Should theatres make special arrangements to transport child

[Iggy]

Spent another miserable night on the bus not getting home til 12am after a Saturday night show. Not the first time....lots of snow....trains cancelled and no other option. It was absolutely freezing and I am sure dd now has her cold as result of getting cold that night. Hope she makes her matinee tomorrow.
I think it would not go amiss to foot the bill for a cab home when tains are cancelled.
Anyone have any story to tell about getting home in the snow?

[paulears]

Why would the theatre pay for a cab? If they did it for one, then everyone should be given the same option. It's never in contracts that the production company pays for travel, unless specially negotiated - maybe when somebody lives a long way away, or other special problems apply. The weather applies to everyone. I've been walking 2 miles in and out for the last week because the cabs won't go my way. Some of the standby dwarfs live 70 miles away, so can't get in at all, and quite a few people live outside of town in the country. They stay with friends, or just accept a long tiring journey. I'm certainly not laying on transport for my cast - that's up to them. One did ask for a hotel, and I said no to that too. It's not the production companies fault, and I don't have spare budget to pay these kind of things. A cab fare for one will soon spread around and just be impossible.

[Iggy]

Very true. Good points.
What if it were a large, rich production company? (or the largest, richest even) Would you still feel the same?
I guess business is business.

[mathsmum]

ds was in the west end last winter - we were lucky getting home

is your dd in a paid role? if i had that sort of trouble getting home, i think i would shell out for a cab out of offspring's earnings (yes - i can see that would make a loss on that evening's/those evenings' preformance(s), but hopefully she's come out in the black overall)

if not being paid - hmm, that's a bit different

[Iggy]

She is being paid well and I think I will do that in future. It's all relative and a £35 fare is worth it in the grand scheme of things.
We just don't feel looked after. But as I said before...it's a business. We are quite new to it all and have a bit to get used to!

[bruno2]

I can understand how you feel but dont worry I am sure we have all been there and felt exactly the same way you have. My dd has been on theatre productions and the main cast have a beautifull buffet put on for them and the kids have to grap a quick McDonalds which we have to pay for and its the same with travel expenses £5.00 per day !!!!!!!! which isnt much when the theatre is 50 miles away and people are pay £45.00 for tickets. But dd has loved every single moment of all the theatre production and it is definately a worth while experience. .

[mathsmum]

We just don't feel looked after. But as I said before...it's a business. We are quite new to it all and have a bit to get used to!

it depends on the production you're in - one or 2 children as part of the reasonably-sized cast of a serious play can have an amazing time

children often get overlooked in large-cast musicals (possibly other large-cast plays, but i have no experience of that), and especially when there are a lot of them, unless they are a pivotal part themselves

and if you're finding that grim, wait till they have a minor role in a film shoot

and yes - even when they grumble about individual circumstances - they love it!!!

[Iggy]

Yes you are right- she is having a ball. Cast and chaperones all lovely. Let's hope there is no more snow.
I will try to stop moaning and just buy some more thermals in the sales!!

[paulears]

This is really tricky and probably a little unpleasant to hear, but I deal with children performers each year for pantomime, and I have the production as my prime consideration - not the kids. Over the years it's been found that since the fuss with Child Protection issues first started, and systems were introduced, the actual experience for the kids is worse. They're segregated to the extent that they're not really part of the company. The rules get interpreted differently from area to area, but frequently they're isolated so they have as little contact with the cast as possible - at the moment, I have two sets of kids here. We have the usual 'babes' from the local dance school who are contracted to provide the kids, the chaperones and everything they need - we just pay the school! They're in one big chorus dressing room. Next to them are another set of kids who are the responsibility of the venue - their chaperones work for the theatre, the theatre sourced the kids through local auditions, and there are seven of them. They're in the next door chorus room. On the same floor are the band, and notionally, the boy dancers (but they spend most time on the floor above with the girls). All the rest of the cast are on the floor above. The band shut themselves away and keep the door shut - so they kids are on their own. The dance school kids, from my perspective are just faceless kids. I don't know their names or anything about them. A few of the cast who they work with on stage get to know them a little - but really it's just in the few minutes they're on stage ready for their scene - perhaps during a standby when they can't even talk much. The seven kids, wear big heads when I see them on stage - so I have no idea who is in them - and to be honest, I really don't need to. If I can't count seven - then I worry.

Every day, we wait for parent to phone with all manner of excuses why they won't be in, and scrabble around for the replacements, because the kids used yesterday can't be used again - even if they and parents are willing. We now get an extra one in each day for standby, but this is pretty unfair on the poor kid who doesn't end up going on - and some do live a LONG way away. One has over a hundred mile round trip to come in to do nothing, so obviously getting this one in for nothing is silly!

One parent took their daughter out yesterday with 38 shows to go because the transport was getting tedious. Everyone was warned at the auditions, but even though the child wanted to do it, the parents had had enough.

I really wish that I knew their names, but the reality is I don't really have to - they are a resource really. The performers are broken down into 3 unofficial groups - cast, dancers and kids. The cast are treated as individuals, the dancers are always 'dancers' - and then we have the kids as the third 'clump'. They can't socialise in the bar afterwards, they can't mix freely with the cast without their minders - and they tend to keep them close and safe - so the kids don't have as good a time as they could have, and they're only really appreciated as a 'group' - not as individuals. Mistakes by the kids go in the show reports, but always as "one of the juveniles ......." so they don't even get singled out for being bad.

I do remember faces, so we can wave at each other, and being panto, I get regular notes from them to say hello to people in the audience during the song sheet at the end. However, the Ellie and Abby and Chloe who give me notes frequently I wouldn't know if I saw them.

One of the chaperones mentioned to me that one girl would be back next week as her twisted ankle was nearly better. The sad truth was I hadn't even noticed.

I'm not proud of not knowing them - they're good kids, but the problems I face having the kids in the production simply mean they're more of a problem than anyone else, so it does colour your judgement a bit, and if the chaperones are looking after them, then I don't have to unless one breaks! I really wish the business allowed the kids to be treated as individuals, but in the pecking order, they're right at the bottom - which is the real fact of life. I speak to many company managers on all sorts of productions and they all cite the kids as really important parts of the shows, but are also the most difficult elements to deal with. Looking at my desk here - I have the chaperone names and phone numbers pinned up, but I'd have to find a programme to find out the kids names.

So whenever you try to deal with the venues and the production companies, it really helps to realise how the kids fit into the system. To be fair, the dancers get a rough deal too. I remember once reading an email from another show where they'd asked the office to "can we have a new dancer, we've broken one!" No name, no explanation - and probably the same way they'd ask for a bit of replacement technical equipment?

That's not very good is it? Hopefully, though, it might make some of the things that have happened to your kids make a bit more sense.

I really wish we could return to the old days when the kids were dropped off by their parents and then just mixed in with the 'chaperone' just looking after the food and housekeeping and telling off. Everybody knew everybody then - I simply hate going to the kids dressing room. You knock on the door and they open it and you go in to discover some kids getting changed and the chaperones glaring at you like some kind of pervert! Being made to feel awkward in this way is really unpleasant, so it's no wonder us blokes avoid the kids if we can. One of our really little ones got lost somehow, so I walked her back to their dressing room, and she held out her hand - which I took for obvious reasons, but I was more worried running into somebody holding a little girls hand, or maybe what she told her mum and dad. Stupid to feel this way - but I really think it's not improved the lot of the kids!

[mathsmum]

not hard to hear - most of us know this only too well - as i said, the smaller the cast, the more integrated the children are likely to be

the separate dressing rooms has some sense - it's the separate loos that often put the kids as you describe on separate floors that is infuriating!

and i bet we have all come across kids who get less work than they might because someone has a black mark against the parent!!

when other parents say (oh - and they do) 'my little darling loves acting - could they do what your son does?' my standard reply is - 'could they sit all day in a caravan in a car park in south london where it isn't safe to get out for a run round, stuck with 3 other kids they don't know and can find no rapport with? and how would you feel if you found out no attempt was made to offer anything for them to do?' (that was then - i'm older and wiser and pack a rucksack that would sustain a child for a week now)

the travelling thing fascinates me too - how often have you read on here 'i know we live 200 miles form the venue, but we could manage the travelling easily' ? well - experienced parents on here probably could - but yeah - we've had to get licence variations to cover 'had enough' pull-outs before now

but paul - i repeat - the kids love it - i bet your pull-outs are fed-up parents, not kids - and parents need to get on with it or try to get them into horse-rding instead

[paulears]

The little one concerned always seemed very happy - so I suspect you're right - it was too much for the parents! It's a huge commitment and perhaps they don't realise how it can become a bit of a chore.
At least nobody can identify the kids from this picture!

[bcnups]

Thankyou paulears for a honest and thoughtful reflection on the whole theatrical experience for juveniles. It's a shame that we as a nation have become so paranoid that children are segregated, to the extent that they don't benefit so much from being part of the stage cast. I think that most parents do make a huge commitment to getting their children to and from venues. The abnormal weather conditions have hit those that use public transport and a long cold and miserable journey is the result.
My dgd is in films, and both parent and child rise at unearthly hours in the morning to drive to the studio - and then dgd travels with chaperone, by minibus to designated outside location. She is kept safe, and adequately fed. Sometimes she comes home after a long day quite tired, but never complains and is content. She is paid, which is some compensation but her parents willingly fund petrol costs so that her cheques go untouched into her own account. Parents willingly support their children because they want them to have the best chance at fulfilling their hopes and dreams.
Your seven dwarves look magical. I bet all of them are exactly where they want to be.

[Irishdancer]

Bcnups I'm really surprised u have to drive yr dgd to film set, my ds dose not do theatre but when he has been in a film or in a tv program we have had a car pick him and me up from home and taken back home so I have been able to chaperion him so am not out Of pucket, if I was u I have a word with dgd agent and ask why u are not picked up from home and why u can not chaperon as it is so much easer so u and the child are not so tired at the end of the day.

[igloobabe]

Theatre is a whole different world to film, TV and modelling. The latter two seem to have a lot more money behind them, and you can get paid high amounts for minor roles, as I have noticed from casting briefs. From what I have seen and learned from this website and also a few theatre actors I know, there is little support with either transport or food even for adults unless they are really big names.

For example, an actress who is a mum at dds school was in Cats, Les Mis, and Mamma Mia among many other shows, including playing the lead in MM quite recently, yet they live fairly modestly. She had to get herself to the theatre from Hertfordshire by train every day and pay for her own food. However, when the MM film was made, she was Meryl Streep's dance double - filming all the dance scenes for Streep to watch and learn, and also she was in the extras. She had an all expenses paid trip to the lovely Greek island for 8 weeks and made enough money for a month's family holiday to new Zealand!

Depends if you are in it for love or money!

[Irishdancer]

It's ok doing it for the love of it if the child comes from a 2 parent family with a good income but if a child comes from a 1 parent with little in come it's hard to do it for the love of it as they might have to chose buying food paying bills or letting the child be on a production where they are not paid. When ds has been filming have had patents say oh we would have done it for fee, that is the reason why a lot of things are not paid any more I feel sorry for actors who rely on being paid to keep there families together but are not getting the work because so many people want to be on tv or films who have a good job and do extra work or film for fee because they want to see themselfs on TV or the big screne, some of these actors have been to drama school or unie but can not get work. I can understand theatre as it has never been paid well or low budget film as that is the same but more and more productions who do have the money take advantage of people and don't pay because they can get away with it.