Tips To Help Your Innovator Succeed
Joining the Innovative Arts musical production program is a big step, especially for students who have never done a show before! We want to ensure all of our young performers have an incredible first experience, so here are a few tips that will ensure your family is yelling “Encore!” at the end of the season.
1. Help Your Innovator Get Organized
The first step is to support your Innovator as they begin to navigate all of their show material, by helping them organize their script and score (sheet music), and exploring the Innovative Arts Cast Portal.
Read the script together to understand the story and the part each character plays.
Use the Cast Portal to access online practice resources like music tracks and staging/choreography videos. Listen to the songs and watch the videos together! If students can immerse themselves in the material early on, it will be easier to pick things up in rehearsals, which means they can better focus on developing character and making acting choices, instead of trying to memorize lyrics, melodies, harmonies, and lines. We strongly recommend students practice with the instrumental tracks provided on the Cast Portal, not the Broadway recordings. Broadway vocal tracks are typically different than the versions we are using in our show. In addition, we want to promote individuality and growth by encouraging performers to create their own sound, rather than mimicking the performance of another actor.
Highlight spoken and vocal lines in the script. Students won’t know their roles until a few weeks into the rehearsal process, however, once they have been assigned roles, this is a great exercise to help them get excited and prepared for the part! Remember, there are also important details in the stage directions that will help the actor better understand their role, so be sure to highlight any stage information that relates to the student’s character.
Design & decorate your script! If you want to go even further, you can help the student put sticky notes on all of their scenes and songs and encourage them to decorate their script and binder to make it special to them (and harder to lose at rehearsal!).
2. Car Conversations: Checking In With Your Innovator
Each week, your Innovator works with at least three different teachers and is constantly learning new songs, scene work, and choreography. So, when they jump in the car and reply to your questions about rehearsal with one-word answers like “good”, “yea”, or “nothing,” you can rest assured that there is actually lots to chat about! Ask them what scenes or dances they learned, what castmates they connected with, and if there were any announcements made that you need to know about. If you still don’t feel like you’re getting the run down from your Innovator in the car, you can always email or phone us to connect about how your performer is doing. We love to brag about how much they are improving, let you know what they may be struggling with, and work together with you on a plan that will help them achieve their goals.
3. Read the Email Updates & Use The Cast Portal
This can be the most challenging one, but it is also very helpful! We do our best to keep email reminders concise, so that we aren’t overwhelming you with anything that isn’t related to you and your Innovative student. Checking your emails and logging on to the Cast Portal regularly will ensure you stay on top of important dates/deadlines, performance schedules, costume information, and more. Following our social media platforms will also help you stay in the know regarding what’s coming up at the studio!
4. Support Your Innovator Through the Casting Process
Auditions take place during the first few weeks of rehearsals and can be a very stressful and emotional time for Innovative students. Helping your Innovator set goals and work towards them (especially goals that aren’t necessarily related to a specific role), as well as mentally preparing them for both the most ideal and most difficult casting outcome, will ensure that your young performer is able to come to rehearsal with a positive attitude, and is on board to enjoy the process of creating a show! We know that casting is a big conversation among students and their families. Our recommendation is to try to nurture a positive environment that facilitates long-term growth and confidence building. If landing a specific role is important to your young actor, make sure to read our blogs Land the Role and What Not to Say to a Musical Theatre Student, to learn how to best facilitate these delicate conversations!
We sincerely hope these tips help you and your Innovator prepare for a great season with us! We are here to support you however we can in the wild and wonderful journey that is having a “theatre kid.” Oh, and get ready for an amazing show at the end of it all!
