Kids and Dogs

There’s an old saying in theater:  “Never work with kids or animals.”  Honestly, I don’t know what these people are talking about.

Take this production of The Music Man I’m rehearsing for right now.  The roles of Winthrop and Amaryllis are double cast which means that I am working with four kids between the ages of 8 and 10.  These children are remarkable.  They are like little sponges.  All four of them have been off book since their first rehearsals. They know their lines, they know their songs, they remember blocking and choreography.

One of our Winthrops is being played by a girl, but no matter.  She has figured out exactly who Winthrop is, and was explaining his “intention” to me during one of his scenes.  Both of our Amaryllises (Amarylli?) are juggling their roles with other performances.  One is also in rehearsal for her role in A Chorus Line Jr. performing “Noses and Butts” (which was, um, something else in the original show).  The other was gone from rehearsal for about a week because she was busy playing one of the orphans in the Pittsburgh CLO’s production of Annie.  Yes, that right – she is performing with star-of-stage-and-screen Sally Struthers one week and with me the next. 

Not only are these four utterly prepared and quasi-professional, they are just the nicest kids you might want to meet.  They are polite and respectful, yet friendly and charming. And they are all just SO cute!

Dogs are another story altogether.  The townspeople of River City don’t let their dogs on stage, but I have worked with some pretty fetching canines in the past (no pun intended).

When I was in Cheating Cheaters, (one of John Patrick’s more minor works) I worked with Pirate, a HUGE Newfoundland whose resume (and program bio) were also large – much larger than mine, in fact.  Pirate was adorable and sweet, and along with stealing the show, he also very much stole the heart of the theater director/stage manager, who went so far as to build him a ramp because his hip dysplasia made the few steps from the green room to the stage difficult for him to maneuver.  “Well, I‘ve done as much for actors,” she explained tersely to anyone who questioned her.

That’s the thing about kids and dogs -they are going to steal the show and people’s hearts. 

Maybe that’s why I’m not supposed to want to act with them, but honestly, what do I care?   Goodness knows I’ve been upstaged by adults before, some of whom didn’t even remember their lines.  If the kid or the dog is a pleasure to work with and is reliable, that’s good enough for me.  If I don’t have to improvise on stage, they can HAVE the scene.