Notes From the Casting Experience

A New Appreciation

The day after sitting in on the looonng casting day for A Charlie Brown Christmas, I feel compelled to share the deeper appreciation I have for WAG. Having been involved in five of WAG's eight productions to date, I figured I knew the ins and outs of the time, money, blood, sweat & tears that goes into a show. Well, like an ice berg, I only saw what had been exposed. Yesterday, I experienced some behind the scenes work that I won't soon forget.

I loved watching over 60 kids brave the audition panel. I admired their courage, their flexibility and their honesty. I learned first hand that we have a lot of local talent, and I'm reminded of that Field of Dreams quote, "If you build it, they will come." Wow, WAG sure has proven that true; Wylie is bursting with creative kids just looking for a venue to share their gifts close to home.

When the last kiddo finally left, a full seven hours after auditions began, the panel really got to work. With a sigh, the judges piled up the audition packets according to role. The Snoopy pile loomed high & threatened to fall over. My eyes widened, as I had a daughter's paperwork nestled in there. First, the panel took the highest mathematical average of each actor's audition sheet, which quickly narrowed the stack to just a few. Yep, my kid was still in there. Gulp. Then, the conversation really began: What about stature? What about previous experience? The questions kept swirling among them as the judges labored over a decision. Finally, a co-director said about one of the candidates, "his time has come." It was at once a declaration of wisdom, compassion and resolve. As the mom of the one not chosen this time, I could go home and tell my daughter that she did really well, second best out of a whole stack! Knowing the labor that went into that decision, I could look into her disappointed little eyes and comfort her while believing wholeheartedly in the casting call.
The process was repeated again and again for every role in the play...and the choir...and the crew. One more time, one of my daughters came in second for a role. One more time I had to break the difficult news. Several years younger than her sister, this little actress crumpled & cried. Even then, I could hold her close and look into her moist eyes and comfort her without bitterness for the process.

I was invited to auditions because I'm directing the choir, but I wish every parent involved in WAG got to witness the joys and struggles kept behind the closed door of the casting room. Until you see the directors pulling for every kid, until you hear the judges revisit each audition packet again and again, until you yourself grow weary at watching the delicate balance of the art and science of casting, there is no way to fully appreciate the gentle, strong heartbeat of WAG.    

- Sara Meyer

A Charlie Brown Christmas

WAG invites all interested school-aged children to audition for our holiday production, A Charlie Brown Christmas (cast of characters here). Make plans to join us on Saturday, September 22nd at 9:00am at the Best Western Inn in Wylie, 2011 N. Hwy 78, Wylie, 75098. Upon arrival, you will be asked to submit paperwork (linked below) and to sign up for a time to return later that day. The signing in process will conclude at noon but the audition process will continue until every child has been seen.


Production Schedule:


A Charlie Brown Christmas will start rehearsals on Monday, September 24th and rehearse every Monday and Thursday evening from 6:00pm - 8:00pm and every Saturday morning from 9:00am - noon. IMPORTANT NOTE: Every child participating MUST be available for a Final Tech Dress Rehearsal the entire Saturday after Thanksgiving, Nov. 24th.
The show will run Nov. 30th - Dec. 1st.


To be prepared for auditions, we ask all children do the following:

Complete the Audition Packet
Familiarize themselves (no need to memorize!) with the Audition Script
Familiarize themselves (no need to memorize!) with Hark the Herald Angels Sing thru the first verse


Good luck and BREAK A LEG!

Why Children's Theatre?

When it comes to ‘children’s theatre’ there are two basic types. There’s the adult produced and performed type and then there’s the ‘Theatre for children, by children’ type that Wylie Acting Group for Children stands for. Regardless of the type, perhaps children's theatre ought to be called "Spectacle for all ages," since it exercises everyone's imaginations, familiarizing us with foreign cultures, building respect for people from all walks of life, relaxing us, relieving our stress, and sending us back to the daily grind enriched and renewed. At its very best, children's theatre empowers and educates even as it exhilarates and entertains. 

Having just wrapped directing a lively rendition of Charlotte’s Web, as I normally do, I take a step back from my WAG duties and try to rest a little and reflect a little on how the production went. Inevitably there’s the need to dive back in and join the preparations for the next show. In doing so, last night I made a visit to our Facebook page. I hadn’t ventured there since the few days leading up to opening night. What a delightful surprise it was to find so many sweet comments from our Facebook page followers. Here’s a glimpse at just a few: 

Seeing comments like these remind me of why I wanted a children’s theatre group in Wylie. The entertainment industry and mass marketing often panders to our worst instincts, desensitizing children to violence and "difference" rather than opening their eyes and hearts, refining their emotions, enlightening them and transporting them beyond the known to new realms. 

In the theatre world, the quality of children's entertainment is uniformly high. Under all circumstances, it affirms life and attempts to promote community and harmony. Most theatre companies are careful to blend educational elements into the diversion with the knowledge that the joy and wonder of live movement, melody and dialogue must outweigh the need to be instructive. Fun is still the bottom line. 

And the fun isn’t just limited to children. Parents laugh at pratfalls and silly antics just as readily as youngsters do. Incidentally, children do appreciate the fact that moms, dads and older relatives are enjoying themselves as much as they are. This adds to the child's fun and makes the occasion a bonding experience, a special child-centered event that emphasizes and elevates the value of the pint-sized members of our society. 

While many children’s theatres operate under the assumption that the educational values of theatre are embodied in the performances themselves, a given in all arts, here at WAG we do things a little differently. From the beginning it has been my goal to involve young people, and their families, in every aspect of theatre production. And so far we can’t think of a single reason to even consider abandoning this goal. During Charlotte’s Web we asked the children what their favorite thing is about being in a WAG production. Reading the forty or so responses was certainly a treat for me. There were lots of ‘I like to dress up’ and ‘I think being on stage is fun’ type comments but my favorites, which actually serve as an unsolicited endorsement of what we do, were these: 

‘…the smiles on people’s faces when the play is done.’ Ginna, 12 years
Ginna is learning the art of bringing joy to others, not just herself.

‘…I get to interact with new people and make new friends!’ Zoe, 10 years
Zoe is learning that there’s a great big world out there with lots of people who like the same things she does.

‘…the excitement of being onstage and having such great memories, making new friends and knowing that you are a part of something bigger than meets the eye.’ Tyler, 10 years
Tyler is learning what it means to be a member of a community and the value of participating in worthwhile activities.

‘…I like to see all my friends and see how great they are at acting!’Kayden , 9 years
Kayden is learning that standing back and allowing others to stand in the spotlight can be fun too. 

‘…working on the set with my dad.’ Robert, 14 years
Robert is learning that spending quality time with family is important. 

This is why we do what we do. Without being in any way pontifical or overtly educational, the performing arts teach us to take stock of our existence and to appreciate circumstances that we often take for granted. If children's theatre teaches us anything, it demonstrates the interconnectedness of life and the need for playtime in everyone's schedule. And what great playtime it is! 

As Wilbur says ‘Living a good life is much more important than living a long life.’ With seven productions behind us, I’m so pleased and proud to be working with volunteers (board members, parents, community sponsors and more) who work continuously to put good into children’s and family’s lives.

Be in the WAG Loop!

Want to keep up with all things WAG? Well, this is the place! We've got some great posts coming up! Ways to win tickets to our shows, behind the scenes looks of our productions, and more! Be sure to check back soon!

Fabulous Auditions!

Well, I hope you'll forgive us for getting this out so late. The director of our first production had emergency surgery on Friday, so things have been a little bogged down since then.

Regardless, she actually showed up to auditions on Saturday, though she was only allowed to sit! We had a great turnout of very talented kids and can't wait to see what this Saturday brings!

Once the 4/3 auditions are over the production committee will get to work on fitting everyone in somewhere. Emails and, or, phone calls will be made Saturday evening or Sunday morning. We don't want to keep the kids waiting any longer than they have to!

Worried About Auditions? Don't be!

We're so glad you want to audition, and we promise not to bite! Fairy Tale Courtroom is a fun play, so of course, auditions will be fun too!

On audition day we'll have several scripts lying around that can be looked at. From there you can choose a part, or several, you want to audition for. Below we have some help on how you can make your audition the best it can be.

If you are on the younger side, we'll have some fun theatre games to play with you. These games will help show us that you have a nice clear voice and the ability to imagine and pretend. That's all acting is, really.

Do not stress out about auditions. You're gonna do great!!!

REMINDER: Audition Dates for Fairy Tale Courtroom:
for ages 5 - 17 years old

Saturday, March 27th & April 3rd

at 11 AM

at New Hope Church

on Brown Street in Wylie.

Seven Characteristics of Good Stage Performance

1. Rate:  Being nervous can lead to rushed lines. Slow down!

2. Projection:  Speak loud enough that people on the back row can hear you.

3. Clarity:  Be careful to enunciate. Speak clearly without running words together.

4. Expression:  Over emphasize in your portrayal. Subtlety is not for the stage.

5. Pitch:  Use the full range of your voice. No monotony!

6. Stance:  Stand straight with both feet on the ground. Be careful not to fidget or do things that detract from your role.

7. Poise:  Be confident! When you make a mistake, don’t draw attention to it with giggles, eye rolls, grimacing etc. Moving on or starting over are the best things you can do.

Good things are in the works...

We are just a few weeks into WAG's existence, yet we've managed to accomplish more than we ever could have imagined. A small army of people are working hard to make WAG a huge success.

Response from the community has been wonderful. As one parent put it, "This is great for Wylie. We need more arts in the community and it will be nice to not have to drive my kids over to Plano or Garland."

Next week we will have a small listing in the local Wylie News paper Area Briefs section. And further down the line they are going to do a longer story. This is in response to a board member's first attempt at a news release that was submitted earlier this week.

We are submitting an application to the Junior League of Plano for funds. They have a Community Relations Fund that they use to distribute funds to volunteer, educational based organizations. This is a free service they provide to organizations in Collin County. We hope to hear good news from them within the next couple of months.

And the best news of all? We have a home! We now have a newly solidified working relationship with New Hope Church here in Wylie on Brown Street just west of Birmingham Elementary. We cannot say enough good things about New Hope. None of our board members attend there, or even really know anyone on staff, yet they recognized what we're trying to do for children in Wylie and they jumped on board. Alan Bennett, who is the children's ministry leader, met with some of our board members and gave us a little tour of what they have available for us.

WOWSERS! They are allowing us the use of a room towards the back for rehearsals and auditions. And use of the Auditorium that seats 400 for our performances. We will also have access to their kitchen so that we can provide concessions for our audiences. This includes the use of a popcorn machine! I think I can speak for the entire Board of Directors when I say THANK YOU NEW HOPE! You didn't have to do what you did...but it sure was nice of you!

We now have all of our auditions and nearly all of our rehearsals booked there. The three days the building was not available we have booked at American National Bank's community room.

So, now comes the fun part....auditions! We have scripts in hand and a production committee formed. We can't wait to see your kids show us what they've got!