A question about child actors?

Question

How did/ do they keep you motivated without pressuring you and taking the pleasure out of the performance. I am a performer and I've stated including my daughter (she's 4) in the shows, some days she can't wait to do a show and at other times she bottles out just before it. I think she doesn't yet understand that when we have to go on stage it's time to go on stage and we can't put it off till later. How do I keep the pleasure of doing the show while instilling the discipline of time and comedy timing? Thank you. x

Answer 1

wait until she is older, maybe about 8 by then she'll understand or she might even change her mind.  

Answer 2

Make sure that if she's bottling up before a performance that you give her words of comfort. She doesn't really understand what acting is, let alone the importance that she goes on that stage and does her best. That's perfectly normal and should be expected. For now, I would just let her understudy roles for fun or just give her a very low pressure part where she doesn't talk. I know you probably see little kids performing all kinds of stuff, but chances are they are older than they look or are under a lot or stress which is something someone her age shouldn't even be aware of.

She shouldn't start having roles requiring responsibility until she is about 6 or 7 years old.  

Answer 3

Bear in mind she's only 4!

She'll change in time.  

Answer 4

I think she is a bit young yet to grasp what acting is. About the time she is 7 it should begin to be understood.  

Answer 5

She is FOUR!

Let her be a kid for a little longer.

Answer 6

Does she do ballet? Of course I don't advocate forcing a child into anything, but ballet is very good for discipline.

Answer 7

you don't; it can not be done. So long as she is a normal child there are often going to be other things she would rather be doing than being on stage with mommy. What you have to do, as a good stage mother, is to teach her that mommy's affection and approval depend solely upon her going on stage and doing as she has been told by the director and what she has been taught to do by you. If this sounds harsh then good, child actors and performers live harsh lives, they lose their childhood pleasures and friendships to satisfy the ego and , sometimes, the greed of their parents and they never make up for what has been lost. Education and social skills have to be pretty well forgotten about, and puberty becomes a thing to dread..especially if the child has no real talent beyond that of being a child.

I am sorry to offend, as I am sure I have done, but no child of four is overwhelmed by the desire to learn lines and hang around rehearsals for hours on end..sometimes she will enjoy it and sometimes she will hate it but the only way to make her consistent is to take away the idea that it is something to be enjoyed at any time..it is work and she is doing it for you. not herself.