If a child lands a part in a broadway show does he or she automatically get a tutor? I have heard some children still go to school - how can that be? It seems to me the schedule would be too difficult- too taxing. Who supplies the tutor? Parents or production?

Most of the B'way kids are either in school or home schooled. I dont know of any productions that provide tutors, unless it is a travelling show.

The only matinee day beside the weekends is usually Wednesday/Thursday. The other shows are evening shows that begin at 8 p.m. Going to school and being in a Broadway show is totally feasible and many do it.

actorsmommy
thanks for the info=
going to school and performing seems a bit daunting to me as the child won't get home until 11:00 or so and will need to be up by 7:00 am - does not seem like enough sleep for a 10 year old- guess i will have to cross that bridge if she gets this show- thanks again for the information-

Tutors are usually provided during rehearsals, when kids are in the theater all day, but they do not have tutors during the run of the show. Kids are expected to attend their regular classes during the regular run of a Broadway show in NY. It is a very difficult schedule, but many kids do it.

My friend's kids dance in the ballet at Lincoln Center (American Ballet Theatre) and even during Nutcracker when they did a ton of shows they attended their regular school. They were always running around doing their homework whereever they could find a spot.

If you'd be home by 11, then consider yourself lucky. We know at least one kid in just about every show on B'way. Some of the shows dont let out until 10:45 and then by the time they get out of costume, makeup, sign autographs at stage door etc., it can be well after 11 p.m. before they even BEGIN to head home.

The shows that have kids all double cast the roles (Mary Poppins has three casts) and the schedule rotates so not everyone is always there until end of show. It's tough, but many kids do it and since a B'way career is generally pretty short for kids (most contracts are only 6 months), it's unusual that a kid would be doing it night after night for years. To make 2 years in a production as a kid is considered quite a feat and I only know 2 kids that have done it. The kids that are really good and go from show to show are all homeschooled. At that point, you'd really have to be HS'd. But what an experience to be able to say you were on B'way as a kid!. The kids I know who do it, all love it. Good Luck to your DD if she is up for a role.

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The shows that have kids all double cast the roles.

This is not accurate. Kids are not always double cast. And even when they are - it is necessary for both kids to be on set for each performance in case the one on stage cannot complete the show. So, these kids are working eight shows a week, although they may not be performing in all eight.

Some kids (The Color Purple, for example) were not double cast - they performed eight shows a week.

I think that the key point is that the situation may be different for every show. The production may have tutors provided (or not) and this may be dependent upon how many children are cast, if they double cast, how many shows per week are being done and so on. Your school district may also have some say in this as some will request (once agian dependent upon the district or show schedule)that the child be withdrawn from school for the duration of the show. If your child does get cast, the situation for your show will be explained to you by the production company (usually when you recieve the contract). I have attached a link to a usefull communication from Actors Equity dealing with Young Performers and it do speak to this issue.
http://www.actorsequity.org/docs/outreach/Young_Performer_Overview.pdf

Once again, good luck to your DD getting cast.

quote:

Some kids (The Color Purple, for example) were not double cast - they performed eight shows a week.

That is true. I know both Jenny and Ruby very well and yes, they did have a heavy schedule but their roles were not as demanding as the kids in Mary Poppins, which is a grueling performance night after night.

Maybe I should have said The Majority of shows are double cast. Often the understudy can leave during intermission and so it gives them an easier schedule. Yes, the other kid is there to make sure nothing happenes if the first kid performing get's hurt, but they generally use that time in the dressing room to catch up on HW etc.