[Eponine93]

As all of you probably know, the school musical at my school this year is High School Musical. I wasn't thrilled with the material, but decided to audition anyway because I thought I would get at least a cameo role being an eighth grader who can act and carry a tune. After the audition, I was sure of it. However, I forgot one very important aspect of our school musicals: the director is neurotic.

I'm going to steal an analogy from Sienfeld and compare her to that little kid in elementary school who always lets you borrow her stuff without returning it as long as you will be her friend. The director's that little kid. She does EVERYTHING the trendy, popular, in-crowd says because they totally suck up to her in order to get parts in the musical. I feel bad for her, because I think she must have been socially unaccepted in high school or something and is suffering from it now, but her favoritism is unbelievable. She gave all the lead and cameo parts to girls who hold private converations onstage, can't act, didn't volunteer to dress as guys during Guys and Dolls (which meant they were only in 2 scenes), only sing in chorus if they have a solo, dress like supermodels, are size zero and completely to suck up to her. Furthermore, I was at most of their auditions and they are all tone-deaf. I'm in the ensemble even though I was at the audition of the girl who played Sharpay and she was so flat, she was an entire note under pitch.

I realized now that I don't want to be in the show because 1. I don't agree with the casting and 2. I'm going to be embarassed being onstage doing a musical I hate that makes me feel like a hypocrite because I in no way agree with the lyrics and material. I feel it promotes wrong stereotypes like the braniacs, theatre geeks, ect that are harmful to society. Also, I was at the audition of the people cast as Sharpay, Ryan, and Troy and I'm fairly certain they're not going to do well in the roles. However, I want to do whatever I can to help the show so I've decided once the tech rehearsals start in April, I'm going to become part of the stage crew.

How am I going to tell the director I want to drop out because I hate the show yet be in stage crew? I'm going to end up at most of the rehearsals that I would need to be at anyway, so I can't say that I'm busy. Yet I don't want to outright say "Your show is going to be terrible and I would rather strip naked in front of a national audience than appear onstage on that peice of garbage."

Am I being unreasonable wanting to quit? How do I tell her I would like to quit?

[kakoforever]

Eponine hon, I know exactly how you feel. My high school director was exactly the same way. Before you drop out, consider what it will mean for future musicals.

From your post, I'm assuming you aren't one of these popular girls. If the director insists on casting these girls all the time, you dropping out may give her another reason to replace you in future shows with a tone-deaf bleached blonde. It might be useful to stick with it, being on time, quiet, following orders, and being able to sing. Come tech week, the stress level induced by the popular girls may cause her to notice you, it happened at my school.

If you really can't stand a crappy show with a crappy director and crappy leads, then yes, stage crew is the answer. Say you're concerned about your schoolwork and don't think you'll have the proper time to devote to her show as an actor without your grades suffering. If you're serious about getting cast in the future, find a decent community theatre somewhere nearby and get cast in it (and don't tell your HS director). Your resume would then have a "professional" show on it. That drives asinine directors crazy, they looooove casting kids who've worked "professionally" with adults.

[Sweeney Hyde]

Either tell the director that you are concerned with wchool work or stay in. DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRUMSTANCES SAY ANYTHING NEGATIVE ABOUT THE SHOW TO ANYONE EXCEPT YOUR PARENTS. If word gets out that you don't want to do people will think that you think you are better than everyone else and jealous. You may be better and you may be jealous...but I don't know you or the cast members to have the authoity to say that.

Also, although it is not always fair, keep in mind that looks DO matter. A woman that is fat could not play, for instance, Aldonza in man of La Mancah because it is not the nature of the character. I'm not saying you're fat or ugly, I can't because I don't know you. However, especially in a show like HSM you may have the completely wrong look for any of the major characters. You have to be critical with yourself, that's all.

[Eponine93]

I'm in eighth grade at a 6-8 school, so this will be my last show at the school. It's not going to effect me for high school because even if the girl playing Sharpay gets kicked out (she got kicked out off the chorus concert because she and her friend were goofing off and knocked someone off the risers at the dress rehearsal) one of the teachers favorites will end up taking over the role. Also, I don't think the high school directors come to see the shows- they're notoriously poor. Additionally, I know the student president of the drama club at the high school (I was in a community show with her brother and we carpooled) I think the only reason the girl who got the part of Sharpay got the role was because she does *gasps* out of school community theatre. She was in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade theatre program a few years ago, and there was a small newspaper article that listed all of her community theatre credits. I would have given the teacher my community credits but no one else gives resumes and I didn't want to seem pretentious.

[Sweeney Hyde]

Don't be so sure. Director's talk to each other about students. The high school director could notice that you dropped out and think to himself Why could she not do the same thing to me if she doesn't get the part she wants. I really wouldn't drop out. It could really potentially ruin your high school career.

[shadowdancer]

Yes it always sucks when you don't get a good part, but you auditioned. If you did not say anythign about I will only accept the following parts: (which is ok to do) then you shoudl stick with it. So go have fun in the chorus, make new friends, hang with new ones. Don't be the girl who pulls out cuz she did not get the part and be careful downing all these other peopel, because chances are, they might be saying the exact things about you. It is not worth it. If you really were obviously the best one for the role without a doubt, no exceptions, you would have gotten it. I do not care about politics, I don't wanna hear it, you would a gotten it. So you didnt, chin up go have fun!

[Sweeney Hyde]

[Luc]

There isn't a polite way to do it. I luv you, but once you're in that means your committed.

[Sweeney Hyde]

^^I think you can drop out under extreme conditions such as moving, if you're in an injury, if there is a family emergency, etc. But just to quite becasue you didn't get a particular part is a bad thing to do.

[christinadaae]

[shakalakababy]

don't drop out, you'll make a lot of enemies that way. believe me.
In my last show one of the girls with a pretty big part dropped out and everyone is still pretty mad at her

[yunaray89]

Wow, how odd... I am in almost the exact same situation. Same show, too.

However, I want to drop out because I honestly will not be able to keep up my schoolwork; my art teacher has bumped me up to the advanced class (which is every evening, ending right as rehearsals start). These classes are more important to me than an ensemble role in a school version of HSM.

Should I just tell the director this (Monday is my only chance, because the first rehearsal is the next day)? I feel like it sounds like a selfish excuse, and I don't want it to. Quitting is not something I want to do, but I really will not have any time at all to get homework done.

*sigh*

[Sweeney Hyde]

You guys could get a break if your teachers would go on strike like our teachers are...

[lostquiche]

what part did you get?

[sleepy7653]

Wow HSM must be the show that screwed a thousand! I'v been involved with the theater department for three years at my school. I've been in community productions. I've been in the music department forever. the folks who got the leads in our show have never been in a musical( the boy playing Chad), can't act(the boy playing Troy) and can't read music(the girl playing Taylor). The boy who got Ryan, a tenor role, is a bass! The music requires up to an A and he was whinning about an E! Now i understand that directors go for certain looks when casting but if you can't sing a role why would you ever be cast in that role. Now some of you might say "well there's acting that could've saved him!" but the acting in HSM is not exactley Macbeth. And our director didn't even have us read at all. so basically she doesn't know if any of us could act our way out of a paper sack.
I honestly hope these leads get it together because as much as i hate being in the chorus of this show, i don't want hundreds of people saying our school did a terrible production of a terrible musical, our fall play was terrible enough.I won't drop out because i'm a junior and have to spend one more year with this crazy director but if i was senior and i got put in the chorus i would drop out immeaditaley and i wouldn't care how angry people were at me.

[theatrefanatic]

One of my directors once said:
"You have too choices in this show: auditon or don't audition."

[Beagle On Stage]

"Audition or don't audition" sounds like a good policy on paper, but in reality it doesn't always work. There are valid cases where the person comes with a price tag and you have to either make it worth their while or get by without them - which you may not be able to. Of course, everyone and their mother isn't that person so the best thing to do is find a realistic middle ground to cast from.

Eponine93, I wish that everyone took outside credits into consideration. The drama teachers/directors at my school changed exactly so that I was the only one who saw all three of them. I used that resume every time, and only one of those directors (the first one) looked at it. But it definitely came back to me for the better when she did. Learn the lesson from this that "if you've got it, flaunt it." That doesn't mean be obnoxious about it, of course....but make sure you never sell yourself short because you're afraid of looking pretentious. It never hurts to give credit where it's due.

[Eponine93]

The thing is, a lot of people drop out. There is a 50-person ensemble. Last year, about 75 girls were cast in the ensemble. Some of them didn't even bother to check that they were in the show, just never showed up to rehearsal. By opening night, I say there were about 15-25 girls in the ensemble. And half of them don't even count, because they were only in 2 scenes (the Hot Box scene and the Finale). This was their choice because they didn't want to dress like men.

I just feel bad about doing it. I have no spine. I always have the feeling if I say no, there are going to be consequences. Ex: Last year, we had a very poorly run fall play NO ONE took seriously. I don't think the director of the musical knew about it. I had about 5 lines because it was a part that had counter part that needed to be a twin (my twin sister had the other part.) The rehearsals were crazy, people dropped out all over, they kept pushing the play back, cancelling reherasals and then cramming reherasals the week before the show running till 5:30 at night, the sets fell apart at the performances. My schoolwork was going down and they ended up pushing back my science midterm because the day the midterm was scheduled was the day we toured at the elementary schools. I hated the reherasals (creative fufillment= 0 for everyone in the cast) and almost dropped out a week before once I realized that my midterm needed to be pushed back. But I didn't, and ended up having a great time the day of the show.

That's why I'm afraid to drop out of shows. I'm afraid I'm going to miss someone, even though the director of school shows treats the chorus like chorus members grow on trees (which they kinda do in my school, but still....)

Besides, choosing not to appear onstage but volunteering to do stage crew isn't really dropping out? It's sort of like asking to change my position, right?

[shadowdancer]

[what_the_heck013]

Do you have any friends in the show? Do you enjoy performing just for the love of performing? If so, stick with it. Those are two reasons for not dropping out and both will outweigh the fact that the show sucks.

[QueenElizabeth]

As a high school director, I can tell you that it's never a good idea to drop out of a show (and even moreso if you feel your director plays favorites and you are not one). However, I always understand if a student leaves a show to concentrate on schoolwork and I don't think many directors would be upset with a student for quitting for that reason. So if you choose to leave the show, I really suggest saying that you need to focus on classes this semester, etc., etc., but you really look forward to trying out next year. Just don't then decide to go try out for another show in your community, because that will inevitably get back to your director.