Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy Passion for theater and cinematography

My highly gifted 9 yo dd has had an intense passion for theater since she was 6 yo. When I say intense, I mean there isn't a day that doesn't go by that she isn't planning, writing, and designing her own productions. She will usually focus on a play she is creating for 2-3 months before moving on to a new idea for a play. She'll write the scripts, print multiple scripts for friends who are going to be in the play, plan the costumes, etc. There isn't a detail that goes unnoticed. She's been doing this since she was 6 years old. She can get pretty intense and as a result her sister, dh, and friends get frustrated/exhausted by her level of focus and drive. Personally I'm proud of her passion and determination. The only negative thing is towards the end of a 'production' she gets discouraged by the fact that the play won't be up to her standards or the way she envisions it coming out. Most often due to lack of cooperation from her friends who say they'll be in it. She will go through a sort of short 'depressive' period and then gets a new play idea and starts the cycle all over again.

She has been participating in a local children's theater (very low key, nothing fancy or serious) for the past few months and she really enjoys it. She's about to do her 2nd theater performance. The first one she had the entire play memorized, not just her lines, EVERYONE'S! When it came time for the performance she would throw lines to those who forgot them.

Despite being in the theater she continues to do her own productions at home. She is also getting into filming and has lots of interesting ideas for filming. Right now she uses my ipad to make videos. I'm thinking of getting her a video camera for Christmas and was wondering if anyone has any recommendations for one. Also video editing software that is affordable, not extremely complicated but also allows a good amount of creativity. I'm also open to any other ideas to help nurture her passion. There is a middle/high school that is strictly performing arts (videography included) and on a tryout basis only that we are also considering for her when the time comes but it would be quite the drive.

Probably not up to her level, but my DS9 is obsessed with making movies (and trailers); he just uses an iPod touch and either edits on it using iMovie or on our iMac. He hasn't been craving more intensive software yet, because he's caught up in planning and execution, and iMovie offers an easy interface with some nice features.

It seems like your daughter likes making productions even more than being in them, but I would say that's the easier one to find classes/camps/guidance for. Have you looked for other children's theater options/groups? Admittedly, our city has a lot of theater going on but I'd try googling and maybe looking at nearby colleges, Shakespeare groups, extracurricular academies, etc. A lot of them probably have some creation aspect and if not would be a good way for your DD to see how other plays work/are written.
Good luck!