<p>I posted this on another board but I have a dilemma.</p>
<p>I’m an Asian Male and a senior in High School right now. During the spring, I have the option of doing my school’s Spring musical, Sweet Charity, or doing The King and I at a local regional theater, which also pays non-union actors. I can’t decide which one I should do. I can’t do both.
I feel like I should do my school musical because I’m a senior and it’s my last show with all of my friends. Also, I would probably have a lead role in it. But the King and I would be a good experience because it would be my professional debut, but I probably won’t have a big part in it.
I can’t decide.</p>
<p>Also, if I do audition for Sweet Charity, I’ve heard that the male roles aren’t very good. What do you guys think? I would be interested in Oscar, but I think that he only has one solo. That’s it. Is it worth it? Or should I make my professional debut which can actually go on my professional resume?</p>
<p>You will have the opportunities to work in a professional shows for the rest of your life, but you only have one high school senior year. I vote for the school production.</p>
<p>I agree – your senior HS show is something you’ll always remember, no matter what role you get. And if you’re an Asian male, I’m sure you’ll have lots of opportunities in the future to do King & I! I wouldn’t worry too much about your resume at this point, unless that regional theater is exceptionally well-known nationally.</p>
<p>Both are excellent opportunities that will offer you a different experience. I would suggest that you make a pros and cons list, mapping out the pros and cons of each opportunity… Because you have done shows at your HS, it may be easier to identify the pros and cons of this experience… for the local theatre, see if you can find out who will be directing or choreographing… if they are professional and coming in from out of town, you could learn a lot from this experience. Also – how many actors will be professionals from out of town (or local professionals), how much could you be paid? Make sure to also look at the rehearsal dates and times… will they allow you to leave for college auditions? Will the commitment be so large that it may impact your grades (many schools will want to see an end of year grade report even after you have been admitted), health, etc…</p>
<p>I agree that at this point I would not worry as much about your resume, more about the kind of experience you want to have this spring. </p>
<p>This will not be the first time you will have to make tough decisions in regards to career. I still use the pros and cons lists that my mom taught me to do whenever I have to make a tough decision I make the lists, read them, sleep on it, and then go with my gut. Good Luck!</p>
<p>To me deciding to do the HS production would somewhat depend on the situation, and whether or not you would feel you would learn something from the experience. Also, bear in mind, that even though lead roles in HS are nice, most auditors will put it in perspective. I mean it is unlikely that the girl who played Mama Rose in HS will actually be able to get that part in the “real world” fresh out of HS. </p>
<p>Back to my reason for pointing out “it depends on the situation”; at my D’s HS the drama program was an absolute joke, headed by a director, who was extremely self-absorbed and would call the cast for daily long, poorly run rehearsals, that generally culminated in a sub-par show. My D had to chose between a regional production and her HS show during freshman year, and opted for the regional show. After learning from her friends about how the rehearsals at school were run, and how this man was wasting everyone’s time (people even had to put any outside of school dance classes/voice lessons on hold), she was thankful that she made the right decision. She learned a lot working with adults, and had the opportunity to build her professional resume. She continued this through her senior year, and just “got creative” in finding time to spend with her HS friends, by staying involved with choir, and other activities. </p>
<p>Now, I also will admit that not every regional production is better run than every high school production. In fact, we have a local high school that just put on a HS version of Rent, and they channeled a professional production in every way (talent, set, costuming, music, staging etc.).</p>
<p>Since you are pursuing a BFA I think it may be well worth it to evaluate where you feel you would get the “most out of it”, and so that pro’s and con’s list that KatMT is suggesting above may be the way to go.</p>
<p>Your issue would, of course, be your own personal decision, but I’m letting you know about my son’s HS choices. His situation may be similar to MTgrlsmom’s daughter’s. I’m not putting down the drama program at his HS, but a favorite drama teacher left his school after 9th grade, and he never did another show at school. He did do school choir and other activities. Starting after 8th grade, he auditioned for and got involved in shows around our community, including equity regional theatre, paid dinner theatre, and community theatre. He had done children’s theatre in the community earlier than that, in older elementary school and middle school. I believe he has never regretted doing the professional shows. It broadened his horizons so much, particularly in exposing him to adults from other cities, such as NYC, who are in the profession. Often he would be the only person in the show who was not an adult. He learned so much from these people and became familiar with the working professional process. These people helped him determine what schools he wanted to look at, consider plays that would be good ideas to find monologues, and helped him realize that he must learn to dance if he was going to make it in the competitive profession, even as a male. In 9th grade, he began slowly but surely taking dance and has now become quite good, after some major training at Elon. He also decided in 9th grade that he wanted to pursue MT as a profession and to find the best school possible, which started us on a journey looking at schools. I’m not sure he would have been exposed to this much or made the same choices and decisions if he had only been doing school shows. For example, guys around here just don’t dance, in general. Men from NYC DO dance and are quite good, so this is an example of broadening horizons. Our city and HS may be different from many other schools and probably different from many performing arts HS’s, for example.</p>
<p>I realize in reading my post again that I may sound a bit harsh about my D’s HS Drama program, and I would like to emphasize that my D would have happily done HS productions if she felt that it would have been worthwhile. </p>
<p>She loved the previous head of the department whom she met when she shadowed before she got into HS. His replacement unfortunately had a very different, more egocentric personality, and his approach was not didactic at all, but rather erratic. This was not just our observation. He was removed from his position this year.</p>
<p>At the end of the day I feel that doing either or is truly personal. There is no “better” other than what you feel you need to do. You really don’t need to think along the lines of what will look better. For admission into a BFA your audition will be much more important.</p>
<p>If you love your HS drama friends and you will have the time of your life playing one of leads in the HS show in your senior year, DO IT! </p>
<p>As MTgrlsmom said, it’s going to be your BFA audition that counts! If you’re good, you’ll be good whether you do your HS musical or the local regional theatre come BFA audition time. </p>
<p>Your friends and memories are just as important as the opportunity to learn something new at the regional theatre. Don’t rush – you’re gonna get there either way so pick what would really make YOU HAPPY in this very special year of high school!! There’s no wrong answer.</p>
<p>Thank you for all your responses. I’ve talked to many of my friends and I will be talking to my drama teacher next week.
Yesterday was the closing night for our school’s fall play, and it just reminded me of how much I will miss my friends (and how fun it is to strike the set with them).</p>
<p>Clay - It doesn’t sound like either show has been cast so I’m not sure how you would decide without even knowing what part you’d have in either show. All advice on this thread is excellent, I think it comes down to which opportunity gives you the most flexibility with regard to the up and coming audition season.</p>
<p>You’re only a high school senior once, and if you enjoy being with your friends, why miss this last opportunity to work with them? As someone else said, you will probably have a lot of chances to do The King and I in the future (and Miss Saigon). That’s spoken as the mom of an Asian daughter. My daughter did her high school musical, and it was Sweet Charity. Oscar is a great role; my daughter’s best friend had that role, and he was fantastic in it. Also, the role of the Vittorio is a great acting opportunity, as well as singing, although he is not in very many scenes. Herman is in more than Vittorio and sings the great song about crying at weddings. Good luck with your decision, whatever you think is best for you!</p>
<p>Assuming you like your HS program, I would concur with those who advise to do that show. My DD just finished her fall show and a friend of ours attended, who is an NYU/Tisch alumnae (and had a great experience there). She said, nostalgically, there is simply nothing like the bonding that happens in high school theatre. So, for what it’s worth…</p>
<p>It sounds like you enjoy the performing arts program at your school. That said, I say, as others have said, do your high school senior musical. It is your time, and you should have it to enjoy and cherish.</p>
<p>No, you will not be behind. As I, and others, have pointed out on numerous occasions - your resume has little impact on your eventual admittance to your college/conservatory program. Not having a regional or national tour theatre credit does not put you in any way "behind. What might put you a bit behind is lack of training, for example, basic keyboard skills, or lacking an ability to sheet-read music, perhaps you are not up to par in a particular area - say tap or acting. Even then, most programs have courses in areas like music theory, keyboarding for student who need it (sometimes you can “test-out” of those courses if you already have those skills). When you begin your next phase of training, you begin with a clean slate - what will matter then, as always, is a combination of attitude, work ethic, dedication, and talent.</p>
<p>clayd, if you get into a BFA program, no one is going to care one wit whether you have professional credits. mtdog71 is absolutely correct. When my daughter started at a conservatory type program in 2007, her prior experience of performing in shows consisted of 1 school show a year from 7th grade through 12th and 1 children’s/teenage community theatre show in 11th and 12th. All the rest of her experience consisted of training both during the school year and 2 summer programs, competition dance teams, choral/chorus performing at school/synagogue. At her school, while there are some students who came in with professional credits, most did not. Those who did not are not at any real disadvantage. As a 1st semester sophomore, daughter has had great performing opportunities in college. Don’t stress it. Do the show that will be the most fun for you. It’s your senior year, enjoy it!</p>
<p>All college programs… even the top undergraduate conservatory programs… are in general, college level programs for very talented 17 - 22 year olds (and the few students who are older because they took time off, transfered, etc… ;)). At most conservatory based programs, the first year is focused on getting all students on the “same page”. I echo what others have said. Ultimately, you need to do the show this spring that will give you the experience you would like to have your senior year, and give you the flexibility to attend your college auditions.</p>
<p>I was in my BFA MT program in the early 1990s with girls who had been on Broadway and National Tours in Annie, kids who had performed professionally in other venues, kids who went to PA HS… kids who did not, kids who had only done their school shows, kids who had been performing since they could walk, kids who started performing in HS. Admittance is based upon your audition (and other factors in terms of academics that are school specific). </p>
<p>As other have said, you need to make the decision that you think is the right one for you (based upon how you end up being cast) in terms of what show to do this spring. The college audition process is very stressful. That is one of the reasons to chose the performing opportunity that will offer the least amount of stress! Good Luck :)!</p>
Good Luck!</p>
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