Monday, April 09, 2007
Backstage stars
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "They are the parents, former teachers and students, and community members who volunteer their time -- often for free -- to bring the high school musical to reality. Without their contributions, the show might not go on at all -- or as well."
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3 comments:
I hate parents like this (especially the ones who continue to help even after their children have graduated). My high school theater program was small enough that we never had parents help out. They would have probably taken over a lot of my "stage manager" responsibilities. There were a few at my community theater who would work on productions while their kids were at school, so everything was finished by the time that I got there in the afternoon.
I agree Varsenik. The musical isn't about the parents... at all. Pittsburgh has these "Gene Kelly" awards for high school musical excellence, and I am really thankful that my school didn't participate in them. All of a sudden, putting on a show becomes about who can have the nicest looking things, how much money can we make for next year, etc... instead of what the shows should be intended for: the education of the students.
I run into this problem my senior year... where a few parents decided to help and then took over the show. I feel like it's a lot like coaching little league where the parents get so carried away that it's not about the kids playing baseball anymore, it's about winning, who's mom you do or don't like, who brings the best lunchables and gatorade, and who's dad's stocks went up this week. Yes, it's nice to have help and it's very commedable to have dedicated workers on that level, but it can become a problem very quickly.
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