My American Experience

I was lucky enough to work in America this summer and I would like to share with you what I did and what I learned there.
I was an assistant director for 4 productions for children aged 7-14. These productions were Oliver, Freckleface Strawberry, Hercules and Once on this Island.
I was able to assist with casting the shows as well as assist with directing. The audition process was long. Some sessions I had to sit through 1,000 children singing and write notes about each one. I now fully understand how casting directors feel at the end of a whole day of auditions. There was then the recall process and initial casting. Some days we were up until 2am in order to cast every child who auditioned. If a child auditioned for a musical they were automatically in a show wether it be an ensemble part or principle.
By working behind the scenes of a show I was able to look at how a show was produced from scratch and performed in just under 3 weeks. Some children I looked after were 7 year olds, how they managed to pick up choreography and learn their songs/lines for the show all ready for a full scale production in under a month is beyond me. These kids are extremely talented and they want to be there.
The experience was very long but it was worth it getting to know these children and learning the American culture. The key to being successful in getting a part is preparation. All the children who were main leads were confident with their audition repertoire.