So far, I've managed to avoid chaperoning. However, my DS has got himself a chorus role in Panto (yeah!) and parents are required to chaperone a certain number of rehearsals and performances. So I am in the process of applying for a licence.
I realise how desperately they need chaperones, but how can they be sure that just because someone passed a (enhanced) CRB check and has a couple of references that they will be good at looking after children and getting them to the right place at the right time? TBH I am scared to death at the prospect of keeping in check lots of kids and making sure they get on stage on cue!
Ds has told me a bit about what chaperoning involves and the things that generally worry me are:
- How will I know when a cue is approaching? What if I miss it and the kids don't get to the stage on time?
- How do I keep my eye on 8 to 12 children all at once? It's fine at a party, I don't mind them bouncing off the walls and taking themselves to the toilet, but I think I'm going to need to be a bit stricter backstage.
- Is it possible to keep children occupied and silent for a long period of time? Apparently, the set up of this theatre means that the children will be waiting, for a long period, in an area where there are no walls/doors between them and the stage.
I am sure I'm not worrying about nothing, but I would be very grateful for any advice!
When I had a chaperone licence for Panto, I was visited by the licencing lady and had an interview, she also contacted my two references.
I'm not sure if it's the same but we always had two chaperones present and then there was also some parents who would hang around. The theatre staff who worked backstage would always come in and tell us when we were due on stage, despite this we all knew the cues and the children learnt quickly and would usually be telling us when they were coming off and on and which side!
It tends to be well rehearsed and to be honest once you've done it a few times you'll be fine.
Good luck and have a lovely time
If it's a professional panto everyone gets a call over the call system to let them know when to go to the stage, so this way you will never miss a cue.,
I very much doubt as an inexperienced chaperone that you will be left alone with all the juveniles.... I am head chaperone for panto at our theatre and when doing the rota I always put a new person with an experienced one for their first few times. It can be tricky making sure everyone is in their corect places and all have costumes on properly but after the first few shows it gets so easy. The kids will know where they are going and what they need to wear, you will end up just supervising and being a costume hanger upper!!! ha ha
You'll have a blast, panto's are my favourite shows to chaperone, most of it is common sense so you'll be fine.
Usually there are strict behaviour policies in place so the kids know from the beginning that they risk losing their place if they misbehave and cause problems.
Enjoy the ride (if it's Peter Pan, maybe a little trickier as so many kids in that, we had 46 2 years ago and that was a challenge!!!! )
Part of the licensing procedure will be the Local Authority deciding whether they think you are suitable to look after a group of children. Not everyone who applies is accepted though the only people I know who have been turned down was for health reasons.
You should have an interview and will have to provide references. Once licensed you will be given a booklet or sheet with all the regulations on that you can refer to.
The children will be quiet in quiet stage areas as for panto there are usually twice as many appliants as places. They will be roasted by the stage manager if they are not quiet. PAato is a lot easier to chaperone than musical theatre (which Im doing this week) as usually everyone has to be in the same place at the same time unlike musicals with lots of different characters. There should be enough chaperones so that if one child or a smaller group are needed elsewhere then one chaperone takes them and one stays withthe rest. If there isn't then you have to take all the children everywhere.
Its not your job to know cues, it is your job to listen to calls and to escort the children when you are told to take them to the stage. If they miss a cue its the fault of the production company or the kids if they wern't ready.
Incidentally they can't take themselves to the toilet. You have to take them. If there are no toilets in the dressing room itself a chaperone has to accompany them, if need be you have to take all the others with you!
Thanks for all the replies. I do feel a lot better now! It is Peter Pan - as far as I know there are 8 in the junior chorus (lost boys) which are 4 boys and 4 girls; John and Michael and a senior girls chorus. I guess I'll get a bit of a feel for it at the rehearsals. I am actually quite looking forward to it now.
when you get to the theatre check - 1. the dressing rooms/changing rooms (cahnging separate for boys and girls -how will this be divvied up between chaperones? ) 2. the toilets - kids have to have separate toilets from the adults 3. the fire safety drill/routes 4. the routes from the dressing room(s) to the stage 5. how will you have line of site to the kids when they're on stage
then think if you will sort some diversions for when they are off stage (lots of tghem will bring elcronic thingies, i expect) - i have survived a number of performances by getting kids to fold tombola tickets for me - they love a job - but otherwise, pencil and paper stuff, books and comics to read - and bottles of water in case they dn't have their own
be strict about hair, make up etc - us old bags make wonderful chaperones
as has been said before, it's amazing how soon you settle in and have a whale of a time
enjoy!!!!!!
Life is complex - some of it is real, some of it is imaginary.
Can I just make one comment about professional panto and dressing room calls. You MUST treat them as a courtesy call - they cannot be guaranteed and it's no good saying you didn't get a call and missing your entrances. The DSM gives calls as and when they are possible. In most cases, they'll plot these calls in the book, but if things are going badly wrong for the dozens of usual reasons, then expect the calls to cease. Being ready is 100% the responsibility of the actors (and usually the chaperones - although I'm never absolutely certain if the chaperones duties technically make getting the kids there their problem). Usually the chaperones do take this duty on themselves, but I've never actually seen it written down!
I really wouldn't worry - as after a show or two of having one ear on the show relay, you'll get to know where your normal call will come - so when one performance it is missing, you will spot it. Frankly, you cannot keep the kids quiet. If they're in a dressing room, then they will be noisy. Very often, the actors sharing the nearby rooms hate the noise the kids make - but there's not a lot you can do. However, in the wings, and entering the stage, silence is the key. Expect strong tuts and shssss noises if they start to talk and get excited (which they usually are!).
You will soon have the timing sorted out. Check with the stage crew/resident stage manager about how much in advance they want you. If they have big scene changes they really need safe space, and kids can be squashed very easily as they are low down and difficult to see. So you'll probably hear a song, or see the scene change happening, or maybe a sound effect that you can use to help you not be late.
If you have a missing child - tell the company manager as soon as you know something has gone wrong - don't keep fingers crossed they will make it after missing a train. You don't need to give huge details, but a quick comment "we may be one short in the opening number - one's missed the train" - will be enough. If they have some kind of critical role for this scene, they'll expect you to re-jig things to cover, in case the missing one doesn't arrive.
When we did Snow White with kids for the first time - I just said to tell me if you don't count to seven by 15 minutes to curtain up - as I knew I could re-jig the first scene fairly simply - and their first critical part came ten minutes in.
If they have to use a piece of wingspace, then to be honest it's unreasonable for people to expect them to keep quiet. Just do your best. I don't mind the chaperones using me as a threat to keep quiet. As in that grumpy man will come and shout at you if you don't shut up. ...... and I do! You can also use the company manager if you want to threaten the kids, and they won't want somebody like me to come into the dressing room and tell them off, so will try to please you. If I have to read the riot act, then I'll tell them they are the worst kids we've had for a long time and how disappointed I am with them. They are VERY quiet until I have gone, and the odd child has been in tears. I never single the troublesome one out, because in most cases, they all know who it was. If it's been very bad, I'll tell them that if they don't behave I will sack the ones who cause trouble. In almost every case - I'm not actually cross with them at all, but the chaperone is at their wits end, and I take the flack from parents and everyone when I do this, leaving the chaperone to be the nice one to get all back to normal. I rely on the chaperones so much, that I try to keep them happy all the time, if I can. Most issues with the kids are small, but as most shows feature two teams, there can actually be some nasty behaviour towards the other team. So I never tell them that the other team are much better behaved, because sometimes they can actually be pretty nasty to the other group. From the perspective of the show, the kids are treated as one - not individuals. I only usually get to know the names of the problem ones, or the really, really good ones. What often happens is the kids get too into their role. One last year we had one who was shall we say, a little er, special. Basically a sweet girl, but thick. Never remembered where she should have been, often forgot her personal props, despite having them before leaving the dressing room. One day she started dancing about like she was plugged in, really pulling focus from the actors. I mentioned it to the head chaperone, who knew exactly what I meant. Next time she did the same - so the chaperone wasn't sure what to do, so they got me in to be Mr Cross again. Didn't work as a group chat. So next time it was single out and be direct time. "Why are you jumping up and down and waving your arms like a crazy person?" - she looked mortified. I told her to stand still, arms by her side, keep quiet on stage and only move when the others did, or I'd tell her mum she wasn't to come back. She hated me from then on, but did start to do what the chaperone told her to, as she didn't want the nasty man to come back in. I used to make a note in the diary to go and see them after a few shows and tell them all how pleased I was with them. In this case, I waited for the mother to come and complain - which she did. I asked her if her daughter had special needs we didn't know about because she was spoiling the show, and if she continued, she would have to go. Mum made goldfish faces, but I told her that she MUST make sure the chaperones are obeyed - and nobody including the stars of the show are indispensable.
So you as the chaperone can keep the good and nice parts of the job, and pass on trouble to the person doing my job. It's a bit of psychology really. You need to be fair and in charge. If the kids think you are being told off because of them, they will not like it. Drawing seems to be popular in our shows - loads of pictures everywhere. Loads of gadgets too.
One extra thing to watch for is security. Make sure you always find somewhere safe for the valuables they will bring in. No good saying don't, they will - but they will lose things.
paulears wrote:after a show or two of having one ear on the show relay, you'll get to know where your normal call will come
i have been in dressing rooms where the chaperone the previous evening has turned the general speaker off (where the call speaker comes through even if the general show speaker doesn't) i have always turned the general speaker back on, for precisely this reason
Life is complex - some of it is real, some of it is imaginary.
Depending on where you live you may have to attend a short course which will cover what you need to know about chaperoning. I've been back stage at theatres where the stage manager calls you to the stage and another where we've had runners who came and collected the children and take to the stage.
Once side of stage keeping them quiet can be fun but keeping them out of the way is also a challenge they just want to see what is going on.
There have been rumours about some authorities charging for licenses my local being one of them.
As each show is different, being new doesn't matter too much really. Even the heirachy differs, depending on the staffing. Pro theatre is quite different sometimes to amateur shows. A pro show usually has the DSM calling the show, and in reality - in charge, while an amateur show will have a Stage Manager. Runners are rare in pro theatre as they need paying! The ASMs are usually too busy to go and get people. Also check the backstage call system out if the venue is new to you. Many more modern ones have volume knobs that can reduce the show relay level, but let calls through at full volume, while others can be switched totally off and you hear nothing at all! Just check it out on your first day and all will be well. I make a big deal of turning ON any speaker I find off or turned down, because although annoying, everyone needs to know where in the show you are, and with the kids, I've found they know their cues better than the adults after just a day or two!
Children are very important to a production that uses them, but you have to get used to the minority of adults, especially venue staff, who consider them trouble, or simply nuisances. I guess this won't change - so best to just ignore it if you find it. There are so many issues backstage that many of the crew find the unpredictability of the kids to be dangerous. They're not - they're just kids. You keep them safe!
I really enjoy chaperoning, but it is hard work
I much prefer the little ones even though they keep me in my toes and the mess try make is immense, the older teens just tend to look at me like I'm a bit of dirt really when I ask them to be quiet or get ready to go up to the stage etc
Give me the little ones any day
I am forever gobsmacked at the amount of little ones who are sent with nothing , no drinks snacks etc , no comb, hair elastics etc, and these can be really long days
I have to take supplies out of my own money for these little'uns
"Tall and proud my mother taught me, this is how we dance" - RIVERDANCE
(if it's Peter Pan, maybe a little trickier as so many kids in that, we had 46 2 years ago and that was a challenge!!!! )
