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Child Item

Does it bother you if your child doesn't get a speaking role in school play?

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I've just heard a couple of mothers in work getting genuinely upset because their children don't have anything to say in their forthcoming nativity plays.

At my niece's school every single child is given at least one line, which I think is nice.

I'm just wondering if many parents get annoyed or upset if their child is just a tree or something and doesn't have any lines?

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El Weirdo

The kids having a speaking part I can take or leave, but the one thing that drives me fucking nuts at these things, is all the parents up at the front near the stage, insisting on filming the whole fucking thing with their fucking massive iPads.

Arseholes of the highest order.

kunst nugget

I played half a door in one of my Christmas plays. Not even the half that got to say 'squeak' when we pretended to open. A fúcking door - and not even a full one. What was that teacher putting in her tea…

storker

Not really. There are only so many speaking parts to go round. It did bother me a bit more, though, when our two daughters went to drama classes and the speaking time seemed to be very unevenly distributed, even allowing for different levels of talent, and we're not the pushy parent types.

At school, my 11-year old daughter recently landed the role of Achilles in an Irish-language version of Troy (or the Illiad, take your pick). She was worried about getting the pronunciation right, so I created a phonetic version of the lines for her to learn. Then I showed her a few clips of Brad Pitt in Troy: "...this is the effect you're aiming for...you're the deadliest warrior in the Greek army, and you're always angry..."

waterfaerie

What bothers me is that the only "drama" that takes place in 99% of primary school classrooms in this backwards country is the nativity play, the preparation for which meets very few, if any, of the learning objectives from the drama curriculum.

Aglomerado

kunst nugget wrote: »

I played half a door in one of my Christmas plays. Not even the half that got to say 'squeak' when we pretended to open. A fúcking door - and not even a full one. What was that teacher putting in her tea…

That's hilarious! Now are you male or female, as this is critical as to whether you have a letterbox or a knob.

kunst nugget

Aglomerado wrote: »

That's hilarious! Now are you male or female, as this is critical as to whether you have a letterbox or a knob. :D

Male and I didn't even get to have a knob. It was very emasculating…

Boom_Bap

kunst nugget wrote: »

Male and I didn't even get to have a knob. It was very emasculating…

Gender Neutral Door, that was one progressive school you went to

kunst nugget

Boom_Bap wrote: »

Gender Neutral Door, that was one progressive school you went to

It was a Catholic school. Any talk of knobs and knockers was deemed sinful…

storker

El Weirdo wrote: »

The kids having a speaking part I can take or leave, but the one thing that drives me fucking nuts at these things, is all the parents up at the front near the stage, insisting on filming the whole fucking thing with their fucking massive iPads.

Arseholes of the highest order.

I started trying to record performances on my camera. Not big enough or near enough to the stage to be a nuisance but I still gave it up quickly because it's too much of a distraction and ironically, in trying to record the moment you actually tend to miss it yourself.

englander

I also dont like the parents who over-egg their laughing and clapping. So so false. Yes that part was a bit funny but you dont need to keep laughing, guffawing and clapping into the next scene so we cant hear little Johnny speak.

I may be verging on being one of the parents mentioned in OP, but its known that the kids who get the big parts in the play are those offspring from well known families in the town and presumably contribute more money to the school.

Sounded ridiculous and never even crossed my mind until my 10 year old told me this was the case ...and then I heard some other parent say it. Then thinking back, year after year the same people get the big parts (and they are not blessed with great singing voices)

My kids dont give a crap about it (less is more in their eyes) so no issue here.

But I can see why some kids think this is unfair and therefore I do get why some parents may get a bit cheesed off if their kid is into acting/singing and they are assigned tree #2 .

PeterParker957

kunst nugget wrote: »

It was a Catholic school. Any talk of knobs and knockers was deemed sinful…

Our sex education - I kid you not - was a nun saying "don't do any of that messing you see on the telly" and then asking us to collect something from a box by the door marked "Kotex".

Oh and when the nuns took our radio off us in 1984 so we couldn't listen to the top 40 during the Relax ban - I asked one of them why and she said "it's about somethings boys do together and not suitable for good Catholic ladies".

I swear I was 20 before I realised it wasn't about marbles or Panini stickers!!!

diomed

I have experience here.
I'm 67. When I was about 8 the school entered a play in a play competition.
The play was about St Patrick and I had the lead.
But in rehearsals it was obvious i was not up to scratch and I was jocked off.
A girl got the part. I was delighted.
My parents may have been disappointed that their child wasn't an actor.
Think about the children.

razorblunt

Let's face it for every Ralph Wiggum there's an annoying Rex.

Conall Cernach

I was Joseph in our 5th class nativity play in around 1982. I can still remember one line:
"He's very small for the son of God". I think Joseph was meant to be some sort of halfwit comic relief. Thinking back I should really have said "he's a dead ringer for Mr. Cohen the milkman."

PeterParker957

Conall Cernach wrote: »

I was Joseph in our 5th class nativity play in around 1982. I can still remember one line:
"He's very small for the son of God". I think Joseph was meant to be some sort of halfwit comic relief. Thinking back I should really have said "he's a dead ringer for Mr. Cohen the milkman."

Yes!!!!

andekwarhola

My kids are in Educate Together so they do a period revolutionary drama set on a Guatemalan coffee farm instead of a nativity.

Maglight

Makes no difference at infants. But over eight years in primary school, kids who would like to get a speaking part will notice if they never get one. Or if the best parts always go to the same children. Likewise never getting picked for the readings or bidding prayers in school masses or other 'important jobs'

Some children interact better with adults and teachers are only human. The best behaved, friendliest and most articulate children tend to get picked again and again.

It's hard for a parent if they see their child being disappointed repeatedly. But the worst thing to do is point it out to the child or complain to the school. Best approach is do your best to raise a confident and considerate child and let them off at it.

Diemos

I didn't get a part in the play, only child out of 30 kids not to.
I plucked up the courage and asked the teacher at the end of class one day if I could have a small part next year.
I was told "No, because you speak like you have stones in your mouth."

My crime was that I was from the council estate and male but I was smart and did well in class.

lawred2

Diemos wrote: »

I didn't get a part in the play, only child out of 30 kids not to.
I plucked up the courage and asked the teacher at the end of class one day if I could have a small part next year.
I was told "No, because you speak like you have stones in your mouth."

My crime was that I was from the council estate and male but I was smart and did well in class.

really?

what a horrible c^nt

PeterParker957

As a slightly older thesp came my greatest disappointment tho - we did Macbeth for a school play.

I wanted to the Lady M, I'd have taken Lady MacDuff tbh but I wanted the big girl role.

Now I was gooooood! Could do a Scots accent and everything.

What did I end up as ? Second Witch.

Not First Witch who starts it off, not Third Witch with all the decent prophecies but the middle one!

Put it this way the girl who ended up playing MY role (ahem!) was seen going into the props closet with our English teacher who has gone to the boys school up the road ten years earlier (we were 14/15 at the time so he'd be 25/26 ?)

Lost a part to the Casting Couch!!!

(not that anyone asked me but you know...)

PeterParker957

Diemos wrote: »

I didn't get a part in the play, only child out of 30 kids not to.
I plucked up the courage and asked the teacher at the end of class one day if I could have a small part next year.
I was told "No, because you speak like you have stones in your mouth."

My crime was that I was from the council estate and male but I was smart and did well in class.

My auntie was a teacher and if she heard any of that sh**e she'd go to the bat for the kid, good on her.

Diemos

Yeah, seriously.
She did that, I had her for 2 years, to say school was hell was an understatement.
My parents asked me why I was the only one who didnt have a part, I just said I did not want one because I didn't want to cause a fuss. She would probably make life even worse as she would still be my teacher.

We had a project competition which I won (joint 1st with a girl in the class), other teachers in the school chose the winner.
As I standing at her desk at the top of the class (with the girl who also won), "You would never have won if I was judging" was whispered in my ear.
For a few years I blamed the girl, took me a while to figure out that she did nothing wrong, it was all the teacher at fault.
Sounds silly but as a child you don't always see the big picture.

I wasn't the only one she did stuff like that to, all male, all from the council estate.

PeterParker957

Diemos wrote: »

Yeah, seriously.
She did that, I had her for 2 years, to say school was hell was an understatement.
My parents asked me why I was the only one who didnt have a part, I just said I did not want one because I didn't want to cause a fuss. She would probably make life even worse as she would still be my teacher.

We had a project competition which I won (joint 1st with a girl in the class), other teachers in the school chose the winner.
As I standing at her desk at the top of the class (with the girl who also won), "You would never have won if I was judging" was whispered in my ear.
For a few years I blamed the girl, took me a while to figure out that she did nothing wrong, it was all the teacher at fault.
Sounds silly but as a child you don't always see the big picture.

I wasn't the only one she did stuff like that to, all male, all from the council estate.

We had a teacher who turned a blind eye to bullying if it was done by the girls in the netball team where she coached.

I was in the quiz team so I was f****d.

Diemos

PeterParker957 wrote: »

My auntie was a teacher and if she heard any of that sh**e she'd go to the bat for the kid, good on her.

Most teachers and parents, esp my own parents, would have. But I was terrified so I said nothing.

PeterParker957

Diemos wrote: »

Most teachers and parents, esp my own parents, would have. But I was terrified so I said nothing.

She knew the kids couldn't because the teachers would have them scared. Some people aren't cut out to be teachers but since Belsen was closed their career paths are limited given their skillset.

[Deleted User]

lawred2 wrote: »

urm I used to live in a village which had a donkey sanctuary.. I remember at the time being told it was the only one in Ireland (which could have been untrue)

are there others or are is this the same sanctuary?

This was over 20 years ago. It may not have been a recognized sanctuary but a farm that had some? I no longer live in the area, but is one of my happiest memories. That and the annual Christmas carol service.

_Dara_

englander wrote: »

I may be verging on being one of the parents mentioned in OP, but its known that the kids who get the big parts in the play are those offspring from well known families in the town and presumably contribute more money to the school.

Absolutely a thing in rural and small town schools. No doubt about it.

lawred2

Deleted User wrote: »

lawred2 wrote: »

urm I used to live in a village which had a donkey sanctuary.. I remember at the time being told it was the only one in Ireland (which could have been untrue)

are there others or are is this the same sanctuary?

This was over 20 years ago. It may not have been a recognized sanctuary but a farm that had some? I no longer live in the area, but is one of my happiest memories. That and the annual Christmas carol service.

What part of the country? Nothing too accurate..