Hubs and I went for a meeting with North Texas Performing Arts (NTPA).
I wanted to become part of this group and over coffee and Chai teas we soon learned that NTPA, with all its subsidiaries, performs a lot of shows in a year, mainly for the parents and their friends.
They are building a new theatre in Fairview and want to start reaching out to the communities in which they have a presence, namely Plano, McKinney, Allen and Frisco.
Their goal is to expand the audience base and entice new blood…
I was to be a part of this new vision by stage managing the first show to perform in the Fairview theatre, Mary Poppins. The company had never had a “professional” Stage Manager before (their description of me) and soon found a fit for me.
As someone with heaps of experience in children’s theatre I am intrigued by the way Plano Children’s Theatre is run and wondered what would have happened had Garland’s Children On Stage operated in a similar manner?
The shows are directed by in-house staff who fill all the shoes from musical director, with help from a track provided by the publishing house, to choreographer.
Parents, as is the norm in these situations, play a huge part in the success of the programme, in fact, without the parents absolutely nothing could be achieved… they act as show managers, designers, set builders, technicians, costumers and much, much more.
They earn points for each hour they work to go towards the cost of the next show should their child(ren) desire to ‘pay-to-play.’
I am a community volunteer and have no use for a scholarship.
“They’re not paying you at all?” the head of the board asked when she heard I’d been brought on to do the job she used to do as a parent.
I shook my head.
The fees are not pocket change and as far as I can tell the money is well used to further the purpose of introducing children from a very young age to the supercalifragilisticexpialidocious-ness of theatre.
Rehearsals for Mary Poppins are twice a week, Tuesdays and Saturdays.
That doesn’t sound bad but at this time of year it spans 4 full months. A lengthy commitment for an outsider.
Each child who auditions is offered a role. Not a realistic scenario but since there’s money involved why turn anyone away?
There are callbacks for the principal parts and since older boys, as has proven true throughout my theatrical career, are in great demand, Bert and George Banks are single cast.
Heaven help us if anything untoward should happen to either of them. Perhaps this is where Hubs fits in!
The rest of the show is double cast and several genius-parents tap dance with the best of the angelic chimney sweeps, to keep the two casts together on stage, in costume, in the right number, at the right time, so audience members can enjoy a jolly holiday from the hard work of their lives.
We have 50 children ranging in age from 6-18 and I am in awe of the sheer talent thrumming through the rooms where we meet twice a week.
I am utterly thrilled to be experiencing this exciting and different adventure…
Watching Mary Poppins’ magic slowly unfold to bring everything to life is practically perfect in every way.
Well hello there! My name is Vivienne McNeny.
I am an empty nester exploring life as a Boomer…you could say I'm happily Boomering along!
As a homeschooling Mum I have finally quit the job of role model and mentor to my four children. I do what I want to do, eat when I feel like it, enjoy life with my blue eyed cowboy and clean my house once a month or so whether it needs it or not!
In true English form I write about the emergence of my true identity now that I can no longer hide behind my children as their Mum.
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