullivan was but they sure enjoyed seeing the principal on stage acting so goofy. :)
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KEB
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Posted By: PaulyWally
Date Posted: 4/16/11 at 8:40pm
I think having adults in a show with teenagers and/or children is a good idea all around. Their responsibility should not necessarily be to detract from the kids' performance, but anchor their performance and demonstrate the responsibility and discipline it takes to create a successful performance. I also don't think that an adult should have a larger role than any of the kids unless absolutely necessary.
Many children's theatre groups have created successful models with this in mind. It might be a good idea to research them if you're interested to see how different companies handle it.
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Posted By: peacock
Date Posted: 4/17/11 at 11:00am
As a high school drama director I think this one is easy. A teacher should never be purposely cast in a play. Although they will never tell you, the kids will be totally creeped out. No matter how small the role, no matter how funny you think it is. I have seen it done, and it never works. If the teacher is really good, it makes the kids look bad. If the teacher is not good, why not cast a kid. If you do high school drama it just needs to be about them, not you.
BTW, that is what bothers me about GLEE. There seems to be an endless supply of adults who would rather live out their own dreams than help kids live out their's. Personally, there is nothing better in life than watching a curtain call from the back side, seeing those kids soak up all the love.
Now, what if someone breaks both legs the night before the show? Then, you do whatever you need to do.
That is my two cents' worth.
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Posted By: edh915
Date Posted: 4/17/11 at 11:38am
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I'm with peacock on this one. High school theatre is about high school performers. It's their space, and it's their place to shine. Any adult casting, however well intentioned, is going to detract from the students - and that shouldn't happen.
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Posted By: sguti39
Date Posted: 4/17/11 at 3:14pm
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I can understand the following situations:
1.) Emergency and no suitable back-up (but next time have a contingency plan)
2.) Limited use of a guest performer. For example, we did Pied Piper the musical version and used a older gentleman as the piper (this was a youth production and not a high school production). In this version, there were multiple lead roles which highlighted the youth. The piper was a supporting role.
3.) Limited use as a cameo performance, such as described by KEB.
That being said, I stress the word limited and completely agree that directors casting themselves or their peers appears a little vicarious.
If the adults are interested in performing, why not have a special showcase that highlights their talents.
Just my two cents.
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S.G.
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Posted By: MusicManD
Date Posted: 4/17/11 at 6:26pm
I think I'm more in squti's camp on this. As I was thinking back (don't know how I forgot about this), when we did Big River in high school, the director used an English teacher as Huck's dad- I suspect a lot of it was so a student didn't have to sing "sorry sons of b****es"- but he was really funny in the role, and it was a huge departure from his normal decorum in class. It was kind of neat to see him in a different light.
We're doing Seussical next year for our musical, and during the opening of Act II, the Cat is conducting the pit orchestra. My pragmatic brain always wondered, "Where's the conductor during this?" Well, since I generally conduct the band and play an instrument in the pit, I figured I'd just be playing, but then I saw a neat version of the gag on YouTube- the orchestra gets to the final strain of the entre act, and the conductor comes bursting through the curtain, bound and with a hood over his head! The Cat then rushes up onto the stage, hamming it up, and releases the furious conductor. The conductor (also hamming it up), stomps angrily back to his position and gives the final downbeat before the cat yells, "Seuss!" Was considering doing that in our show- it would be funny, and it certainly wouldn't be taking away a role from a student, which I really like.
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Posted By: MartyW
Date Posted: 4/18/11 at 7:42am
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Like everything in life, this is a situation based decision. I direct for my high school. I ALWAYS use adults, both teachers and community members. The reason for this? Our school has a little over 200 kids K-12. Of the 70 or so H.S. students, all are in multiple activities already and only a few have the drama bug. So they shouldn't be denied, we suplement to fill out a cast, using as many of the kids in leads as possible. Like community thaeter, all school drama clubs are not created equal...
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Marty W
"Till next we trod the boards.."
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Posted By: sguti39
Date Posted: 4/18/11 at 10:17am
Marty I completely understand your scenario...but what if you had 1000+ (just a random number) students to chose from? Would you still cast teachers and community members?
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S.G.
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Posted By: Rorgg
Date Posted: 4/18/11 at 11:59am
I did one show in HS, just as a lark (3rd cockney gent from the left in My Fair Lady) I didn't plan to do any more theatre, but when I got to college, I did continue singing in the choral program. My third year, I got a call from the HS drama teacher -- they were doing Cabaret, had lost their 2nd Schultz, this one to illness, 10 days before open. I was still local and could carry a tune -- would I come back and lend a hand?
It was a whirlwind but fun experience -- even though I didn't do another show for 15 years....
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Posted By: drama coach
Date Posted: 6/27/11 at 10:13pm
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This year, I cast myself (teacher and director) as Bun Foo and Ching Ho's mom. She appears following curtain call as a very limited cameo role. The kids and audience loved it. However, I would never take a role that a student could fill.
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Posted By: tech_director
Date Posted: 7/04/11 at 11:31pm
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When I was in HS my honors english teacher was cast as the stage manager in "Our Town". It was the coolest thing I have ever done.
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Posted By: carolecat
Date Posted: 9/18/11 at 9:27pm
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When I was in college, one of our professors did the lead role in The Matchmaker. She was cast from the beginning. At the time, I thought it was unfair that someone on the faculty was taking a student's role.
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Posted By: falstaff29
Date Posted: 9/25/11 at 6:15pm
When I was in middle & high school, we used to have a fundraiser every couple of years with teachers as actors (in addition of course to the student shows). Usually the teacher shows would have some child/teen roles (e.g., Annie, Oliver, etc.). This seemed to be the best of both worlds--kids can enjoy teachers making fools of themselves onstage and maybe learn from working with more seasoned actors, but the kids still had their own shows in which to shine.
Outside of this special context, I don't think it's appropriate for teachers to be onstage in school shows. Good drama teachers will promote technique--school plays are not JUST learning experiences but should aim to be good productions too, but they are learning experiences nonetheless. Students, entirely appropriately, may feel uncomfortable acting with their teachers, and they should have an environment to perform safe from this.
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Posted By: MusicManD
Date Posted: 10/08/11 at 7:39pm
Originally posted by falstaff29
Students, entirely appropriately, may feel uncomfortable acting with their teachers, and they should have an environment to perform safe from this.
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This is a great point, and it goes the other way as well. For example, I did a show this summer with the local CT and one of my students was in it. We had to read a scene opposite each other for the audition, which was awkward to say the least.
On the other hand, when I was a freshman in high school, I did a CT show where I got to scream in the face of my middle school principal. It was strangely cathartic (he's now the president of the CT Board and I'm a board member- I guess the drama bug just sticks with you).
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Posted By: Majicwrench
Date Posted: 10/08/11 at 11:24pm
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Tis always interesting with the kids growing up....I do a middle school show every spring, and cast just kids. But this year, one of the girls I have worked with for years, who is in HS now, is in my CT show, and there is some sexual tension between the two characters. It never feels odd on stage, as a matter of fact I am suprised how easy it has been. But sometimes off-stage, when I think about it, it does feel odd.
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Posted By: fatdogmgk
Date Posted: 10/25/12 at 1:35pm
I have shied away from using adults for the most part but have directed The Boys Next Door twice, at two different schools, and have used a teacher both times. I feel as though the relationship between the two characters involved in the scene is too much for a high school performer to handle and I will not allow a student to mentally and physically abuse another student in that fashion.
Just my two cents, and thanks for the great forum. I am glad I discovered it.
Peace
Marc
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Posted By: avcastner
Date Posted: 11/12/12 at 7:31pm
I have had to use adults in casts, especially when we were short guys for the "this must be cast by a male" roles. I teach at a K3-12th grade Christian school, so we do not cast women as men. I try not to place my men in any type of uncomfortable position, such as playing opposite a teen girl in a romantic role. And, casting the adults has helped with tickets sales to our younger audience when I cast the elementary teachers in the play--they just love to see their teachers perform.
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