Sunday, November 08, 2009
Child Actors Spend Nights on Broadway
NYTimes.com: "Paige Simunovich, a wisp of a girl with almond-shaped green eyes, was scarcely out of diapers when she announced she wanted to be on Broadway. A couple of years later, she asked her mother, “When are you going to get that lady who gets me a job?”"
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17 comments:
I'm very torn on this issue. Obviously, there are lots of shows that have children as characters, which means that you need child actors. However, I feel very strongly about kids being kids and not rushing to grow up and work. The idea that these children are receiving their education in a dressing room in between costume fittings and rehearsals is very disturbing to me, and it breaks my heart that their siblings are receiving so comparatively little attention from their mothers.
Maybe children should be played slightly older actors; there are a lot of professionals who get mileage out of looking a lot younger than they are, plus large age disparities are a lot easier to mask onstage than in a movie.
When young actors work on a major LORT production, their rider calls for an educational and supervision program to be articulated for the course of rehearsals and performances. While I agree that children should be payed the same minimum rates as adult actors, I'm surprised there isn't more language about span of day and breaks for young actors. It is understandable that during tech and previews the actor would need to be available for long periods of time, but I'm curious if there has been discussion about limiting rehearsal hours during the regular rehearsal process.
I am so impressed with and have always respected professional child performers. They have such a drive and talent and passion it just makes me happy. It is so good that these kids have such supportive parents and have the opportunity to do such a life changing thing. In part it is sad because they will never know what it was like to not run around at a million miles an hour going here and there, rehearsing that dancing like this, and that is sad. But in a way it also teaches them to be so independent and self sufficient, which I find incredibly important as well
I too struggle with the issue of child performers. I agree with Hannah, that kids should be kids. And i think these 3 are having way too stressful days. I think that during rehearsals, there should be some more breaks in the day so that they can do their work. While I know their dream is to be on stage, they are very young. and need to get a proper education first. That is why shows like Billy Elliot have multiple kids for the same role. I think most shows should do this.
I am also somewhere in the middle here. These kids have no idea what it is to be a kid... I feel like they are growing up too quickly. On the other hand, this is what they truly want to do, and it's awesome that they are working hard and getting this experience. It's interesting though... Most people will debate whether this is appropriate in regards to the child's well-being, but right now I'm thinking more about the family of the children. They are incredibly lucky to have families that support them like these do. I have a lot of respect for the parents that quit their jobs and leave the rest of their family in order to give their child a chance at pursuing their dreams. It can not be an easy thing to do, and I just hope that as these children get older they realize and appreciate what their families have done for them.
We are dealing with kids in the production of Medea, and it is definitely interesting all the things that you have to think of. The kids in the larger shows must be pulling amazing schedules, which can't be good for them. I really hope that there is someone there looking out for their best interests, truly. However, from what I know about theatre, that added step doesn't fit in very often, which is really concerning for the children's sake.
I'm surprised that is actually a "child wrangler" position. I always that was just a joke or made up name. Although I do not like the idea that someone's job is to just take care and watch the children it is necessary. I agree with Calvin that someone has to be looking out for their best interests when their parents can not be there. It is so easy for people to forget these professional young actors are really children.
Like Hannah, I am also torn on this issue. I strongly believe that kids should be kids and should not rush to go to work. It is difficult to imagine that these children are receiving a high quality education in dressing rooms and between learning lines. Yes, we do need actors to play young roles, but how many actors are there who look longer than their age? Couldn't older actors be cast in younger roles?
There are so many facets of this issue. For one, these kids are growing up WAY too fast. They don't get to play in the woods and have fun, instead they're trapped in a fluorescent lit studio doing fuetes. They don't have the ability to screw up, have careless fun, be picked on by other kids, or anything that other kids go through. What happens to these kids when their contract is blown because they grew, and now they're in school, but they don't know how to adapt to the situation, because they've never been in it before? They haven't grown up with their generation, so they don't know the social rules of it.
Secondly, what will happen to the older actors who can only be cast younger, due to physical appearances and type casting? We're basically taking jobs away from the people who need it most. These older actors don't have parents to feed and house them (mostly). These actors have probably been training for these roles much more extensively than the young hot-shots with the boatloads of talent.
Thirdly, on the part of the producing organization, what is the draw of a child actor? There are definitely more fees that come along with employing a minor, are those extra costs worth a few years' difference? I'd love to have a conversation with a producer, and really talk about what the draw of a child actor is.
I am a little torn on this issue of child actors. Like Hannah, sometimes a show does actually need child actors, but some shows adults will work just fine. It seems crazy to have children go through the schedule of Broadway actors. I can't believe parents are willing to quit there jobs so that their children can go on tour. The amount of money that the child makes acting is not nearly enough to cover all the costs of living let alone the auditions and everything else. This lifestyle seems ridiculous to me, but if it works for them more power to them.
I've always been told that the two things to never involve in live theatre are children, and animals. I appreciate that the article points out that talent is the least of the worries for a child actor. I'd be more worried about them hitting their spots, missing their cues, or requiring a constant caretaker backstage. I understand why producers are casting these young people, but it seems like it costs so much more then an adult actor. Tuition, the transportation, possible legal fees, it all has to add up and quickly too. As for the parent's sacrificing their lives for their kids, I'm not sure if that's a good idea... And then of course there is the question of their education and social skills. Are those quick classes in between scenes really enough to prepare them for their future life? In all likelihood they are not going to be actors for the rest of their lives and will need "real" skills too. So all in all I'm not really sure if this is the best idea.
i think its amazing that paige's parents moved from old tappan to a one bedroom apartment in new york to enable her dreams, and that someone as young as paige had the foresight to realize their life passion, few of us have that privilege and its so admirable when children make such sacrifices, when i look back on my childhood and all extracurricular interests my parents forced me to pursue i always wished they could have been more focused to theatre and its great that theyre becoming so experienced at their age
This whole situation seems oddly reminiscent of the child star thing that happened ten years ago or so. The whole child actor things always strikes me as an odd area since it frequently seems like the parents can be the driving force behind the children even being involved in acting in the first place. The article does have a bit of an angle to it that makes it seem like all the kids ever wanted to do was act, but I still always wonder what happens to people who are so busy pursuing a career so early on in life. Seems like things like this come in waves.
It sounds like we are coming a long way from the days of child labor toiling for very little in industry, but in the theater the motivation isn't cheap labor, it's finding someone who doesn't look like a 36-year-old pretending to be in high school. The rules actually make it more difficult (and presumably more expensive because of the support requirements) to use the child actors than to use an adult, but when makeup can only go so far eventually you have to get someone younger out there on the stage.
I think this article really portrayed this issue in a fairly positive light, especially in the case of the girl. Although it's clear that she can handle the pressure, and is following her dream from an incredibly young age, I feel that her family is perhaps too accomodating. Her success would be more valuable if she had to work harder on her own account to make it possible, because most of the sacrifice comes from her family, and not her. I do think the trend of having performers of the appropriate age for the character is good, but it should be treated with caution at the same time.
I think that the parents of child performers have a responsibility to look out for the well-being of their children. I understand that these children are very mature for their age, but they lack a certain experience and world-knowledge that comes with time, and growing up in a "normal" environment. I think that it will be difficult for these children to explore themselves later in life and that they will be severely socially inept. I want to tell their parents to set limits and allow their children to have a childhood, as much as the child might hate them when they do.
I think it child actors are very impressive. But I also wonder how much of an influence their parents have. I get concerned that their parents push them into leads and roles they don't really want. Kids should be kids, but I think it is really cool that they can live such impressive lives so young.
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