Christmas Musicals for Church
Issue link: https://read.jwpepper.com/i/1182452
4 Casting Options That's sixteen roles. But what if you have more than sixteen children who want a part? My standing policy with our choirs is this: "Anyone who wants a part will get something. It may not be exactly the part you want, and you need to know that before you come try out. Some of you may get a speaking-only part. Some of you may get a singing-only part. But if you're willing to take the risk of auditioning, you'll get your moment onstage. I promise." That means I sometimes have to get a little creative. Here are a few things we can do with Called to offer more parts: • FRETS can be divided into FRET 1 and FRET 2, with two children taking turns with the lines. • JUSTICE can be divided the same way. • THEO can be divided into THEO 1 and THEO 2 (or THEO and THEA). Have THEO 1 take all the THEO lines up to Song 4 – "I Don't Know Who Told You." Then THEO 2 can take all the THEO lines from right after Song 4 to the end. • PEP can be divided into PEP 1 and PEP 2. Have PEP 1 take all the PEP lines up through "See? Something you truly care about met a real need. And you did something about it. That's what hearing the call is all about." Then PEP 2 takes all the PEP lines from "Wait! What did you just say?" to the end. Additionally, there are LOADS of solo opportunities in most of the songs. Many of these solos can be sung by small groups (trios or quartets) which offers opportunities for even more children. If you have enough children for two full casts, consider double-casting the show and doing two performances. The other benefit of double-casting is that you are much more likely to have a full (-ish) cast at rehearsals. And in the event that someone gets sick the day of the performance, the show will go on! Don't feel for one second that you have to adhere precisely to the script. If you need to divide roles even more to make more parts – DO IT! Nothing matters more to me than each child feeling valued and included! YUM – every children's or youth program has that one kid who's a "bottomless pit." (Oh, to have youthful metabolism again!) IDK – stands for "I Don't Know." One of the most important phrases of our faith. So often we grown-ups struggle to answer very difficult (even unanswerable) questions, when what we should probably say is, "I don't know." LISTENER – has fewer lines than most in the cast. But because this character is so good at listening, the few words LISTENER does say are worth hearing. FACTOID – the know-it-all of the cast. This kid knows all kinds of little facts…and needs all his/her peers to be aware of it. CGC66