Throwing this out to all of you. I have never dealt with this sort of situation before, and I desperately need some resources. I am baffled, and I would be grateful for any help you can provide. I have a theatre production student--a talented, gentle, faithful young man--whose parents see absolutely no value in his involvement in theatre. He is a junior, and has been with the theatre department since his freshman year. My son, also a junior, is close friends with him. While he is a talented actor and singer, his true passion is lighting, and he is VERY passionate about the subject. This year, I asked him to take a role in our musical production and while he has done a fantastic job, I know it pains him to not be closely involved with the light crew. He came to me today during our final build day (the show is this week) to tell me that his parents have made their final decision and that they are not going to allow him to participate in theatre production his senior year. They said they are not going to allow him to pursue the field in college, that it isnt a serious way to spend ones time, and...the REAL reason (I think): THEY ARE TIRED OF ARRANGING RIDES FOR HIM. His father has given an ultimatum that he either drop the theatre program and get a job to pay for driving school so he can go to that job, or he sit at home. Thats it. Sit at home. And while I know we dont always understand the circumstances of what is going on at home withe every one of our kids, I can safely say this young man is genuine, considering this is the second year in a row they have threatened to forbid his involvement (they caved last year after he promised that he would not participate in EVERY production). They dont see a career as a lighting designer to be a lucrative goal...and they dont want to pick him up after rehearsal. I can have my officers or other responsible students eliminate the transportation issue, but I need information and resources to hand these parents when our musical ends and I have a conference with them. I asked him today, as we were standing on stage (having just hung a $4500 chandelier practical loaned to us by a local business): In a perfect world, where you could choose which path your life would take, what would you do? He said: This. He pointed above him. The lights. I love them. Its all I can ever see myself doing. I need to save this boy.
Posted on: Mon, 27 Jan 2014 06:28:49 +0000