<p>HAAAAAAA!!! And you know they thought they were hot stuff!! How tacky!</p>
<p>@gsomtmom - you’re right, it seems that the level of stage mommy-ness is inversely proportionate to the level of talent of the kid in question!</p>
<p>^^You always make me literally out loud! That is sooooo true! I like to say that’s a kid whose village wasn’t honest with her/him. How would a tee shirt wearing mama be unbiased enough to be honest?!!</p>
<p>I just read this whole thread out loud to my husband! LOLOL</p>
<p>There are some very talented kids out there with stage moms from hell, and it is not their fault nor their choice. I’ve seen some of those long suffering kids at auditions as well.</p>
<p>I agree, halflokum. I’ve seen many such situations. The worst stagemom I ever came in contact with through the theatre company I’m involved with was actually a dad! His child was incredibly talented but Dad had a very bad reputation for being impossible to deal with and constantly inserting himself into the mix. Unfortunately, his child has paid the price several times by not being cast.</p>
<p>@alwaysamom, we had a local kid years ago who was very talented. At the elementary and middle school levels he always got the leads in our local youth and community theatres, and he worked professionally in the Chicago area many times. Eventually his mom became so out of control that he stopped getting roles and professional jobs. The last time we heard about him he had become a cross dresser (true story - our D showed us pictures on Facebook) and is completely out the MT realm.</p>
<p>I’m the worst…I’ve played mama rose on stage so I’m all for the sing out Louise shirt.
Fortunately I would never be caught at an audition in a stage mom t shirt–that’s nightwear:).
I a proud parent Sherpa. But the best was when my 280lb Mexican husband took her to cmu auditions this weekend and sat their holding her rather large Disney purse, a bevy of music binders and her tea while she auditioned. The admissions folks even had a good laugh about it. </p>
<p>Overheard at the LA Unifieds ( and no it wasn’t me ) Student 1 : where is your mom? Student 2 : after today she is in the bar…</p>
<p>@sguti40 - It takes a real man to carry a woman’s accessories! MT Sherpas unite!</p>
<p>My D helped at her college’s auditions this year - many students did. One of her Freshman class members reported back to them that he heard one of the auditioners say that College X (a local regional school in the same city) was known to have a better program. Really? First of all, it is far from true and totally ignorant, but very dumb considering her classmate also reported back to the auditors that the student said this. I was amazed by some of the things I heard at auditions last year when my D was making the circuit. I particularly remember my D saying a boy came out of a dance call, saying loudly that he “hated that dance” and “what dumb music to pick” right in front of current students from the school. </p>
<p>shaun0203, this is a good reminder to everyone to remember that people have ears. I realize that sounds dumb, but it is amazing how many people forget that everyone within earshot can hear what you are saying even when they aren’t directly looking at you. So if you insult the program, are rude to someone representing the program (no matter how ‘low level’ they are), are rude to other people potentially in the program, are rude to your parents, or brag about how another program is your top choice, guess what? People can hear you. It is always, always a good idea to treat everyone you encounter kindly and respectfully, and to keep negative or rude thoughts to yourself. Not just because it’s the right thing to do, but because theatre is collaborative by its nature, and no one wants to work with a rude or thoughtless person. </p>
<p>Some of the best advice we’ve received from parents and students who have preceded us in this crazy process is to keep in mind that the audition starts the minute you set foot on campus (or in the hotel or studio building, in the case of Unifieds). You never know who is listening and taking literal or mental notes, and sometimes you can’t tell the auditioners from the current students in the program who may be reporting back on everything they overhear in the waiting rooms, hallways, changing rooms, anywhere! We’ve heard stories, apocryphal or not, about resumes/headshots being ripped up on the spot after auditioners came out of the audition room bragging they had “nailed it”, so in addition to treating everyone with kindness and respect, be humble! Most schools hate divas.</p>
<p>To add to this… my D and I were having lunch at the Corner Bakery on Wednesday, just after she had done her CMU audition at PHH that morning. The line to order was wrapping around the eating area and at one point I looked up to see Barbara Macanzie Wood about ten feet from us, waiting in line to order her lunch! She actually noticed my D and nodded and smiled, which was nice since she had just auditioned her that morning.
But definitely, you never know who is listening.</p>
<p>Years ago, a friend of my D was attending a favorite school often discussed here. She worked occasionally as a server in a restaurant near campus. One night she was working, filling in for another server whose child was sick, and had a mom and her daughter in her station. They were both incredibly rude to this girl, the story is too long to go into here, but seriously rude people, both of them. The next day, my D’s friend was working at her school’s auditions and lo and behold, who shows up but mean mom and her even meaner daughter. I think you can probably guess what happened. </p>
<p>It’s not even a case of never knowing who is listening, more that if you’re not a nice person or if you are a jerk or a diva, people aren’t going to want to be around you/go to school with you/work with you/hire you, no matter how talented you might be.</p>
<p>At LA Unifieds we were in line to check into our hotel behind a rep from a school with the school he was affiliated with written on his jacket. He was being incredibly rude to the guy behind the counter. This poor man was trying his best to please the rep but he continued to berate him and slam his fits on the counter. My D said thank goodness I am not applying to that school because if I were I would pull my application. It can work both ways….</p>
<p>Quick word about Stage Moms and graduates - my daughter was involved with theatre in middle school and high school so I was very involved. During her four years at school it was less and less. When I tried to reassert myself after her graduation, I realized in some ways she knew far more than I did. In other ways, she could use some help and advice from me. Her decision - it’s her life, her career and she was going to make her own mistakes. I no longer discuss her career with her unless she comes to me. She’s ebbed and flowed in a few different areas, has done some things as I would have and has done some things differently. But she’s right, it’s her life and her career and it’s really none of my business unless she wants it to be. I’m still her biggest cheerleader but only her advisor upon request. Honestly? It’s not been easy, but it is important!</p>
<p>
This is obviously not Northwestern’s complete philosophy, since they do auditions for specialized MT training once you are admitted academically, but it is true that NU, Yale, UMich and NYU value smart actors. I suspect only those with strong academics thrive in those programs, and I’m thrilled they say they can train kids to sing and act since, ya know, that’s part of what we’re all paying for. ;)</p>
<p>That said, I did find the admissions folk at Northwestern a bit condescending during our tours, but have not found the school that way AT ALL once the kids were admitted, when you instantly become part of the extended NU family. It is certainly true, though, that admissions seems to make little effort to actively woo applicants, for whatever reason. It’s a shame if tours make the school seem condescending since that misrepresents the place.</p>
<p>Well…this is not really “Overheard at the Auditions” but who my son had the honor of riding an elevator, meeting, speaking to, and Yes…getting a picture with at the unified auditions in Chicago…for all those with chorus based trained…Eric Whittacre!!! My son’s friends almost died of envy when they got the text with the pic attached! I myself would not have known him from the man on the moon…but my S almost fainted when he got on the elevator at PHH in Chicago!</p>
<p>@MTMommaJAA - that’s awesome for your S. My wife’s uncle is a limo driver in Chicago both downtown and for the airport runs. Chicago sees an amazing array of very famous people, most of whom are surprisingly nice (according to Uncle Wally). </p>