Feel free to reach out to Melody about all concerns including, but not limited to:*
Site or music not working
Auditions & scripts
Costumes
Scheduling
*Melody will loop in Miss Paige if needed
Dear parents,
I’m so excited to have your child involved in our program! I can’t wait for this show! --Miss Paige
This is a very long document with lots of important information. It will help you navigate this experience, especially if this is your first activity with Paige Productions Youth Theater.
Please note: Names, characters, & casting assignments will be located on this page a day or two after the first rehearsal.
ADDITIONAL DETAILS
COMMUNICATION
Most show specific information will be located on this site. Occasionally I will send a “broadcast” like this one from my website to the email you registered under. That will be our main form of communication. Please keep an eye out for these, they come from PAIGE PRODUCTIONS, NOT Paigeproductions123@gmail.com. Please check your email JUNK/SPAM folder to make sure info is not lost in there.
LOCATION
We meet on the campus of Fountain Hills Presbyterian Church:
13001 N Fountain Hills Blvd., Fountain Hills, AZ
*Drive all the way to the back of the campus. Climb the big flight of steps and take a right:)
NEW PARENTS
If you are new to our program, could you stop in quick and say hi on the first day? I just want to meet you, connect quickly, and answer any questions.
DROP-OFF
We will be ready for performers 5 minutes before rehearsal starts. There is no supervision for students arriving before this time. The tech kids and I need a little time to finish setting up before kids arrive. Please don’t drop off earlier than this. If your child is alone on the playground, I will have to stop what I am doing to come supervise them.
PICK-UP Please be on time to pick up. It helps us so much.
WHAT TO WEAR
Kids should dress for movement and wear closed-toe shoes. Please no crocs, slippers, flip-flops or high heels.
WHAT TO BRING
Bring a large bottle of water, a non-messy snack, (if needed), the show script, (we will hand out scripts on first day), pencil and highlighter.
9-3 pm rehearsals - no school days (6 hours) - Bring lunch, a snack, and lots of water.
1-6 pm Sunday rehearsals (5 hours) - We schedule after lunch and before dinner, so kids can attend family meals:)
3-6 pm Monday rehearsals (3 hours) - We hope kids can have a snack in the car on the way, but bring water.
3-8 pm Monday rehearsals (5 hours) - Please send dinner with your student or drop off food, labeled with their name, outside the door at 5:15 pm. (We prefer not to keep opening the doors, so we do a combined drop- off:)
Please have kids eat before or after rehearsal & avoid messy snacks unless it is medically necessary or they just can't wait til the end. We just try to keep it clean.
We try to avoid a major crumb and food clean-up on 1-6 pm rehearsals, because we have less time.
WATER We have refills for water bottles, but we go thru it really fast! We'd love it if anyone wants to donate a case of water for us to pass out when needed. If you bring it in, feel free to put it on the edge of the big white table. We will know what it is. Also we always need a case of water backstage (on both sides), for show day if you ever want to donate. Thank you!!
AUDITION
We try not to do a stressful audition. We sing songs and read parts, kids try different things. Casting slowly starts to make sense and we establish roles. We find out if a child wants a large or small part and we cast accordingly. If they are not ready for a big part or tell us they do not want a big part, we will not push them. Again, the better they know the music, the better the casting goes.
CASTING
Kids are often hurt by casting situations. Parents can either feed the hurt or help their child grow. Please help us embrace this reality of theater life. (You will ruin your kid's experience if you are upset about the size of their part.) Please trust us with casting results.
But good news, all students will have a part in this production. Some students will have several parts. Performers might not get the part they want. This is a reality of theater life and something to embrace right away. More often than not, casting is based on height, or WHAT MAKES SENSE for the story we are telling. For example, if there is a role for a parent & child, a taller student would probably play the parent and a shorter student might play the child. It just makes a little more sense.
If a kid doesn’t get the part they want, help us remind them that it’s no big deal. We tell them at rehearsal that it’s totally normal and we just have fun and try again next time. The truth is performers rarely get the exact part they want.
We will encourage the kids to be happy for each other if someone gets a lead. We remind them that we take turns with parts. I personally try to give kids a chance at a bigger part once we feel they are READY.
(Keep in mind that a big part means more responsibility, being self-motivated to memorize lines in a short amount of time, speak AND sing loud enough to fill the room, being able deal with high levels of performance stress, and leading the other students in professionalism.) Being talented is different from being READY.
We will send out a cast list after the first rehearsal so you know what your child’s part is. My goal is that the child would leave the first day knowing their part.
AGE ISSUES
This show will have kids ranging in age from 5-18. We sometimes have older kids who don’t like being around younger kids. If that is the case, then theater is not the right place for that student. It is important to understand that almost EVERY youth theater show has a huge age range. Performers have to be okay with this. Even movies have characters of varying ages. If an adult doesn’t want to work with a little kid or a teen doesn’t want to work with a baby in a movie, they will be limited in what they are able to be involved in. Please talk this through with your student before rehearsal starts. In addition, all conversations should be “G” rated.
TIME OUT
I give time outs for kids to re-focus if we are having any trouble or disrespect. This happens very rarely, and the kids are usually very focused on our show. I just want to let you know this may happen if needed.
ABSENTEEISM
Please have your child at rehearsal as much as possible. We are pulling together a full production in a short amount of time. If your student is gone too often we might have to discuss changing their part. IF YOUR CHILD IS A LEAD, THEY NEED TO BE AT THE FINAL REHEARSALS. PLEASE DON'T MAKE IT AWKWARD AND ASK ME TO MAKE AN EXCEPTION.
The last 4 days are REQUIRED FOR EVERYONE. If your child is missing it makes things difficult for all of us to work around. (It doesn't matter what size part they have. Theater is a team activity.)
Keep in mind, when your child is gone, their personal performance also suffers, because they just aren’t as ready as the other kids. Repetition of the show with everyone there is key to everyone’s success. In an abbreviated rehearsal process like ours, one day is equivalent to one week at a regular theater. A week's worth of rehearsal is a lot of time to miss.
REHEARSALS
Please watch for any email BROADCASTS mentioned above. It will give you details on rehearsals each week. Sometimes we "French Scene" a rehearsal and let some kids go home early or come late. I don't like wasting a kid's time if I can help it. If they are not needed I will do my best to get them home. Kids are also encouraged to bring quiet activities, homework, a book, a tablet, etc. This keeps them busy and quiet when they are not needed on the stage. We can even set up a homework table if needed.
CREATIVE COSTUME CONTEST
Kids will be developing their own costume for this show. You will see a costume contest noted on your rehearsal schedule. This helps us put together our costumes for the show. The winner will receive a $10 prize.
SHOES
We do not require you to buy shoes, but here is a recommendation. Girls above the age of 12 that want to do theater should eventually have their own pair of character shoes. Black or nude colors with a low heel are best. Little girls might want a pair of jazz shoes. (Search all these shoes on Amazon or sometimes Target. They don't have to be expensive.) Black or nude are best. Boys would benefit from a pair of neutral or dark colored tennis shoes, black, gray, etc. (No neon or red swoosh, etc.)
FINAL SHOW
Our shows are either
30 mins (indicated by the word "KIDS" in the title
Or
Show Ends approx 30 or 60 minutes later (see above)
STRIKE* or clean-up starts immediately following the final show.
If everyone works together to clean up we can leave sooner.
SHOW CLEAN-UP/STRIKE
Clean-up starts after the final show. We need help from parents cleaning up and resetting 12 round tables with six chairs each. All students are expected to help clean. Traditionally in theater no one leaves until everything is clean. We will have a list with each student's clean-up assignment as we get closer:)
TICKETS
Tickets will be available on my website as we get closer to the show. All tickets are $5 (Ages three and under are free). We encourage you to invite as many people as possible to our show, the kids LOVE a huge audience!
SOCIAL MEDIA/ADVERTISING SHOW
Please follow me on Facebook or IG (@paigeproductionsAZ). I post info about our show there. This usually gets us audience members from the community. "Liking" a post is good, "re-sharing" a post is very good, and "commenting" on a post is GREAT for publicity. These social media posts get us a lot of new audience members to come watch the show. (Our Christmas show was standing room only, and very exciting for the kids!:)
GIFTS FOR PERFORMERS
Most theaters offer a “Candygram,” candy gift that you send to your performer backstage with a message from you. We are offering $5 "Lucky Duckys” or "Lucky Ducky" earring gifts to wish your performer, “Break a Leg." These are themed rubber ducks for each show and are optional. DUCKS CAN BE PURCHASED AT THE SHOW.
PLEASE LEAVE ANY OF OUR COSTUME, PROPS OR SET PIECES WITH US AFTER THE SHOW.
IF YOUR CHILD IS ABSENT
Please text me at the number below if your child will not be at rehearsal. Please understand, we have a very short time to prepare for this show. Students who miss too much time will be given a smaller part.
PLEASE NOTE
I am always available via text. Don't hesitate to reach out during rehearsal or after, 480-375-8058. It's also nice for me to be able to text you if someone forgets a script, close-toed shoes, etc.:)
So excited for this show! See you soon!
Miss Paige
Paige Beckman - Owner/Artistic Director - Paige Productions Youth Theater
Call or text: 480-375-8058 Email: paigeproductions123@gmail.com Website: www.paigeproductionsAZ.com
