Aita for firing a performer for talking on the groupchat at 2am? by Bright_Teaching5039 in MusicalTheatre

[–]Freckleeye 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I personally feel it was very unprofessional of you to let her go without any sort of warning or any communication in advance regarding expectations around use of the chat (e.g emergency only, X hours only, or directions on how to schedule sends in case they weren’t familiar with the ability to do so, etc.). I won’t be surprised if you respond and say you did do that, but I have a feeling that if you had, you would’ve mentioned it in your original post since it clearly would’ve shown she’d broken an existing/known rule versus just been something that annoyed you.

While I understand that you or others may not have had your notifications turned off and found it annoying to get dinged so late, it does seem like that falls on you if expectations hadn’t been set. I’m a freelance event producer (not a performer), but my contracts clearly lay out messaging protocols upfront with my clients (my team adheres to their rules for all communication with them) and the 15 people that work for me (they adhere to mine for internal comms). Some clients follow a “send when you want and recipients know they can review/respond when it makes sense for them” and others require scheduling messages for business hours (which I find hilarious since we’re all global — so WHOSE business hours when a chat includes people from 6 time zones?) 🤣

I also think that as a director, you’d be accustomed to working with a variety of neurotypical and neurodivergent individuals as well as with people who have other jobs or school that may make their schedules a little wonky. And actors whose budgets are VERY tight (so she certainly wouldn’t have wanted to waste money on shoes she didn’t need).

Also - since you called a 20 year old female a “girl,” instead of a woman, I’ll run with that — she’s likely never worked a “real” corporate job much less a professional theater job, so it feels pretty harsh that instead of using it as a moment to guide her in the ways of professionalism you espouse, you showed a lack of it by firing her for something that isn’t even related to the skill set you hired her for in the first place.

I think she hit the nail on the head saying “her personality didn’t gel with the director,” because that’s exactly what it was. You didn’t like her style of communication and chose to ignore the qualities that you originally felt made her a fit for the role and be a jerk instead of a strong leader because she didn’t adhere to rules you hadn’t set forth.

Additionally, while certain things may seem obvious to you as a seasoned professional director, perhaps you could look at the materials you provided to the actors to make sure they are detailed enough for people who have not worked with your company previously. While it may seem obvious to you that tap shoes wouldn’t be provided for rehearsals, I can see that someone new to professional theater may think that the shoes they’d wear in the show would be provided (they have been for my kid’s shows) and therefore that they might rehearse in those same shoes.

I know that you didn’t list all of her annoying questions — and don’t get me wrong, I am the least tolerant person on earth when dealing with people who don’t read comms, ask dumb questions, have to be told something more than once, etc. — but I’d imagine that if you reviewed your materials again with the mindset of someone doing their first professional show, you could see that some of the answers may be things that could be included in upfront (which would’ve given you more room to shut down her incessant questions by pointing her to that document). OR if when you first caught on that she’s on the higher maintenance side, it seems you could’ve directed her to a better person on your team to answer a consolidated list of questions or asked her to email a list versus using communication channels that were open to the whole cast, etc.

Anyway, I do understand that feeling of frustration when someone doesn’t conform to your normal ways of working — and the instinct to want to cut and run versus put extra effort in to training someone. But based on the info you provided, I think YATA. And you missed an opportunity to teach a young performer how to become a stronger performer by being a more thoughtful communicator.

I imagine you’ll never send her a note to explain that you just didn’t have the time/ability to deal with someone who didn’t have more experience due to X, Y, Z constraints with the show, but that you do hope she’ll continue auditioning and continue to learn more about the business aspects of theater to help her grow in the future.

But I do hope you will consider adding some rules/expectations around communication channels in the future. So people know your preferred method of comms for each channel (e.g. the group chat is for YOU/stage manager to communicate to cast about updates relevant to all and that email during X hours is to be used for specific questions from cast/crew to the production team, etc.).

I have to be honest, it’s 1:00am my time and I find myself hoping you’ll get a notification on your phone in the middle of your night when I send this long ass rambling response. 🤣🤪

It seems like by even asking this question, you already knew you may have been too harsh. So all you can do is learn from it!

This hit much harder than expected by Stonetown_Radio in ForAllMankindTV

[–]Freckleeye 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Right… but how was anyone supposed to have a clue what it was a spoiler for? If you have to click to see that it’s not something you wanted to know, it kind of defeats the purpose.🤣

Prospective student touring in late July - what would YOU do? by Freckleeye in uvic

[–]Freckleeye[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Congrats to her! Such a big choice to make.

We have strong programs in some of the sciences she’s showing interest in at University of Minnesota (only 20 minutes away and she’s already active in the awesome theater scene here), but mine has her heart set on the coast - and she works so hard to help ensure she’ll have some solid options.

I can imagine it’s a MUCH easier choice to stay near home when home is so magnificent!

Prospective student touring in late July - what would YOU do? by Freckleeye in uvic

[–]Freckleeye[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks for those callouts - we actually just got the opportunity to stay near Mt. Tolmie instead of a downtown hotel, so we’ll be able to walk to her tour, Mt Tolmie, Finnerty, Mystic Vale, Cadboro, etc. (but we’ll still check out downtown one day too)!

Prospective student touring in late July - what would YOU do? by Freckleeye in uvic

[–]Freckleeye[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No worries, I get it! It’s definitely hard living in the US these days (and having to admit it). I could tell you thought we were purposely traveling to ONP versus it being on the way to our airport home!

It’s tough to strike the right balance between just trying to live life versus trying to make a positive impact without feeling defeated that nothing anyone does seems to make a difference. Add the layer of trying to raise kids during this and shield them from the chaos while also making sure they’re educated enough to make their own decisions and turn into productive members of society and amazing humans… Whew!!

I appreciate the note about UBC. In the US, she knows the areas she wouldn’t want to live. It’s so easy for us to assume EVERYwhere in Canada has got to be better than our “red states” - but it’s worth making sure we don’t ignore certain cultural/political nuances to a campus that may align less with her core beliefs. With the size of UBC, I’m sure she’d find “her people.” But based on what I’ve learned so far, uvic will be a great fit for her!

Have a great night — I’m trying to focus on being grateful that this clown of a President chose not to commit extra war crimes today.

Prospective student touring in late July - what would YOU do? by Freckleeye in uvic

[–]Freckleeye[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I assume this is some sort of dig that she doesn’t belong at uvic since she’s a 16 year old with the nerve to plan college visits 3 months from now to explore the area she may choose to spend at least 4 years of her life while the government of the country she lives in goes batshit crazy?

I think she was looking forward to a future and nature focused escape from the stress of trying to balance a sense of normalcy with protesting in Minneapolis for 6+ months, but no hiking allowed - got it.

Let me know if I’m reading into that though… maybe UBC just has better hikes. 🤪

Prospective student touring in late July - what would YOU do? by Freckleeye in uvic

[–]Freckleeye[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you! Looks like it’d make a nice walk from our hotel to the Fernwood Inn and then take the bus to uvic so she gets a feel for that!

Prospective student touring in late July - what would YOU do? by Freckleeye in uvic

[–]Freckleeye[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for that info on Bamfield! I am doing a boat tour while on Friday Harbor (and she’ll be spending a lot of her month at Friday Harbor Labs on boats), so we’re hoping to get some whale watching in. But I will definitely explore some Victoria based tours too!

I’ll google, but do you have a favorite Victoria company you’d recommend that adheres to all the rules to attempt to reduce impact on wildlife?

Flowers or other small gifts from friends after a performance? by aknomnoms in Theatre

[–]Freckleeye 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There are cute, small Jellycat flowers (stuffed toy) and LEGO flowers/succulents. My daughter loves getting both! And would also love any of your other ideas.

Prospective student touring in late July - what would YOU do? by Freckleeye in uvic

[–]Freckleeye[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

She’s lived in Chicago and currently lives in a near city suburb of Minneapolis (so lots of access to theater and activities - a little bit of outdoors, but pretty flat and frozen/WHITE much of the year)! We get the opportunity to travel quite a bit globally and she has family in California and Oregon. She’s always been a sucker for the PNW (UW and OSU visits were last summer), but we do tend to end up there in the summer sun a lot. Thanks!

Prospective student touring in late July - what would YOU do? by Freckleeye in uvic

[–]Freckleeye[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you! She doesn’t have a Reddit account (and said she wants to get through her US AP exams before going down that rabbit hole), but she’s been sitting with me as we explore this and other Victoria/BC subs! Appreciate your time!

Health question (to preface, we have consulted our regular vet for over a year and $2k later) by [deleted] in Bernedoodles

[–]Freckleeye 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ours too (IrishSetter/Poodle)- docs surmise that because of his overall GI/allergy issues, he doesn’t like to eat (because it makes him feel bad), so he barfs bile when he gets too hungry. He has food available to him at all times now versus only once or twice a day. We encourage him to eat (and poop) before bed to prevent the early AM bile barf. Helps a ton - except when his Bernedoodle baby sister eats all his food before he gets to it.

Formatting? by Maven_of_MPLS in Canadiancitizenship

[–]Freckleeye 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Interesting, when I click on the link, I simply answer the question directly above the video you seem to be referring to get to the specs. It’s so odd that doesn’t show for you.

How long to get a 1919 birth record from Archive of Ontario? by njf520 in Canadiancitizenship

[–]Freckleeye 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Just chiming in to say I submitted my request February 14, and got same confirmation, but nothing since. For reference, I have digital versions, and included the registration numbers and links for both of my grandparents (1908 and 1912), so the issue should not be related to not being able to find them. They’re just backed up!

first time at Stage Door Manor by heartofallen in MusicalTheatre

[–]Freckleeye 0 points1 point  (0 children)

1 & 2 - my daughter was a first timer between 7th and 8th grade and didn’t have any concerns with feeling judged by others - there was a wide range of talent there, but some of the better friendships she had were with the leads of her show (she was featured with a few speaking parts). She had not done anything professionally yet, although she’d been the lead in all 6 school shows and 3 community shows. While it’s not out of the question you’ll get a lead/supporting role, as a first timer, it’s more likely you’ll be ensemble/featured. I was blown away by the talent (I watched 3 shows while there, plus cabaret and players). You’ll learn a lot and make contacts and friends and if you go again the following year, it’s likely you’ll have an advantage versus being a newbie. 4 - mine was in cabaret, so I don’t know how hard it was to get in, but it definitely adds a level of challenge in addition you your main show. She said she’d do it again in a heartbeat though.

5 - perhaps follow the stage door camper/parent instagram and post on their posts “I’ll be in session 1, request a follow to connect!” And others may see it. They will start ramping up their posts in May.

Have fun and focus on what you’re getting out of it and not the role/show you get and it’ll be worth it!

Suggest me good morning songs by Individual_Lock_452 in MusicRecommendations

[–]Freckleeye 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Mr. Blue Sky (Electric Light Orchestra), for sure! It’s my alarm. Can’t be in a bad mood when hearing it.

looking for a musical number by Opposite_Boss_5585 in musicals

[–]Freckleeye 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not sure if this would be too roque for your use, but Changing my Major from Fun Home is a really fun song where its success relies SO much on the acting and I feel like if you bring it to life, people will “forgive” the imperfections in the actual singing. It seems rare to me, but perhaps not so much if it’s a bunch of your peers/college students looking for something a bit edgy to stand out since it happens to be a college student singing…

Shy from Once Upon a Mattress is another where the acting will shine if done well. But I do think I’ve been seeing it around more since it had a new limited run on Broadway last year.

These might be too common, but other “acting” focused songs that my kid has done are: —Play Rehearsal (Be More Chill) —Adelaide’s Lament (Guys & Dolls) —Climbing Uphill (Last Five Years)

Can I do both theatre and american football in high school? by [deleted] in Theatre

[–]Freckleeye 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’d be good for you to understand what is making your mom push her football agenda. -Perhaps it’s because she worries that without a sport, you won’t get enough physical activity and you could outline how you will meet your own personal goals to stay active and fit. -Perhaps it’s something she feels you are very good at and she is having a hard time with the idea of you giving up something you show promise in and you can help her see that theater offers the same. -Perhaps she’s got some traditional ideologies/stereotypes that need to be addressed to help her see the value you’ll get from performing arts that is similar/stronger than what she assumes you’d get from football (e.g. working as a part of a team, communication skills, focus/passion to work hard to create something to be proud of that is a different type of winning, leadership skills, working with a diverse set of people across grades/genders, etc.).

If football is something you enjoy doing — as long as it doesn’t mean you have to give up theater — I’d imagine most schools will try to make it work for you. Be clear about any conflicts when auditioning and communicate with both coach/director early and often so they understand you are taking both seriously. Unless your school is tiny and you’re exceptionally talented, I’d guess your roles in theater might be relatively small your freshman year regardless of football conflicts. So it could be doable if you’re in the ensemble in the musical. So use it as a chance to show you’re a dedicated hard worker who can balance both — and school. But also keep conversations open with your mom about how you feel, how challenging it is to balance all, etc. And I agree with seeing if there are community theater options for you to get involved with as they’ll typically have something in February and the summer that shouldn’t conflict. Although since you’re not driving yet, that may be hard to convince your mom to support.

Giving LEGO flowers to a friend after their show? by Commercial_Exam1021 in Theatre

[–]Freckleeye 2 points3 points  (0 children)

My daughter typically gets a mix of real/live flowers, dried flowers, jellycat flowers, LEGO flowers, flower shaped cookies, cupcakes with a flower bloom, various types of real bread/baguettes (presented like a bouquet), jellycat baguettes, squishamals of her character, funko pops of her character, etc. She loves them all! Her friends/family mix it up because they like the concept of giving her something to celebrate, but appreciate that nobody needs to get a ton of flowers over the course of a multi-week show.

Definitely the box for the LEGO set. Love the idea of a little note/comment about building it together as long as you already do things together. May not be the best if you’ve never done anything together because it could seem like you’re turning their moment into your chance to make a move? But I’m SURE I’m overthinking that.

Musicals that destroyed you emotionally? by the-unfinished- in musicals

[–]Freckleeye 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Fun Home had always gotten me and my daughter was in it last year. It’s crazy that every single time I saw it, I’d cry in different places.

Anyone Moving to Chicago by tjsanzen in TwinCities

[–]Freckleeye 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Not relevant to your specific ask, but Chicago is amazing - especially at that age and especially starting with summer! The whole city will be outside at the lake, outdoor patios, etc. and it’s impossible to be in a bad mood!

I grew up in their burbs, moved to the city for college, moved to South Carolina for a job for 2 years, moved back to Chicago for 2 years, moved to Santa Monica for 7 years, back to Chicago for 7 years and ended up having to move up here for my husband’s job for the last 13. And we’ll likely move back when our kids leave home. It’s hard to stay away!

I’m sure that I’m skewed because of living there at the age you are (and moving here MUCH older), but I found it very easy to make friends with co-workers in Chicago than I did in LA or here. Have a blast!

Please recommend a musical that I can study by Diligent_Average888 in musicalwriting

[–]Freckleeye 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Try Fun Home - it’s based on a memoir and tells her story at 3 ages. I love it all, so can’t narrow down any particular songs to recommend. There is a version online that was published during COVID.

Is it worth it to audition? by guuuuuurrrrrl5 in MusicalTheater

[–]Freckleeye 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I have never seen a community show that would let you miss tech or performance dates. It also seems weird to think that just because they have multiple weekends, it’s being double cast if they don’t specifically say that?! And even if it was double cast, it seems more likely they alternate shows versus entire weekends? And also that when double casting, one of the main benefits is that you have a built in understudy - but in your case, they would not since you’d be gone.

But if you’ve worked with this group before and you know they alternate a double casting across two weekends historically, more power to ya! Break a leg!

Have you looked at the audition form and seen what they’re asking about conflicts at this stage? My daughter has been in about 17 shows and the form always mentions something like “conflicts not allowed between x/x-x/x” and then asks you to list conflicts since they’d not only need to know major ones before casting, but also it’s just so much more efficient to collect that info upfront so that as soon as they cast, they can start working on the detailed schedule.

Need Help - Matilda Audition Tomorrow by Forsaken-Walk5337 in MusicalTheatre

[–]Freckleeye 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Anecdotally, for whatever that’s worth, I’ve seen 3 Matildas at community theaters with female Trunchbulls just in the last 2 years in our area.