ArtsView Children's Theatre — Attraction in Longview

I dont normally give bad reviews, just good ones, but last week, my 12 year old daughter tried out for a part in the musical Oliver. The advertisement said to have a monologue ready if you wanted to try out for a none singng role. This was her very first audition, and she was not confident in singing, so she had a monologue ready to perform that she had been practicing for a week. The director never asked for her monologue, which would have shown her personality and energy, but instead made her sing in front of 10-12, already very clicky teenagers.

Per the advertisement, she didn't have a song ready only a monologue because she was perfectly content with only having a small speaking or nonspeaking role in the musical or just on the help crew, due to the fact this was her first audition among strangers. It's not as if they had hundreds of performers or even newcomers to choose from. During the singing audition, which she was not prepared mentally or physically for, she started crying. Her confidence in her singing ability was already low, thus the monologue, she has a beautiful voice, and I was hoping that landing a small role where she could join in and sing with a group of people and blend in her voice would help boost her confidence. The advertisement made it sound like this would be an option. Whatever happened in that audition, I dont know because I was not allowed back; it brought her to a devastating level. She cried all the way home. What I thought I was taking her to was an audition that would boost her confidence and land her a small role turned out to be a devastatingly confident crusher. As a parent, I wouldn't have minded it so much, as I feel this could have been a good experience for her even if she didn't make a role, but what brought me to write this review was the fact that she received no feedback, no email, no phone call.... nothing! She was a new face for them, a person who could have added to the musical in some small way, not taken away because thats her spirit. She left that place crying, and no one reached out to her, not even as we were walking out. They just all stared at us as if we were from another planet. Of course, I had no idea what had happened, and all my daughter wanted to do was get out of there. So we did!

I 100% believe the director already had in mind who she wanted for the roles in Oliver and was just going through the motions of the auditions. Why even advertise if you're not going to give new people a chance. They were very clicky and somewhat rude. If it hadn't been for the gentleman who welcomed us when we first got there, this review would have been worse. He was a delight, the director, his wife, should take acting lessons from him or maybe people...

I spent years of my childhood performing on the ArtsView stage and now have the privilege of traveling back to town to enjoy watching my nephews have their turn on stage.

ArtsView taught me many valuable life lessons throughout my youth, and also helped me find something I was good at. The adults who were there when I was a child still remember me today and the current staff is just as welcoming and nurturing to the current generation.

How wonderful is it that Longview has such a special program for our youth to participate in. I hope ArtsView is able to serve the community for many...

ArtsView was a big part of my daughter's childhood. Summer camps, show choirs, improv camp, and a a part in a production of Stuart Little later in high school. She is hoping to work in the film industry in some capacity as a script writer or performer and is in college in New York City. ArtsView has been an important part of her journey and has given us some...