Young Performers Theatre

Parent responsibilities

A parent must attend the mandatory parent meeting scheduled for the first Monday following the auditions. A parent must also help with the strike following the final performance. As a parent, you also have the responsibility to ensure that your child is at all rehearsals on time and ready to go. Your child should plan to arrive 10 minutes early for each rehearsal and be ready to go at the designated rehearsal time. A water bottle, pencil and script should be brought to each rehearsal. Jazz or dance shoes should be worn for all dance rehearsals. Cast members should plan to bring a tape recorder (be sure to check that you have fresh batteries and a blank tape) when working with the musical director. As a parent it is your responsibility to be involved by encouraging your child to memorize lines, rehearse music, and review dances between rehearsals.

Discipline is not usually an issue, but please talk to your child about the need to sit quietly while they are not on stage. During the final two weeks, there may be significant "down time" when the children can do homework or read, but they must be ready to rehearse when needed.

Participation Fee

The $75 participation fee per cast member is charged to cover copying and administrative expenses. (The summer production has a $175 fee to cover to cover staff salaries.) Financial limitations will not be a barrier to participation; please speak with the producers or director if you need financial assistance. Scholarship applications are also available at auditions.

Volunteer Hours

All parents must provide 5 hours of preproduction volunteer service to help prepare for the show. The preproduction hours include set, prop, costume assistance and theatre cleaning. The balance of 20 - 35 hours are to be completed with additional preproduction assignments and/or production assignments including dressing room supervision, back stage monitoring, stage crew, house managing, and box office assistance. You must attend one or two tech week rehearsals if you are scheduled to work as part of the stage crew. After casting, you may indicate your parent work assignment preference, but assignments are made based on production needs. The strike is scheduled immediately following the final production. If you are physically unable to provide volunteer service, sponsorship applications are available at auditions.

Deposit

Parents will provide a $250 deposit check that will be returned at the end of the production if they fulfill their volunteer requirements, participate in the strike and return costumes in proper condition.

Check e-mail

All communication for cast members is done via e-mail. Parents must commit to checking their e-mail daily for any changes and updates regarding the production. An accurate e-mail address must be provided.

Costumes

In addition to the volunteer hours, each family must supply the costume(s) for their child. Each cast member will generally have several costumes in each production, and the process of obtaining costumes will vary from show-to-show. Some costumes must be rented from the DMTC costume shop, some costumes may be rented from the DMTC costume shop, some costumes must be created, and some costumes are be found through outside resources such as thrift stores. For most productions, costumes costs range from $50 up to $150. Specific shoes, make-up and undergarments may also be required. In some cases, where specialty items or an abundance of costumes are required, fees could go higher. We do our best to keep the cost to a minimum without sacrificing the artistic vision of the production. If cost is an issue, the costume designer will work with each cast member to make it as affordable as possible.

Theater is a cooperative effort.

With commitment from each of us, and respect for each other, this can be a very rewarding experience.