Stage mother

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In the performing arts, a stage mother is a term for the mother of a child actor. The mother will often drive her child to auditions, make sure he or she is on the set on time, etc. The term sometimes has a negative connotation, suggesting that the individual is prone to obnoxiously demand special treatment for her child, or suggesting that the individual has placed inappropriate pressure on her child to succeed. Some believe that a "stage mom" is vicariously living out her own dreams through her child.

History

Quite often the stage mother will also be the official manager of her child (e.g., Lindsay Lohan) — representing her child in negotiations for the professional services of her child. Said stage mothers who function as managers have often been derided as "momagers" by those in the film industry.

In certain cases where a mother and child both work in the film industry, an automatic labeling of "stage mother" can be affixed to the mother without cause. Kathie Lee Gifford has been against the concept of stage mothers and had explained that when her son Cody co-starred with her in the film Model Behavior, it had been on his own volition to try acting and not at her insistence. Ironically, Gifford plays a stage mother in that movie.

Fathers have also been known to manage their children in this way, such as Joseph Jackson (patriarch of the Jackson family), Murry Wilson (father of three of The Beach Boys), Joe Simpson (father of Jessica and Ashlee Simpson), Jeff Archuleta (father of American Idol runner-up David Archuleta), Mathew Knowles (father of Beyoncé and Solange Knowles) and Kit Culkin (father of Macaulay Culkin). A historical example of such a father was the father of Mozart, who recognized his son's musical ability at an early age and made the most of it. Although fathers have been known to act like stage mothers, fathers have more often been associated with pushing their sons into a potential career in professional sports, such as implementing strength and exercise regimens at a young age and to attempt backhanded actions such as delaying enrollment in school so their sons will be bigger than their classmates. ^[1] In rare instances another type of father is one who pushes his sons into membership in groups such as the Boy Scouts of America not due to the child's overall development, but because he feels it is a good prerequisite for military service.

The employee of a strip club who helps dancers with their makeup and outfits is also referred to as a stage mother.

Popular culture

• Stage Mother is the name of a 1933 film.
• Bellissima (film) by Luchino Visconti is about a stage mother in Cinecittà, Rome, starred by Anna Magnani
• The musical Gypsy is about a child actress and her relationship to her stage mother.
• An episode of the television show Kate & Allie was titled "Stage Mother". In the episode, Allie is overly enthusiastic about Jennie getting a job to sing on cable television.
• Bakekang, a Filipino TV series, which stars Sunshine Dizon is a story of an ugly woman who begets a very beautiful girl from a foreigner. A movie fan as she is, she compels her daughter, named Krystal, to join show business. Her daughter becomes a big star and Bakekang, a stage mother.
• Little Britain has a duo called Sandra and Ralph Patterson. Sandra is very desperate for her son, Ralph to get a part in acting. Whenever he fails, she treats him very badly and even beats him.
• The fourth episode of the third series of BBC comedy The League of Gentleman features a stage mother named Nancy Glass who forces her daughter to perform at the the Little Miss Elegance Pageant.

See also

• Child actor
• Svengali
• List of stage mothers

References