I've read a lot of good stuff, nice ways to improvise attachments and whatnot. My own method of operations in condensed form is this:
Always do a five minute seminar with everyone wearing a mic, even if they've done it before. I always tell the performers to
switch on at the beginning of the
overture, that way I can watch the indicators and still have time to
chase down the laggers before anyone takes the
stage. Never EVER trust actors to
switch on and off as they leave. Do whatever it takes to get the muting done back at
FOH.
If there's enough
advance time (I usually show up on Monday for a Friday opening) I just
hand the mics out and let the actors figure out where to put them and then give notes and make adjustments for the next couple rehearsals, it helps them feel more involved in the process instead of like lab rats being hooked up to equipment.
And no matter who it is, kids, adults, pros... some are going to take to it like nothnig and always be on and ready to go, and some you're going to have to
chase them around and hold their
hand the whole way. It's important to use everything at your disposal to help the mixing along so you can concentrate on the cues. Even if all you do is compress all the body pack channels as a group so you don't have to ride faders as much.