Directing, Rehearsal, & Production

Between the actors, stage management, technical crew, design teams, publicity team, and front-of-house staff, you’re going to need a veritable army of people to make your upcoming school show...

What does it mean to focus on “ensemble thinking”? Ensemble thinking focuses on a whole-show mentality. Rather than an “us versus them” mentality for leading actors versus ensemble/chorus members,...

Countless hours are spent in rehearsal: learning, reviewing, and practicing material. Let’s focus on the first aspect: learning. At the beginning of the rehearsal process, everything is new. From...

Everyone is familiar with the term “practice makes perfect,” right? But in the theatre, there’s really no such thing as a perfect performance, and there is especially no such thing as a perfect...

Acting is supposed to be real, right? We talk with our students about bringing honesty and realness to the stage when they are performing. With that in mind, however, how often have you heard...

Theatre is a funny thing, isn’t it? Teachers and students spend hours upon hours rehearsing, exploring, practicing, and reviewing. And that’s not even counting the hours spent working on the show...

After every run-through of a show, directors will have a notebook or word document packed to the brim with notes – praise, corrections, problems, solutions, changes and adjustments that need to be...

So you’ve selected the show you are producing this year and you have come up with an incredible vision for the show. This is going to be awesome! Obviously, you want your students to share in your...

Working together, supporting each other, accomplishing something as one. This year’s theme for the Alabama Thespian State Festival is “be a pop of colour on a dark stage”. Upon hearing that theme,...

In Script Analysis for Directors, Part 1: Scanning the Script, we started our pre-rehearsal planning process with a simple scan of the script to get our early thoughts and ideas out on paper. Once...

When I’m doing my pre-rehearsal preparations for a new show I’m directing, the first thing I do is an initial scan of the script. This is a useful way to start getting your primary thoughts and...

The backstage area can be chaotic enough without having to worry about all the props for the show. Help to reduce backstage stress by using these seven tips to help keep your props area neat, tidy,...

Having a master props list makes everyone’s life easier when it comes to knowing exactly what props are needed for your show, how each item is being acquired, and if a certain prop actually exists....

When working on a musical with your students, you will need to decide whether you will use a live band or backing (karaoke) tracks for the music. Whether you use a live band or backing tracks,...

That is the question…and it is yet another decision you must make while producing your upcoming school show. Yes, your students are making smart character choices and acting their hearts out; yes,...

One of the stage manager’s most important tasks is to create and maintain the prompt book – sometimes known as the “show bible” – which is a master copy of the script and contains everything...

As we all know, the role of the stage manager is a large and challenging one. And, while the stage manager is an amazing person, it’s always useful to have help. Enter the assistant stage manager!...

The role of the stage manager is a vital one in the theatrical process. Stage managers truly make the show happen. Without a great stage manager, rehearsals go awry, cues don’t happen, and the show...