We are thrilled to have your child join us for The Studio's Shrek Jr! 
We ask that you please read this entire packet with your child and be sure to fill out and sign the audition portion at the bottom and bring it with you to our auditions.

  

Performing in a musical is an experience that young people will remember for the rest of their lives, and it is truly our pleasure to work with your child on this exciting project.  We want everyone involved to understand both the benefits and responsibilities that go along with being in a musical, so we have detailed some of the basics here.
 

There are a number of great benefits to being in a musical, including:  
 

Active Participation in the Arts: Participating in the arts provides young people with a chance to explore their creativity and imagination in a structured and safe environment. Musical theater is specifically remarkable because it is the only art form that combines all areas of the fine arts: acting, singing, dancing, and visual arts.

Improving Literacy Skills: From reading scripts to memorizing lines to learning to tell a story, young people continually improve their literacy skills while rehearsing and performing in a musical.  

 

Becoming a Confident Public Speaker: It takes a lot of guts to stand up and sing or dance in front of your family, peers, and what may seem like the entire community. Experience with public speaking at a young age gives students confidence that will be important to them for the rest of their lives.

 

Gaining Critical Thinking & Problem Solving Skills: Putting on a musical is a group effort and every member of the team must work together to make it happen. Throughout the rehearsal process, the students will learn to solve challenges as they arise. Students will learn to trust and depend on themselves and their cast mates.

As with any group activity, every participant has responsibilities. If you feel sure you and your child can honor the commitment to being a part of our show, please sign our contract and bring it with you to our auditions.  

 

Calendar

Rehearsals are held every Monday OR Thursday from 4:30 pm to 7:30pm.  We will send out each week’s rehearsal schedule every Sunday and you may not be called for the whole rehearsal (we want to use your time efficiently!), but please plan to be at every rehearsal for the full 3 hours.

Rehearsals are every Monday or Thursday except 10/31, 11/28, 12/23, 12/26, 12/30.

During tech week, we will have mandatory rehearsals on 1/7-9 (Thurs cast) and 1/14-16 (Mon cast) from 4:30-7:30 at the theatre.

The performances will be January 10 & 11 (Thurs cast) and January 17 & 18 (Mon cast).

 

Attendance

All students are required to be at EVERY rehearsal they are called for.  If your child needs to be absent, you must email us at thestudionewcanaan@gmail.com  24 hours in advance, so our directors can plan accordingly. Failure to attend rehearsal due to an over committed personal schedule, social calendar, frequent family vacations or otherwise will result in dismissal from our show. If your child is sick, please let us know as soon as you can and keep them home.

Late Policy

In order to ensure your child shines on stage, we expect them to arrive on time to every class.  If you are running late due to traffic or otherwise, please let us know ASAP.

 

Casting

Congratulations!  You have all been cast in our production!  Why audition you ask?  To learn more about you as a performer and to choose a role that will challenge you and let you shine.  We take great care in casting our shows and truly believe that our cast is an ensemble, no one role is more important than another. All participants must be on board no matter what part they receive.  We live by “you get what you get and you don’t get upset”.  If you will “only be happy with a certain part or a lead role”, this is not the program for you, as we do not promise roles or “precast” in any way.  That practice is unfair to our group as an ensemble and promotes unrealistic expectations should you choose to pursue theater in the future.  We do take age and experience into account in addition to your audition on the first day.

Homework

Students will have some homework for the show, including memorizing lines and songs, rehearsing their dances, researching their character, etc. Work with your child to create a schedule so they have time to finish both their school homework and their homework from the musical.

 

Attitude

The rehearsal room and theatre are safe spaces where young people can take positive risks and be themselves without the fear of being laughed at or alienated. This principle is essential to artistic growth and exploration. Participants are expected to respect these principles and are encouraged to remember it themselves when trying new things. We promote teamwork and positive reinforcement.  Bullying, teasing and negativity are STRICTLY PROHIBITED and may result in expulsion from our program.

 

What to Bring to Rehearsal

Once cast, your child will receive their script.  If they lose their script, they will have to buy a second one from Lorah for $5. Your child is required to bring their script, a pencil, closed-toe shoes, and wear supportive clothes to move in, to every rehearsal.  NO HEAVY BOOTS, FLIP FLOPS, SHORT SHORTS or SHORT SKIRTS, as those are not conducive to the extensive movement or dance that may take place during rehearsal.  If they are coming straight from school, have them pack proper rehearsal footwear and clothing with them.

We will have a dinner/snack break around 6 each rehearsal, so pack a snack!

 

Communication

IS VITAL!  There is a page on our website with all of the information about the show. Please check it for any updates. We will be communicating with you via email every week to notify you of any rehearsal updates.  

 

Please remember that a musical is a living, breathing entity. Things don’t always go exactly as planned, so changes to the plan will most likely be made throughout the rehearsal process. We promise to give you as much advance notice as possible on all changes that arise.

If you have questions or concerns at any time throughout the process, please feel free to contact Lorah Haskins at thestudionewcanaan@gmail.com and we will be happy to help you.

 

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