As the parents of the young children dancing in the Nutcracker huddle outside on the loading dock behind the Rivercenter, the well-to-do elite of the board sit on their pampered bottoms inside watching the rehearsals. The father of the new executive director stands barring the door from any unauthorized entry.
The parents are unable to come inside the Rivercenter during rehearsals because why?
Where is the caring and concern for the people who have really made the Nutcracker possible! Thats right, the parents who have paid hundreds even thousand of dollars and rearranged their lives around the rehearsal ever-changing schedule. The parents who have already bought tickets to the performances and extra t-shirts, and who will buy trinkets to help support the ballet.
These are the people that CSU replaced Mr. Herriott with. So don't forget to sign up for classes next year, I'm sure they take check and credit cards.
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The negative act of barring parents from rehearsals is yet another manifestation of the control issues which have raised their ugly heads at every turn in this tragedy. Those who are in the position of making the rules cared not for the effect this would have on parents and dancers.
ReplyDeleteIn a project such as the Nutcracker, as with many others, the process is as or even more important than the final product! The audience will come in and have a couple hours of entertainment; the parents and children have much more at stake in the demands placed on their time, energy, and household schedules.
David Herriott knew very well what the process of preparing the Nutcracker could mean in the lives of the families involved. He knew about the bonding effect created by the participation of parents and children together in this; the excitement generated by the rehearsals; the learning which is enhanced for all by the ability to observe how a production like this comes together, especially for those of us who didn't have a chance as children to do anything like this.
The excitement, openness, spirit of acceptance and empowerment provided by an open rehearsal policy has been replaced by a controlling, condescending, paternalistic policy which takes away a vital element of the experience for parents and children.
Hmmmm....last time I looked, was it not the PARENTS who were paying the bills???????