You haven’t picked out your child’s Halloween costume yet, but it’s already high season for auditions for holiday season plays and pageants, a time when many children suddenly get the acting bug.
For some, it might be just a 24-hour thing that will pass. Others, though, might have a full-blown case of wannabe actor, with visions of a Dakota Fanning-like career dancing in their heads. Either way, parents can find themselves facing a double-edged sword: the possibility that their would-be stars might have their dreams dashed, or that they’ve suddenly filled their fall nights and weekends with rehearsals.
Productions throughout metro Atlanta range from professional performances, such as the Atlanta Ballet’s “Nutcracker” at the Fox Theatre, with elaborate costumes and sets, to amateur productions at schools, churches and local theater groups with DIY wardrobes sewn at home. Some kids cast in holiday productions will take home a paycheck, while others will have to learn which way is stage left.
Inevitably, though, some kids — and parents — are going to go home disappointed. If a child is not cast in the desired role or maybe not at all, emotions can run high.
Dr. Roy Reese, a child psychologist with a family practice in Decatur, said that Atlanta is a fantastic town for kids to get exposed to the arts and that many different opportunities are available to children of all ages.
“These can be great learning experiences for children, getting to work with directors and interact with their peers with similar interests,” said Dr. Reese.
“Rejection, however, is part of the arts,” he cautioned. “I advise that parents start a dialogue early on with their children. Establish that no matter what happens that you still love them [and] support them, and [remind them] to just have fun.”
Heather Place of Smyrna said her daughter Aubrey, who attends the Shreiner Academy in Marietta, started acting at the age of 3. In addition to school plays, the 11-year-old has been cast in several television commercials and independent films, and has appeared in print ads. She is represented by the Houghton Talent Agency in Atlanta.
“Luckily, she copes with rejection very well,” said Place. “Sometimes, she’ll be cast in a smaller role than she auditioned for, but she knows that it’s all about teamwork, and she thinks it’s fun just to be a part of the production.”
Vanessa Erbrick, a Stone Mountain mother of two, refers to herself as someone with a “stage kid” rather than seeing herself as a classic “stage mom.” Her daughter Hannah, 11, first expressed a desire to hit the boards at age 7, and even suggested a professional photographer for head shots. Hannah, who attends the Children’s School in Midtown, has a “bubbly personality” and jumps at any chance to audition for the Christmas plays at their church, where the casting process is a little less than cutthroat.
“You may just be a sheep grazing in the back of the manger, but you’re going to get cast,” laughed Erbrick.
Hannah recently portrayed Tweedle Dee in a production of “Alice in Wonderland” at Smoke Rise Arts Academy in Stone Mountain and now wants to go out for meatier roles. Erbrick admits that she has mixed feelings about the possibility of acting taking over Hannah’s daily schedule — and about dealing with the inevitable disappointment that accompanies the rejection of not landing a part.
“We have long discussions about being gracious if she doesn’t get the part and to try to be happy for the child who does get it. It’s hard not to be disappointed,” said Erbrick. “It’s so much of a time commitment, and I just want her to be a kid, you know?”
At the other end of the Atlanta kids casting spectrum are holiday productions at performing arts organizations such as the Woodruff Arts Center. The Arts Center’s Melissa Sanders said its holiday productions do not post open auditions the way many area theater groups do. Among those are Horizon Theatre, which is presenting “Madeline’s Christmas” this year, and Fifth Row Center in Flowery Branch, which held auditions last weekend for “It’s a Wonderful Life.”
At Woodruff, Sanders explained, “These are professional contracted artists or groups that hold their own auditions prior to hitting our stage. So, we really have nothing to do with the auditioning process.”
Even usually successful auditioners like Aubrey Place don’t try out for everything. Aubrey’s mom said that her daughter is not auditioning for any Christmas roles this year. There’s just not time.
“She’s on the cross-country team as well and we’re trying not to overextend her,” explained Heather Place.
Dr. Reese, the child psychologist, agreed that getting involved in acting can require a balancing act by both the child and the parent. He cautioned that schoolwork can suffer, and that other members of a household can be affected if time is not managed properly.
He also reiterated the importance of paying close attention to a child’s emotions if he or she is turned down for a role.
“Be cautious if your child starts to isolate him or herself, loses interest in other activities, becomes surly or refuses to talk about the rejection,” he said.
And remember: Every kid has an chance to be in full costume and makeup. It’s called Halloween.
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