Policies and Procedures

We offer two productions of the same musical with two different casts, the red cast and the blue cast. You choose which cast your actor is in when you sign them up. The only difference between the casts is the rehearsal and performance schedule. (Some actors even choose to be in both casts so that they can play two different roles!)

The red cast and the blue cast each are made up of two groups that rehearse their parts separately until tech week.  Junior Varsity (JV) is for actors in grades k-2. They meet once a week from 3:45 to 5:00 to learn one or two song-and-dance numbers from the show. They perform as a group. 

Varsity is for actors in grades 3-5. They meet once a week from 3:45 to 6:00. Each Varsity actor will play a named character in the play and perform in the chorus. This usually means learning the music and choreography for 5 or 6 songs and the blocking for the scenes in between. They may also have solos and/or lines. 

Every performer has lots to do! We all work together to tell the story.

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Varsity actors get two printed scripts, one to take home and one to keep at rehearsal.  We also send each family a pdf of the script that they can read or print from any device. This way, actors can easily practice lines at home and don't have to worry about bringing the script to rehearsal. 

Along with the script, we email families audio files of all the songs used in the show  that can be downloaded and played on any device.(CDs available on request). This makes it easy for actors to practice songs and choreography at home too!

Opening Act provides your actor's costume. We may ask you to contribute something you already have - like a pair of shoes or leggings.  Anything we provide, we keep. Anything you provide, you keep. 

For dress rehearsals and performances, actors wear a tank top and shorts underneath their street clothes so they can change into their costumes without needing privacy. 

In the fall and spring musicals, actors meet once a week to learn music, choreography, and blocking. Some actors may be asked to attend one or two scene work rehearsals on a Saturday. We learn the show in pieces, like a puzzle. It takes lots of work to learn the pieces, and it takes practice to remember how it all goes together. Consistent attendance and practice at home is essential to a successful show and a rewarding experience. 

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Junior Varsity and Varsity rehearsals are in the Mattawan Later Elementary Cafeteria. At dismissal, Later Elementary students should go directly to the Later El Cafeteria and Early Elementary students should wait in the hallway outside the Early Elementary office until Mr. Talmadge comes to escort them to the Later Elementary.

Students coming from home or a different school should go to the Early Elementary Main Entrance. Press the button, explain what you are there for, and someone will let you in. After you enter the building, turn left and go down the hall. The Later Elementary cafeteria will be the second cafeteria on the right.

Due to the time we spend having snack after school, we usually begin warming up our voices and bodies at 4:00 PM.

Parents who want to stop in and watch a rehearsal are always welcome, but not needed.

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We always have a snack break before we begin rehearsal. Please send your child with an extra snack to enjoy after school.

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Please make sure your child has a pair of close-toed sneakers to wear during rehearsal, as well as clothing they can move around in comfortably. In snowy weather, please make sure your child has sneakers in their backpack; it is hard to dance in snow boots!

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At the end of rehearsal, we will escort the children to the double set of doors to the to the left of the Early Elementary Office in front of the Early Elementary cafeteria. You can pick them up there at 6:00 PM.

Those double doors where will have parent pick-up usually remain unlocked until after all the day-care students have been picked up (approximately 5:00 PM). If the doors are locked and you need to reach us, please text or call (text is better) 714-757-4969 or 714-757-4971.

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For rehearsals at Mattawan schools, we do not have rehearsal if Mattawan is closed, on vacation, or having a half day. 

Please let us know when you enroll your actor if you have any unavoidable schedule conflicts, and we will do our best to adjust the rehearsal schedule ahead of time so that your actor will not miss important scenes or songs. We may also adjust by simply having them sing offstage if they have to miss the day we stage a chorus number. 

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If your child is sick, please send us an email at office@openingactmi.com or text Jonathan at 714-757-4969. It will help us prepare better and save us the time and effort of having to confirm their status with the school office.

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Sometimes families have the impression that as long as their child knows her/his lines and songs, it is ok for them to miss rehearsal. This is not the case. Every actor is depending on each other in hundreds of small ways. Your child is an important part of the whole, and if they are not there, it has a negative impact on everyone. We understand that sometimes life has unexpected conflicts and occasionally children have to miss rehearsal. We ask that as long as your child is in good health, you make it a priority to have your child attend every rehearsal they are called for. Of course, if they are sick, we want them to stay home and get better.​

THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!!

Our Fall and Spring musicals have a traditional tech week on the Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday before the Saturday performances. These technical rehearsals are when all of the pieces of the puzzle come together. Attendance at these rehearsals is mandatory. If an actor has an unexcused absence, they will not be able to participate in the performance. Absences will be excused due to serious illness or family emergency.

Our typical Saturday show schedule is:  1:30 call time, 2:00 full cast photo, 2:30 house opens, 3:00 curtain, 4:00ish break/snack, 4:30 house opens, 5:00 curtain, 6:00ish done

A Sunday show schedule is: 2:00 call time, 2:30 house opens, 3:00 curtain, 4:00ish Strike

Please send your child empty-handed. We provide snack and backstage activities. There is limited space backstage and extra stuff can cause lots of problems.  

We ask all families who are able to help us with "Strike". That means we take apart the set and put everything away, leaving the theatre ready for the next group. 

Everyone who would like to be in the audience for a performance must purchase a ticket. Ticket information can be found on the "See A Show" page of our website.  We recommend that families buy tickets early, because the shows often sell out. 

We are always in need of parents to help out backstage during tech week and performances. It's fun to be a part of the backstage magic! Shoot us an email or hit the "Contact Us" chat box to let us now you'd like to volunteer. Thanks!