The 4 Ps of Playmakers

PARENTS AND PARTICIPANTS!!!!

PITCH IN AND PROMOTE THE PLAYMAKERS PHILOSPHY

Hey, everyone...this note is to make sure we are all on the same page with "The 4 Ps-Pitch in and Promote the Playmakers Philosophy!" As a director, actor and parent, I am well aware of the stresses that revolve around the audition/casting process.

As parents, we all struggle to find the balance between wanting our kids to be the shining stars we know they are by getting the most coveted roles--YET wanting to help our kids gracefully accept when they don't get what we all feel they deserve.

As an actor, I know very well the pressure of walking into the audition room and trying to show the director something new, something special, something that makes the director want to give me that lead role, AND the feeling of getting that lead and having to justify to my friends why it was deserved, OR not getting the lead and having to justify to myself why someone else got it instead.

As a director, I struggle to try to give as many kids the chance they all deserve while trying to maintain the integrity and quality of the show. When 200 wonderful, special, talented kids come in that all want the same 10 parts, it is so emotional for me to make these decisions. Sometimes kids have been waiting years for what they feel is their turn, and they don't get it. Sometimes it is a happy ending for them and they FINALLY get a lead. Sometimes new faces waltz in for the first time and get the most coveted roles. Sometimes the same kids get the leads over and over.

Here's where the 4 P's come in. Unfortunately, we know we cannot shield our kids from disappointment, but we can be there for support and to help see the big picture. 200 sets of parents all have ideas of which one role would be perfect for their own child. What I am hoping for is that we can all be prepared to promote the idea that a lead isn't everything. We're here because we love to be busy at rehearsals, working together as a team to put on something wonderful. The ensemble is one big family where there are no second class citizens. Many of us have been together for a long time...we are friends, and in some cases we are family (literally).

What I can promise you is that Abby, Brad and I will approach this casting process fairly, honestly and to the best of our abilities. What I hope you and I can promise as parents is that we will help our children accept their excitement or their disappointment in a graceful and respectful way...and that we will support them, encourage them and help them to make this show the fantastic experience I know it can be!

Very Sincerely,

Sheri Gross