Jennifer, I'm blaming the theater but there are ethics involved here, I'm afraid. Her commitment was to us first - period. The little donor one-song thing that she's doing is not a paying gig, it's a favor. THEY changed everything not us and they put her in a horrible position and if it were me at that age I would have said to whomever, you've put me in a horrible position and I have to honor my first commitment - she IS paid for our show, BTW.
I'm so happy Chelsea is back with us. She'll come through like gangbusters.
And I, too, am frustrated with how Musical Theater West handles things. Knowing she was young, I don't doubt they pushed her to do their bidding, when they indeed were the ones to change schedules at the last minute. It's frustrating when professional people like they claim to be treat you as if you have no life or work outside of their interests. When you're more seasoned, you learn to say no, especially when you're already committed to something else.
And yes, if nothing else, she should have simply said, I have to honor my paid commitment first, and worked out an alternate rehearsal for their freebie.
Hopefully, this will be a good lesson for her.
