Actor & Parent Expectations
We are so excited that you and your child would like to be a part of the Silvermoon Children’s Theatre (SCT). Here are some guidelines and expectations we have of parents and students who wish to audition for mainstage shows. There are a few things we would like to present to you up-front before you let your child audition for a mainstage show as you allow your child this GREAT childhood experience of LIFE TRAINING IN DISGUISE.
Silvermoon Children’s Theatre - Mission Statement
The mission of the Silvermoon Children’s Theater is to provide entertaining, professional quality theatre, performed by children for audiences of all ages. We educate, challenge and inspire youth, support the learning environment, and build strong community values….life training in disguise.
#1 Remember that ‘Many hands make light work!’
Theatre is an all-around art…Hair, makeup, costumes, sets, props, marketing, ticket sales, tech crew AND acting. Your child’s audition for a SCT show tells us that he/she is interested in acting, but we need help in all areas to make this production a success.
Each family will be responsible for:
Paying a Materials Fee! When cast, each actor will be asked to pay $30. This fee covers the cost of a show t-shirt (other shirts will be available for purchase by other family members) and scripts and CDs.
Securing the actor’s base costume! You provide the base, and we will provide the ‘FLAIR’ to each costume. The part of the costume that you provide is YOURS, the part we provide is property of SCT and should be returned at the end of the show’s run. The specific costume info will be given out at casting. Each actor will also be responsible for ‘under blacks’ to be worn under base costume and costume.
Selling tickets and ads! To try to keep costs low for each family involved, each family should do their best to sell tickets for the show and ads for the program. We ask that each family needs to sell at least 1 (ONE) program ad.
Advertising! We will also be using free social media as much as possible and we need all families to promote this show on their personal social media sites, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. This is going to be a fantastic show! You will WANT to spread the word!
Volunteering! We need many hands to help with lots of different aspects of theatre. We need parents who can help with assembling costumes, building sets, gathering props, corralling kids, etc. Many hands make light work, and your help is very ummmm......helpful.
#2 Help your child be prepared!
Rehearsals always disappear faster than we expect. Rehearsal time is for cast to work together on parts the actors have worked on individually during the week. Your child is expected to have lines memorized and blocking and dances learned at the scheduled times during our rehearsal process. This will help our rehearsal times to run faster and smoother. Here are items to remember to help each actor be prepared.
-Be on time.
-What to bring: Script, Water bottle labeled with name, secure close-toed shoes (no flip flops or sandals), quiet activity to occupy attention during down time, and A GOOD ATTITUDE!
-Work on lines and/or songs at home before group rehearsal. Learn parts as quickly as possible.
#3 Be on time!
We will be using a clock! Your time is valuable to your families and SCT. We understand that life is busy and there is a schedule to follow. We expect to start rehearsals AT start time. If you’re “on time”, then you’re late. Please plan to arrive 15 minutes prior to rehearsal time so we can begin PROMPTLY. Your child can use this 15 minutes to go to the bathroom, get a drink of water, warm-up voices & bodies, OR even go over songs or lines. We will finish as close to the scheduled end time as possible. We will do our best to be organized and make sure you are well informed of rehearsal schedules and never have your child sitting idly by for hours on end. We would like for you to have the same courtesy for us and have your child at rehearsal prepared to START at the scheduled time and pick your child up PROMPTLY.
#4 Respect the space we are blessed to use.
Josh & Diana Morriss have put in lots of time, money and prayer into remaking and restoring these historic buildings. We are honored to be able to use the theatre space for such an opportunity as this, but we will not be treating it like our home. There may be other events happening in the buildings while we are rehearsing/performing. We must be diligent about keeping the building clean and in immaculate condition. Treat the Silvermoon with respect and like you would treat a museum…no hands or feet on the walls, no food or drinks (but water), no running or yelling. Please, help your child understand these very important rules so we will have a wonderful space in which to do excellent theatre for many, many years to come.
Rules for Silvermoon space at a glance:
Please enter rehearsal from side door off parking lot at Texas Blvd and Broad Street. We will have a sign in/sign out sheet for a parent to sign when actors arrive and leave.
Water is the only food or drink allowed during rehearsal and this water must be in a bottle with a screw top lid. If you need to grab dinner before rehearsal, be sure to finish your food before entering the Silvermoon. The no-food-or-drink rule includes gum and candy.
Running and/or yelling will not be allowed unless it required by your director on stage.
Restrooms that are allowed to be used are in the dressing rooms. We will make actors aware of the location of these during the first meeting.
During rehearsal, there will be times of sitting and waiting for the actor’s part on stage. Each actor is encouraged to bring something to do that will help them to be still and quiet, homework, electronic games with headphones, a book, quiet games (small and portable).
Actors must stay in theatre at all times, unless taking a restroom break. There will be no wandering around the Silvermoon. (We will give a tour of the entire space on the first day of rehearsal).
#5 Absences from Rehearsal.
SCT understands the hectic lives that families have. We have families, too. We want you to be involved as much as you can be with us and so we work with those actors cast in the show to fit the rehearsal schedule around everyone. As you can tell, this is a difficult process. Scheduling can be a nightmare. We ask each parent to write down any potential conflicts on the audition form so we will KNOW and AVOID scheduling your child on that day/time. Once the schedule comes out, it is required for the child to attend ALL rehearsals that he/she is scheduled for. ****Any conflict that is not written on the audition form will NOT be honored.**** Rehearsing without all actors present is difficult and wastes time. We will only allow ONE unexcused absence from rehearsal but we'd rather you not use this at all. Please be diligent to write down ALL possible conflicts between the given rehearsal dates so we can better make the rehearsal schedule. No actor may miss the TECH REHEARSAL, DRESS REHEARSALS or PERFORMANCES. By auditioning you agree to these guidelines. Any actor that misses more than ONE UNEXCUSED rehearsal may be removed from the show. We understand that family emergencies and sicknesses arise. Please let us know about emergencies as early as you can by emailing or texting Directors and/or Stage Manager so we may plan accordingly.
#6 Remind your little star to be encouraging to others they work with.
SCT strives to be a happy and safe place for all the actors, parents, and staff. We expect everyone involved to be loving, kind and encouraging to those around them. While we understand that working so closely with people for this amount of time can at times be stressful and being involved can cause people to be tired and irritable, there is never an excuse to treat others with disrespect. This goes for other actors, parents and staff and the Silvermoon Children’s Theatre entity. We expect problems to be brought to the attention of the director or staff and not spread through the cast/crew or in public places like social media. In order to keep our atmosphere positive, anyone disregarding this policy may be asked to leave for the day, the show, or the season.
