Question

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III. You are going to read a magazine article about children performing in musical shows in theatres. For questions  1-15, choose from the people (A – D). The people may be chosen more than once. Write your answers in ‘Your answers’ part.

Which person mentions... children getting upset if they are not chosen for a show? the number of children performing in a show? children providing assistance during a show? the need for a child performer to be noticeable during a show? a desire to continue being involved in shows? a common opinion of child performers? the maximum amount of time children spend performing in a show? an example of how a child being in a show can cause inconvenience? different feelings experienced during a performance? the range of abilities children acquire from performing in a show? finding out what happens after a child is chosen for a show? a reason for not continuing to be involved in shows? a belief that it is not a good idea for children to be performers? the fact that a child may suddenly be required for a performance? an unfortunate result of being a performer concerning school?

Your answers: 1. ________ 2. ________ 3. ________ 4. ________ 5. ________ 6. ________ 7. ________ 8. ________ 9. ________ 10. ________ 11. ________ 12. ________ 13. ________ 14. ________ 15. ________

Kids on stage

Children are performing in popular musicals in many London theatres. We talked to
various people about the phenomenon of children on stage.

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A. THE DIRECTOR

Andrew Tyler chooses children to appear in stage musicals

I’m not only looking for children who can sing, dance and act, they also have to have lively
personalities and a lot of confidence - it’s essential that they grab the audience’s attention and if they can’t do that, I don’t choose them. When I’m working on a show, I start by contacting agents and telling them what I need, and then I hold auditions for as many children as I can. When the children have been chosen, I draw up the contracts for them and the schedule for performances - there are usually three teams of children for each show and they perform according to a rota system. No child is in a show for more than six months. Being in a show is tiring for the children because they have to combine it with going to school, but they have a great time and they learn an enormous amount about discipline, teamwork and concentration, as well as special skills such as choreography and singing.

B. THE YOUNG PERFORMER

Emily Gould is currently appearing in a popular London show

I love musicals and I’m thrilled to be in this one. I’ve got quite a big part and have to sing a song all by myself in one scene. I’m always pretty nervous during each performance because I’m worried that I might make a mistake. But at the same time I’m excited about doing it and I feel quite proud of myself when I’m on the stage. I’m one of the youngest children in the show - the age range is five to thirteen. The older children are good to me - they remind me about what I have to do next and encourage me a lot. I don’t have time to be in any of the sports teams at school, which is a shame because I’d like to do that too, but acting and singing are great. I want to keep on performing in musicals for the next few years at least, though I’m not sure I want it to be my career.

C. THE STAGE MOTHER

Anita Benfield’s son Tom is currently appearing in a popular musical in London

Tom started going to a local drama school when he was five. Last year, the head of the school suggested that he was good enough to audition for this musical. I took him to a series of four auditions and he got the part. We’d had no experience of the audition process and although he got the part, I thought it was horrible. The vast majority of the children get rejected. At the end of each audition, dozens of children burst into tears when they were told that they hadn’t been successful - they were absolutely devastated. When Tom got chosen, we were given the schedule for the ten weeks of rehearsals - I hadn’t realized how much time would be taken up. It’s all rather exhausting - for the parents as much as the children. When the performances start, you get a timetable of the performances the child will be appearing in. But he also has to be available at short notice to replace a child who is ill, and this makes it hard to plan anything. Because of that, we can't book a holiday and recently we weren’t able to attend a family wedding.

D. THE EX-CHILD STAR

Ian Miller was a child star in the 1980s

My parents were very keen for me to be on the stage and I showed a lot of talent for it when I was a child. By the time I was ten, I’d been in a number of stage musicals and also appeared in various TV series. When I went to secondary school, I stopped performing because I developed other interests and lost my enthusiasm for it - I didn’t want to give up so much time to do it, I wanted to do what my friends were doing. I enjoyed my time as a child performer but I didn’t miss it when I stopped. Lots of child performers don’t go on to become successful adult performers even if they want to. People in the business tend to think that they aren’t capable of developing into good adult performers and they aren’t taken seriously when they’re older. I don’t want my own children to do it - I think performing can be very stressful for children and I think it’s much better for children to concentrate on getting a good education and then train to be a performer when they’re older, if they want to.

Answer 1

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1.D

2.A

3.A

4.A

5.B

6.C

7.A

8.C

9.B

10.B

11.C

12.D

13.B

14.C

15.B