<p>Hi Susan,
I spoke with my D and she did know who your D is right away from the Carousel number in OTC. She said that your D is terrific, very talented and should make it all the way . My D doesnât know your D personally though and was never in any shows with her. We never saw any of the shows either - just didnât work out that way. I think your D may have been in an A or B show when my D was in an A or B show, so we just never saw any of those shows. My D does have older campers that she looks up to and has bonded with, but doesnât seem like our daughters ever really connected or crossed paths. Too badâŠ</p>
<p>My D doesnât know any of the Into the Woods cast because of the age difference. My D hasnât been in a kiddie show since '04 even though sheâs just 13 now, and as a result, she has friends her age which are her roommates and then a bunch of older kids from the shows. She was originally cast as a feature part in kiddie show 2d session 05, but she opted out to be in the ensemble of a more challenging show - so she was in the ensemble of How to Succeed with Larry (who she absolutely ADORES!). </p>
<p>The competition scene has really taught my D how to take criticism and learn from it - particularly since she does solos at competitions in addition to being on the team. I noticed this summer that my D has great facial expression on stage and I asked her about it. She said itâs because in dance you donât speak and you learn to use your face and body to express emotion. I told her it really has paid off! I do think all the dancing does add a whole other dimension to the performance, so Iâm sure your D is really terrific what with all the dancing and the voice too!</p>
<p>Rosemary,
I can identify with your Dâs story and it sounds familiar. My D also started SDM at age 9 1/2. While she very much enjoyed the opportunities she had to play leads in the so called âkiddie showâ (for non Stagedoorians, this is often a show that has cast members who range approx. from age 8-13), she preferred to be cast as ensemble in an older kidsâ show and one year requested that. She was ahead grade-wise in school (had an early entrance into K) and always had older friends. She was in Our Time Cabaret starting at age 9 (that cast is usually comprised of kids ages 13-18). In middle school, she did the HS productions instead of the MS ones. So, at SDM, she preferred the level of challenge, just like your D is saying, to be ensemble in an older show. She was ensemble in 42nd Street and Little Me (small parts) and played Gertie in Oklahoma when she was younger at camp but in teen productions. </p>
<p>I also get what your D is saying about a person trained in dance brings certain skills to the musical theater stage such as facial expression. In reverse, the same is true too. I know in our dance studio and in the dance troupe, the director would say that since my D did theater, it came across in dance because she was a performer and so had the stage presence from theater when she danced whereas sometimes kids who only do dance, may have dance technique but not as much of the performance aspect (sometimes). At our dance studio, most kids just did dance, not musical theater. In any case, your Dâs dance skills will be excellent to have should she opt to pursue musical theater in college, beyond, or anywhere. </p>
<p>My Dâs camp friends and roomies were always older than herself. In fact, it was a factor in her desire to graduate HS a year early and she did. She is 17 but has been to one year of college so far. That is why even though there are kids her age still at SDM, most of her SDM friends over the years are not because they are already in college, or have even graduated. She did go back for one final session last year after graduating HS because she was still sixteen and didnât want to give SDM up yet. However, her time is over there even if she is still the age of campers who attend. It sounds like your D is in for the long haul there a well. </p>
<p>My D may know your D but I donât know which shows your D was in while my D attended. Your D is very sweet about her comments, in any case. Iâve seen several of my Dâs friends from camp both her age and older who are already making it and so it is fun following their careers. Lots of talent has come out of that place!</p>
<p>PS, my D also adores Larry and did four shows with him (The Boyfriend, 42nd Street, Pippin, West Side Story). We think he is a great guy.</p>
<p>RTXBS, my S was J Pierpont Finch last year in âHow to succeedâŠâ. He was supposed to go this past weekend to see the shows but it fell through and he is so disappointed. He wanted to say hi to many of his old camp friends as he opted not to return this year in order to be a drama director at a local camp. I am sure this past session was great. who is your D? We have the video and cast pic and would love to see which one she was? He thoroughly enjoyed that show and Larry and all his castmatesâŠsaid they had alot of fun with him and each other!!!</p>
<p>AudiB4,
My D was the first Book reader in a blue dress. She has the opening lines in the show. Her hair was in a french twist, but it kept falling out She loved that show and the whole cast. Youâre son was terrific in that show. I still remember him to this day. I have a memory of your son doing that funny dance that Larry made him do, where he was so happy. My D said that your son was actually a really great dancer and that it was hard to make it look funny the way Larry wanted. My D said to tell him a big hello and to tell him that Larry is still Larry! My D said that all the really good people, like your son, are graduating and it makes her sad to see them goâŠ</p>
<p>That was so sweet of you and your D. It is true about the dancing. My S had years of training and Larry kept yelling at him to stop pointing his toes or hold his posture-he wanted it to look funny and my S kept looking too âtrainedâ. I remember your D. My S is out now but I will give him the message. Glad your D had fun this summer.</p>
<p>ELSIE: Les Miserables (Jeff Murphy); Anything Goes (Ray Zilberberg).
PLAYHOUSE: High School Musical (Larry Nye); The Boyfriend (David Moellenkamp).
FORUM: Runaways (Matt Ferrell); Oliver (Pierre Brault).
CABARET: Seussical (Catherine Cox); The World Goes Round (Chris Armbrister).
CAROUSEL: Pride and Prejudice (Jason Jones); As It Is In Heaven (Chris Tyer).
MERMAN:The Young and The Fair (Ed Weathers); Steel Magnolias (Tim Curtis).
GARDEN: Daisy Pulls It Off (Ryan Lee).</p>
<p>I havenât posted since last summer when my daughter attended session 2 & 3 at SDM. She is currently at session 3 (didnât do session 2, decided instead to do an opera program to âbroaden her horizons.â) Anyway, they let her call me yesterday for my birthday (the only advantage of an August birthday, lol) and told me she was cast as Mme Dubbonet in âThe Boyfriend.â She is pleased with role - a chance to play a character part. She was also selected for OTC and master acting. (Making the master acting class was her big goal for the session so she is very happy about that.) Last year she was in âAidaâ (ensemble) and âGodspellâ (Bless the Lord solo.) The year before she was in âHairâ as Margaret Mead. I hope to meet some parents during production weekend like I did last year. Please post if anyone has kids currently at sesssion 3! </p>
<p>soozievt: Thanks again for taking the time to patiently answer questions and for sharing your experiences. I find your info so helpful!</p>
<p>OntheRun,
I donât think I know you but just want to say Wow and Congrats to your D! What a session! I donât know how old she is, or canât recall the details from last year here, sorry. Anyway, my Dâs very first show at SDM was The Boyfriend (with Larry) and it was the so called âkiddieâ show (ages 9-13 approx.) My D was 9 1/2 and played Nancy. I was so blown away when I saw the talent and level of the show there, particularly for the age group. Of course it was my first one and I have seen countless ones there since that have been excellent. Maybe it was just cause it was the first but it was so good. I actually think it is a fun show. Looking back on that production and who the leads were and some other supporting rolesâŠone goes to Julliard, one went to NCSA, one goes to CCM, three went/go to Tisch/CAP21, one just got cast in a National Tour as understudy to a lead, and I am blanking on who else was in that cast back in 1998, but it is fun to think of where they are at now. Actually, Madame Dubonnet is a great role. The girl who played it that year is the one studying acting at Juilliard and she has posted here a couple times a long while back.</p>
<p>Also, your D has accomplished a lot to be selected to OTC and Master Acting Class. My D has been in both a long time (OTC for 8 years and Master Acting since her age allowed it). Both were huge experiences for her. OTC has had a significant impact. I even think that her creation of four cabaret productions of her won drew from the experience of being part of OTC. Her friends and cast mates from OTC remain very closely bonded. Many of them, particularly ones older than herself, have now been or are now on Broadway, National Tours, and off Broadway and others are now in BFA programs and the like. I loved watching those kids grow and hope to see many of them some day on stage again. OTC was a wonderful experience and I imagine your D will think of it fondly as well. </p>
<p>Master Acting Class was great too every year because in my own childâs case, she had no acting lessons/classes at home. Master Acting was very helpful in her training and I think benefitted her when it came time to audition for colleges. She had various teachers for that each year. </p>
<p>So, when you get back from performance weekend, give us the lowdown! There has been a lot of turnover at camp with campers as older ones have moved on and I think a lot of opportunities open up in OTC and also that commonly happens in third session. My D used to go second/third for many years but switched over to first/second (due to being with certain friends, you know how that goes!) </p>
<p>Glad you had a convenient way to get a call with the newsâŠhappy birthday!
Susan</p>
<p>soozievt: No, we havenât met as our daughters havenât attended SDM at the same time. (Although I seem to remember that you posted last summer that your D attended the Anniversary celebration. My D was at session 2 during that time.) Anyway, she said the cast for âThe Boyfriendâ is mostly 12 to 14 year olds with a few 15 and 16 year olds. My D is 16 and a rising junior and she said she and another 16 year old boy are the âold folksâ in the play. A 14 year old plays âPollyâ. Although the cast is young, I donât think itâs considered the âkiddieâ show this session. My D is happy with the part and doesnât mind working with younger kids. She always attends SDM without expectations (though she has personal goals) and feels fortunate with any part/solos given to her. She would have loved to have been in âLes Misâ but feels she will get more experience with this role than she would in an ensemble of another show. Itâs a good character part and she is looking forward to working with the director. She is very excited to be in OTC and her personal goal of getting into master acting has been met so it should be a great session for her!</p>
<p>Thanks for the birthday wishes and I will post any news I get from D!</p>
<p>ontherun
My s is also at 3rd session. Your d attended an opera program this summer? My s went to two vocal programs before stagedoor this year. He loved them. I just heard from my s. You are lucky to have heard so early. He is in Les Mis and thrilled. It is one of my favorite shows so I will be happy to see it. He is also in otc so perhaps we will see each other there. Good luck to your d. It sounds like she is doing great.</p>
<p>congrats to your son on otc and above all, les mis! i was in les mis my first session ever at sdm (original cast i guess you could say?) with jeff murphy as the director as well â it was such an amazing show and i canât even describe how floored youâre going to be when you see how professional it all looks. iâm interested to know how jeff directs it this time around! what part is your son? i played the bishop + other featured ensemble parts⊠after all, with a cast of only 25 for a show like les mis, everyone in that cast will be busy/on stage the entire time. did he say anything else about the other shows going on now? hope to hear from you soon</p>
<p>soovievt. Thanks. I have followed your posts for a while now. Your d sounds amazing. Iâm sorry she wasnât there 3rd session with my s so I could see her perform.
Matt. He is playing Javert. He says the cast is incredible. He is very excited. He didnât say much about the other plays. Our connection was bad and I missed half of what he said. If I hear anything else Iâll let you know. Did you ever go 3rd session?</p>
<p>Tenorsmom, Javert is an amazing part! I wish I could see it. Sorry our kidsâ paths did not cross. My D originally used to go second and third sessions. About four years or so ago, she switched over to first/second combination. ONCE she went three sessions, long story. Her eighth and final year, she only went first session as she was heading to college and had to work some and be home some.</p>
<p>Tenorsmom: Congratulations on your Sâs role in Les Mis! How exciting it will be for you to see the show! I hope I get to see it. My D and I saw Les Mis for the first time in D.C. last December and enjoyed it very, very much. Last summer my D went to two sessions at SDM but it was a bit long for her (she was sick part of the time.) So this summer she participated in an opera program for two weeks and loved it. Like stagedoor, it was every day and the participants attended classes and then rehearsed for the opera scenes they were cast in. Unlike SDM, it was mostly adults with a few teens in the program. It was a great experience for her to get to know the performers who were all at different phases of their âcareers.â Was your Sâs vocal program MT or opera? My D is not sure which way she is leaning yet or even if she will major or minor in music at all in college. She will be a H.S. junior so she has to start to give it some serious thought either way! Is your S still in H.S.? I am sure we will get to meet at performance weekend. Our kids must already know eachother! Keep posting any news you hear and I will do the same!</p>
<p>ontherun,
My S is a senior and is planning on going into vocal performance/ opera. His other programs this summer were not for MT. One was a choral program and the other was vocal performance. they were for high schoolers. Your Dâs program sounds interesting.</p>
<p>My D was in the last Les Mis at SDM as Cosette (older). It was phenomenal. Iâm sure it will be the same this time around. She is still very friendly with the "firstâ Javert and others in that cast. A good friend of mine has a daughter in the current SDM production (featured soloist) who is also in OTC. No doubt your son knows her as well.</p>
<p>tenorsmom: The program my D participated in was Crittenden Opera Summer Workshop. They have workshops in New York and Washington D.C. She attended the D.C. one. A lot of the participants were college students. My D was cast in opera/operetta scenes from âMarriage of Figaro,â âThe Magic Flute,â and âThe Mikado.â She really felt that she learned a lot in those two weeks and had a great time too!</p>
<p>It is so interesting to read all these posts⊠Being an alumni for the first time, it is funny to read about people just starting their Stagedoor career. Also, even looking at this board brings back memories from reading post from an old roomate (MattyB), to a friendâs mom (Soozievt) to another friendâs mom who i will be going to CCM with in a month (freelance), it is a small world!</p>
<p>Tenorsmom - was your son the Cowardly lion in the Wiz last year? If so, he and I became great friends and I wish i could have stayed 3rd session. Unfourtunately, even though I know how amazing of a time I would have had, I didnât feel I would have enough time to get ready and see friends beofre college if i stayed.</p>
. My D doesnât know your D personally though and was never in any shows with her. We never saw any of the shows either - just didnât work out that way. I think your D may have been in an A or B show when my D was in an A or B show, so we just never saw any of those shows. My D does have older campers that she looks up to and has bonded with, but doesnât seem like our daughters ever really connected or crossed paths. Too badâŠ</p>