<p>We’ve probably all seen those high school productions where some kid has a big part, and they are terrible. And sometimes you know the players and know that there absolutely was someone better for the part. So why did they get it? Sometimes it is because they are in the higher grades and have “put in their time.” Sometimes it is political and that kid’s mother does a lot of volunteer work or whatever. Sometimes that kid’s parents have made some sort of stink. Or sometimes, they just managed to squeak out an uncharacteristically good audition. I recently saw a show where scenario #1 seemed to be the case. Afterward her mother told me that she wants to do this for a living. I had that same thought: Oh, dear. This is not going to happen. Someone needs to stop her before she wastes a lot of time and energy and has a lot of heartache.<br>
But who will do that? No one wants to be the one to tell a kid not to follow their passion. And no one wants to hurt anyone’s feelings. Hopefully the process plays out as it should and the kid gets the message by not getting into any competitive college performance programs. Or once they leave the high school world they realize how tough it is and move on. But my point is that unless the kid competes on a bigger playing field while they are still in high school, they may never know until much later where they stand. Delusion is kind of a strong word, but when you get the lead in high school, it is easy to forget that every high school has its lead and there are a lot of schools.<br>
Even the kids/parents who want to get an honest assessment may have difficulty. Camps, coaches, and even colleges want your money. And not getting in can’t always be interpreted as “you have no talent” because everyone knows that there are more talented kids than slots. And, in the real world, there are way more super-talented performers than there are jobs.
So I guess my point is that if a kid wants to go for it, no one but themselves WILL stop them. And idealism aside, it’s a good idea in a field where luck and politics still reign and the unemployment rate is something like 95%, to have some sort of a plan B.</p>