Directing

When selecting a show for your school to produce, you want to choose a show that is fun, appeals to your students, challenges them, and helps them grow as performers and technicians. But choosing a show has its issues. Perhaps your students have their hearts set on a musical, but you’ve selected a play. Or maybe they wanted a big name-brand show, while you’ve selected something they’ve never heard of. While they’re excited about the prospect of doing a show and are going to participate, they’re less than thrilled (or perhaps slightly confused) about what you’ve selected. What’s a director to do? At this point, it’s your responsibility to get your students to “buy into” the show–to agree with and accept the show. Think of it in terms of selling your show to your students. Let them know the show’s “selling features.” Demonstrate what’s in it for them. Let’s look at five suggestions to help get students enthused about your show from the get-go. 1. Show enthusiasmFirst and foremost–YOU need to lead by example and be excited about the production. If you aren’t thrilled to be working on the show, why are your students going to be? Focus on all the great things to look forward to–the juicy character work, the amazing songs and dances, the chance to learn new skills (like using theatrical effects or stage combat), the gorgeous sets and costumes, and anything unique or different about your show. For example, perhaps your school is going to be the first to produce your show in the district, or even the province or state. Maybe you’re going to enter a theatre festival with this production. Perhaps it’s going to be a show you take “on the road” to various other schools. Whatever makes this show unique, really emphasize that with your cast and crew. Make your enthusiasm infectious! “Kids don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care” is an appropriate quote for this topic. Help your students care about the show by demonstrating care yourself. 2. Explain the plot (and why it’s important/relatable/challenging/etc.)Maybe your students have never heard of the show you’ve decided to produce. This happened to me when I was directing Peter and the Starcatcher. I had seen the show on Broadway and had read the book series. Because of that (plus the fact it had won Tony Awards), I assumed everyone knew the story. Newsflash: just because you are intimately acquainted with the material does not mean that your students are. Take some time and explain the plot thoroughly to your students. Don’t assume they will get everything from just reading the script. If there is supplementary material (production guides, videos, book or film versions, and so on), make those available to your students. Help them to understand what they’re working on. What you perceive as indifference or a lack of enthusiasm may just be them not understanding or knowing what’s going on. 3. Explain your conceptIf you have a fun or different twist on your production (and really, you should!), explain it to your students right away. Let them know your ideas for the design of the show, how you’re going to approach the characters, and what is going to make this production really special. This, in turn, will make your students feel special for being a part of it. Both explaining your concept and showing enthusiasm are simple enough to do at your first rehearsal. But I actually did this for my most recent production ahead of time–digitally. I let the cast know that on a certain date and time I’d be presenting a Facebook Live Video in our private, “cast and crew only” Facebook group. I used that time to explain my concept for the show and how excited I was to be working with them. It was utterly terrifying, but a lot of fun, and a great way to connect with my cast through social media. Lots of different social media platforms have live video capabilities–check them out! 4. Get started right away with a big group number or blocking sceneThere’s no time like the present to dive right in! Get the full cast started at the first rehearsal. Consider getting them up on their feet with a big production number or a group scene that everyone’s involved in. Promoting teamwork and ensemble values helps to create a sense of community and helps ensure that everyone feels included. It gives students the chance to get to know each other right away. Plus, it’s fun! Inclusivity + community + teamwork = buy-in. 5. Issue a ticket-sale challengeA good competition can really help students to buy into a show. Encourage your students to talk up the show early and share updates on social media. Give a prize to the student who gets the greatest number of tickets sold, or offer a pizza party to the cast and crew if they can sell out their opening night performance. Bribery? Maybe. Or perhaps it’s a clever way to get your students to take pride and ownership in their show by advertising and getting audience members right away.

When working on a production with students, one of the first rehearsals (if not the very first rehearsal) is often dedicated to a full read-through of the script. This generally consists of the full cast assembling together in a room, sitting in a circle, and reading the full show out loud, with the a stage manager reading the stage directions. While this initial read-through can have many benefits, I’m going to go out on a limb and ask the question: “Is the first read-through an absolute necessity?” I must admit that for the past few shows I’ve directed, I have skipped the read-through altogether. Let’s look at some pros and cons of having a first rehearsal read-through. Yay!First, and possibly most importantly, it brings the cast together for the first time so they can get to know each other. It gives them a chance to hear the full show, out loud. This is especially important if it’s a show students aren’t entirely familiar with. If the show is a musical, students can hear the music as it will be performed in the show. If possible, let them all sing along. This is a great bonding opportunity and, for many of the students, it might be their only opportunity to sing some of the songs (especially the solos). It gives students the chance to notice any cuts or changes to the script, particularly if the show is based on a book or film, or if it’s a school or “junior” edition of a famous show. It gives you, the teacher/director, the opportunity to listen to the cast’s initial interpretations and thoughts of the characters and situations. You can listen for how lines sound, how jokes land, how words might be mispronounced, and how students react to the show. You may also notice potentially difficult or problematic scenes to block or choreograph. It gives you the chance to explain your vision for the show, and answer any questions that students may have about the script or show. With the cast fully in attendance, everyone will be able to hear and understand your plans. This is your chance to get them really fired up about the experience! It’s also your opportunity to explain rehearsal procedures and expectations, and convey any important information that the cast must know about, like rehearsal and performance schedules (including off-book day). Nay!A full read-through can be a lot to sit through, particularly for younger students. While it’s good practice for being quiet backstage, sitting for long periods of time can get tedious (especially for ensemble members, dancers, or students with few lines). They may feel that they are less important to the whole of the show. While we know this isn’t true, it’s important to remind students of their importance to the team (no matter how small or big their role is). It can get confusing if any roles are double-cast. Will you have your double-cast actors read in unison, or split up the lines? (Perhaps one actor can read during Act One, and the other during Act Two.) It can be seen as more beneficial to the cast than the crew. It may appear that there isn’t much for the assistant stage managers, designers, or techies to do during an initial read-through. You may want to figure out an alternative activity for the crew– perhaps they can start working on designs and planning at the same time. If you have limited rehearsal time, it may be more helpful to your schedule to skip the initial read-through in favour of getting right to work. I rarely schedule a read-through in my rehearsals anymore; rather, I like to start my first rehearsals by learning a big group number, or blocking a full-cast scene. This way, the full cast gets together and gets to know each other, but they also get right down to work. What are your thoughts on the initial read-through? Is it a vital part of your rehearsal process, or something you leave out? What are your best tips and tricks for having a great read-through? Share them with us! Kerry Hishon is a director, actor, writer, and stage combatant from London, Ontario, Canada. Check out her blog at www.kerryhishon.com.

One of the most common activities that occurs during a first drama class or rehearsal is some form of a “Get to Know You” game. Starting with games is not just a nice break for students who may have been sitting still and silent in other classes, but it’s a great way for them to learn each other’s’ names through “play” (yes, the double meaning was totally intended!). While many games may seem simple or silly, they are a good way to gauge your students’ abilities and willingness to participate. Are they eager to jump up and get involved, or do they hang back? Why? Do they participate in some games but not others? Again, why? These observations can help teachers adjust and personalize lessons to fit students’ personalities and skills, or else challenge students and push them out of their comfort zones. Here are three simple “get to know you” games to try at your next class or rehearsal. You can also use these as warmup games. At the end of the post, check out the link to a student reflection , about games and using them in the classroom. Game 1: “ABC Name Game”This is a simple game—introduce yourself in your “loud actor’s voice,” then add something you like that starts with the same letter of your first name. For example: “My name is Kerry, and I like koalas!” Then the person next to you introduces themselves and what they like, and then re-introduces you. “My name is Sarah, and I like soccer… and this is Kerry, and she likes koalas.” You can either continue on, introducing one person at a time, or (for a big challenge) have the students keep repeating every single name and like until the poor person at the end has to repeat everyone’s name! A fun alternative to this game that will get your students moving is the “Action Name Game.” Play the name game and add a gesture, pose, or action. Each person must repeat the names and actions, which will create a crazy dance by the end of the line! Game 2: “Move Yer Butt”This is a fun, active game to get the students up and running around! It’s kind of like non-musical Musical Chairs. Everyone sits on a chair arranged in a circle, except for one person in the middle. Their goal is to get a seat! The student in the middle of the circle will call out “Move Yer Butt if…” and add a situation or characteristic that they have. For example: “Move Yer Butt if you have brown eyes!” Then anyone in the circle who has brown eyes must get up and switch seats with another person in the circle, while the person in the centre tries to steal a chair. Whoever is left without a seat comes up with the next “Move Yer Butt” topic. Examples of situations and characteristics could include eye/hair colour, items of clothing worn, places you’ve travelled to, age/grade level, or things you like or dislike (foods, music, movies, etc.). Game 3: “Mixer”This is a super-easy game that gets students moving and laughing. Students move around the room in various ways, depending on what the teacher calls out. For example: walking, hopping, jumping, sneaking, creeping, skipping, sliding, etc. The possibilities go on and on. At various times, the teacher will call out a random number and body part, like “four elbows,” “six toes,” or “three pinkies.” The students must quickly get in groups of whatever number was called and attach the named body part together! If there are people left over, they are “out.” For a more competitive game, those players who are “out” are eliminated. For a more cooperative game, have those who are “out” help the teacher pick the next way of moving or the number of body parts. Variation This variation encourages conversation. When students get into their “four elbows” groups, they must share the number of facts about themselves as the number of people in the group (i.e. three group members, three facts), or find that many things in common with each other (i.e. four group members, four similar traits among students). Hope these games help with your next class!

In theatrical terms, double-casting is when two actors are both cast in the same role, and take turns playing the role during alternating performances. It is different than casting an understudy. An understudy only performs when the actor in the role is away or ill. In a double-cast role, both actors are equally suited to playing the role. They share the responsibility that the role entails, while bringing their own subtle nuances to the performance. Double-casting a role can mean more work for the director, but it also has many benefits. Let’s look at some pros and cons of double-casting, which might help you when you’re casting your next production. PROSDouble-casting gives more opportunities to more students. This is the biggest advantage of double-casting: it’s a great way to give more students opportunities in a show. It essentially gives you two actors for the price of one! Rather than competing for a single leading role, having two students share the role gives them both the chance to be a lead while taking off the pressure of having to carry the show themselves. It also gives audiences a reason to come back and see the show again, so they can see both students play the role. Double-casting gives directors the opportunity to approach the show and role(s) in different ways. Every actor approaches a character differently, and double-casting gives students the opportunity to explore that. You could even go further with your students and block or choreograph scenes or numbers differently, depending on which student is playing the role! This way might be more challenging for all your actors, but it’s also a lot of fun. If an actor is sick or injured, you have a built-in understudy. I’ve actually seen this happen. In a double-cast production of The Drowsy Chaperone, one of the students cast as Kitty broke her ankle a couple of weeks before the show. It was unfortunate for that student, but as the role was double-cast, the alternate Kitty covered her performances. No muss, no fuss. Double-casting can also be a preventative measure for roles that are physically or vocally demanding. Sharing the number of performances between two student actors reduces the risk of vocal strain or injury, simply because they are not working their bodies and voices so hard for a continuous amount of time. (Aside from legal reasons regarding the amount of time child actors are allowed to perform, this is a common reason why (in professional theatre) many child roles are shared between two or more young actors. A recent example of this is the Broadway and West End productions of Matilda, which featured three to four actresses sharing the title role.) CONSEverything takes twice as long. You can teach and direct both students at the same time, but each scene will then have to be rehearsed and reviewed at least twice (so both actors have adequate time to practice). When it gets closer to showtime, you will have to schedule runs for both students. It might be advantageous to have one student play the role at tech and the other student to play the role at dress. On a similar note, unless your students are exactly the same size, you will need two of every costume. You must have an even number of performances. In a double-cast show, both students should have the same number of performances, to keep things fair. It is also important to ensure that they have an equal number of matinee and evening performances, so friends and family members have different chances to see their performance. It is also nice to be able to give one student the opening performance and the other student the closing performance, as those two performances are extra-special. If you absolutely must have an odd number of performances, I tend to err on the older student having the extra performance. If they are both in the same grade, you will probably have to draw straws or draw names out of a hat. There is a risk of comparison and/or competition. They say “comparison is the thief of joy” and that’s especially true when it comes to students. It is imperative that students who are double-cast not be compared to each other, or the one held up higher than the other. Instead, foster a sense of teamwork. Both students should work together to make character discoveries, while celebrating the nuances that make each student actor unique. Your students will not approach the same character exactly the same way. One student actor may very well be stronger or more experienced than the other. But be sure to give equal time and energy to both students, to help them grow and learn. If you have multiple double-cast roles in a production, you should come up with creative cast names that also denote equal billing. Avoid calling groups “Cast 1 and Cast 2” or “Cast A and Cast B,” as that implies one cast is better/more important than the other. When I directed The Little Mermaid with double-cast actors, our casts were called the “Sea Cast” and the “Land Cast.” A production of The Secret Garden had the “Door Cast” and “Key Cast.” This is a great opportunity to be creative with your naming systems!

Imagine this: You’ve just completed your audition for the school production. You’re feeling really confident and happy with your performance. You can’t wait to find out who is going to be playing what role. But wait! It turns out that sometimes there’s an extra step before casting is released–the callbacks! A callback is an invitation to the actor, from the director of a show, to take the next step down the audition path. It means that the director has seen something in an actor that they liked and wants to see them again. Callbacks can be extremely useful in casting a show, but they aren’t always necessary for every production. Are you considering having callbacks for your next school production? Here are some pros and cons to consider. PROSCallbacks give you a chance to see students again.Depending on how many students audition, it can be difficult to make casting decisions based on one short interaction with them. Also, some kids don’t always give the strongest audition performances, despite their talent. Having callbacks gives you the opportunity to see students perform again, often in a different situation. Callbacks can consist of reading from the script, presenting different audition pieces, a dance or movement exercise, improvisation–whatever works best for your production. Callbacks can confirm or alter your casting decisions.Here’s a scenario: You think that Maya is perfect for a certain role in your show. She’s a senior, has lots of experience, and is a confident performer. But then Katie really surprised you with her audition. She’s only in grade 10 but she really worked hard and you can see a spark there. Calling both students back can give you more focused time with them and help you to make that tough choice. Have students read the same scene and see how their performances stack up. Callbacks can help to check chemistry between students.Lots of shows have character pairings that are integral to the plot of the show, like romantic relationships, family members, or even rivals. Callbacks can give you the chance to try different pairings to see what works well. Try having different pairs read scenes together, and then mix up the pairings and try them again. You’ll have a clearer vision of what pairings work well (or, don’t work at all!). Callbacks can assess the dedication of the students involved.Callbacks are a great way to gauge students’ attitudes and how committed they are to the project. Are they willing to spend another day trying to get the part? Are they happy to have gotten called back, or are they upset that they weren’t given the part outright? Are they organized enough to get themselves to the callback? Have they taken steps to prepare for the callback? CONSCallbacks take more time out of your schedule.If you do decide to hold callbacks, you will need to plan ahead. You will have to arrange another date to hold the callbacks, and ensure you have a venue or location booked. If you need scenes or sides, you’ll have to prepare them in advance. You will also have to decide what course of action you will take if a student you’d like to call back cannot attend the callback session. Will you arrange an alternate time to see them, or will that take them out of the running? Callbacks can be the cause of emotional rollercoasters for your students.There are many emotional responses your students might feel in regards to callbacks: • If they get called back and then don’t get “that” part they had their heart set on. • If they get called back but then don’t get any part. (I have heard of this happening–you will need to be very upfront with your students on whether or not a callback guarantees a role.) • If they don’t get called back at all–does this mean that they are in the show or not? (Some teachers may choose to only call back for some roles but not others–again, be clear with your students on whether a callback means they’re in or not. The most important thing to remember is…The most important thing to remember when dealing with callbacks is to be very clear with your students. What do callbacks mean? When and where will callbacks be? What should students expect to do at the callbacks? Do they need to prepare anything in advance? Are you calling back for all roles or just some? Does getting a callback guarantee a role? If you don’t get a callback, does that mean the student is even in the show? The more information you can provide your students, the easier callbacks will be for everyone involved! Kerry Hishon is a director, actor, writer, and stage combatant from London, Ontario, Canada. View her blog at www.kerryhishon.com.

Theatre is such a collaborative art form. As the saying goes, “many hands make light work.” Theatrical production assistants come in many forms. Pretty much any crew member or artistic staff member can have an assistant. In my own theatrical history, I have held a number of assistant roles including: Assistant Stage Manager, Assistant Fight Director, Production Assistant, Assistant Director, and Director’s Assistant (the last two are very different positions, despite their similar titles!). An assistant’s most basic function is to make the life of the person they’re assisting easier, by helping with various tasks and taking on necessary responsibilities to get the particular job done. Assistants also have the opportunity to grow and expand their skills, by being mentored by and learning from those who have more experience. Today’s assistants might be (and should be!) those people running future shows. Assistant roles are a great way for new and upcoming drama students to get involved in productions and learn in a hands-on environment. With this in mind, what makes the best assistant? Here are the three must-have traits of a great assistant. 1. They’re organized souls.The best assistants know what’s on the schedule and what’s going to be worked on next. They have a list of what needs to be completed and by what deadline. Not only do they have everything important neatly noted (bonus points for colour-coordination!), but they’re always the first to show up and the last to leave. 2. They anticipate their leader’s needs.The best assistants have the answers to questions at their fingertips and they come up with creative solutions to problems. They also observe their leader and know what to do when situations arise. They get to know their director’s routines and habits, then act accordingly. The really awesome ones are proactive about helping things run smoothly. For example: During a production I directed of The Little Mermaid, my amazing Assistant Director, Ben, went ahead and typed up a list of students’ entrance and exit locations and posted it backstage for the actors to refer to—without my asking him to do so. He showed it to me, saying, “I know that when I’m in a show, I find this sort of thing useful, so I thought the actors might as well.” Awesome! 3. They know when to speak up…and when to be silent.There comes a point where the artistic staff members’ brains are so full that they need to just do something (anything else!) to clear their thoughts. The best assistants will help them achieve this—whether it’s by giving suggestions or alternatives, or staying quiet and letting the staff member talk through the issue. Remember, it’s up to the assistant to anticipate the needs of their individual leader. That could involve anything from getting them a coffee, to doing a line run with the actors, to being a placeholder for the Choreographer. I’ve seen all of these things happen before! Each artistic staff role is different. Each role has different responsibilities and demands. A lighting assistant might be taping down cables, while a Dance Captain is leading a warmup, while the Assistant Stage Manager is calling an absent actor. At the end of the day, an amazing assistant is an extremely valuable person to have around—train and treat them well, and keep them close. Kerry Hishon is a director, actor, writer, and stage combatant from London, Ontario, Canada. Explore her blog at www.kerryhishon.com.

Directing a show for your students can be a daunting task. Teachers are busy people! On top of in-class time, lesson planning, marking, administrative tasks, and all the other jobs that arise, taking on an extracurricular activity–especially one as large as a school production–might seem like a lot. However, this is a great opportunity to make an important leadership position available for one of your students: the student assistant director. Now, some of you might think, “How will it be useful to have a student in such an important role as the assistant director? What will I do with them?” There are lots of things you can do with a student assistant director! Here are six suggestions for tasks and responsibilities that a student assistant director can accomplish. 1. DelegateTake a load off your plate! The student assistant director could be in charge of making a props list, leading warmups, doing line runs with smaller groups of actors, or distributing notes from the previous rehearsal. They could also be in charge of tasks like distributing posters and advertising materials to the cast and crew, assisting with sign-in and sign-out, or taking photographs during rehearsals for publicity purposes (a “behind the scenes” look at the process). 2. Learning through observingPart of the student assistant director’s role can be to watch you interact with the student actors. They can observe how you approach character work, block scenes, and deal with problems that arise. After the rehearsal, take five minutes with the student assistant director to answer any questions they have, discuss what went well at that rehearsal, and plan out what to work on in subsequent rehearsals. 3. Double dutyIf you don’t want to take on two separate students, or you have a really keen and super-organized student who’s up for a big challenge, you could combine the assistant director role with that of the stage manager. They can take blocking notes during rehearsals and call the show during the production run, on top of doing the other assistant director tasks that you assign them. 4. Polishing scenesOnce a scene is blocked, student assistant directors can work with one group of student actors (while you are working with others) on polishing the scene. They should focus on details like making sure lines and cues are correct (and loud enough!), developing interesting physical traits for characters, and ensuring that students’ character intentions are clear (“What does your character want in this scene?”). 5. Directing a scene that you assignGiving your student the opportunity to direct a scene in the show is a wonderful chance for them to learn and practice their directing skills. It also gives you the chance to see the show through someone else’s eyes, which can be really useful! Select a scene in the show that you would like your student assistant director to work on. Sit down with your student and discuss your vision for the show and their vision for the scene. How does this scene fit into the overall structure of the show? Have the student assistant director plan their blocking in advance and have them talk you through the blocking. From there, assign your student time in rehearsal to lead the actors. Stay as hands-off as possible–perhaps schedule yourself to work on another scene at the same time. Just before the end of the rehearsal, have the actors perform for you what they’ve worked on with the student assistant director, and give them feedback. 6. Liaising with the cast and crewStudent assistant directors can be very useful in bridging the gap between you as the teacher/director and the rest of the students in the cast and crew. Students may feel more comfortable bringing problems or concerns to one of their peers rather than a teacher. Have your student assistant director check in with the cast and crew periodically to see what they can do to help out and make the rehearsal process a positive one! Having a student assistant director can really be a positive asset to your production. Who knows–perhaps they’ll be the one directing the school show someday!

Directing a musical is a daunting feat. We spoke with three teachers about their experience directing musicals at the school level. From their experiences, we’ve got 5 tips to share that will help make your musical a success. Our guest experts: Roxane Caravan (high school), Kim Florio (high school), and Tricia Oliver (middle school). 1. Plan (well) aheadIt all takes time to have the right actors for a certain musical, explore the script and score, get the rights secured, and build a cast. So, you’ve got to plan well ahead. Kim works with high schoolers, and plans a few years out for her musicals. She says: “I look at my students and sometimes project 2-3 years out. What will they look like when they’re a senior and can I pick this show?” Because you need to have some of your key players before you choose said musical. I always say, “You can’t do Peter Pan unless you know you have Peter.” Roxane agrees: “I base a show on the talent that I know that I have and that I’m generally able to cast the show within reason. I think that that’s really important, as a director.” 2. Build a team and determine the scale of your production early onBefore any work starts with the cast, organize the background players, assign roles, and set the plan and schedule. Kim says: “You need to start thinking, “Okay, what scale am I going to do? Is it going to be large? How many people do I need to pull in? we reach out to our parents and say, “Hey, can you help build? Can you help find these costumes?” And so, that is a process. If you don’t have that in place before you meet all of your eager young high school students, then you’re kind of drowning. You need to go ahead and get that prepared so all of those facets are working while you’re teaching the students the material.” 3. Develop student leadershipA critical part of taking some of the load off the teacher is to develop student leaders. Have students with previous musical experience show the ropes to the newbies. Tricia directs middle schoolers, and says: “I love having that leadership – having somebody else to help hold the hand of the people who are brand new or coming through.” 4. Believe in your studentsEven if you have a group of enthusiastic singers at rehearsal, they may need to morph into dancers and actors and stretch beyond their comfort zone. As a teacher, you need to prepare your students enough so that they are never in a situation that they can’t handle. Letting them know that you believe in them goes a long way. Roxane tells us: “My students say, ‘If [the teacher] believes in us, then I’m going to believe in me.’ What an amazing thing!” 5. Don’t be afraid to choose a musicalTricia says: “I find that musicals energize a program in a way [that] straight plays don’t. The kids love to sing and dance and use those tools to tell the story. And having a chorus (that usually comes with a musical) gives new students an opportunity to be introduced to the stage!” Roxane says: “ Start small. Or do your own thing. If you’re not ready to hit it on your own with a big show, then do something creative on your own.” Listen to the entire podcast here!

When directing a show, it can be very useful to “pre-block” a scene ahead of time. “Pre-blocking” means to plan all basic character movements in advance of the rehearsal. This can save a lot of time during rehearsals, as directors will be organized and ready to go with their staging already in mind. This, in turn, will give the director more time to work with actors on developing their character and fine-tuning the overall look of the show. For this exercise, students will take on the role of director and pre-block a scene. First, students will choose a scene from a play. The scene should have three or more characters. Students will need to make a basic ground plan of the stage they’d like to use. A ground plan is a drawing of the stage from a bird’s eye view (looking straight down on the stage from above). It helps the set designer to develop the scenic design, and helps the director to establish the flow of the action. Students will choose from one of the following stages: • Proscenium stage (stage facing the audience straight on) • Traverse stage(stage is surrounded on two sides by the audience) • Thrust stage (stage is surrounded on three sides by the audience) • Theatre in the round or arena stage (stage is surrounded by audience on all sides) Once students have decided what stage they will use, they must decide where the entrances and exits will be and note these on the drawing. Students will need multiple copies of their ground plan, one for each page of text for their scene. Now, it’s time to plan the action! On the actual script pages, use shorthand to indicate entrances, exits, and movement (both crossing the stage as well as movements like standing, sitting, dancing, carrying on a prop, etc.) at the precise line moment they are to happen. It’s much faster and tidier to write “XDR” (cross downstage right), instead of writing out the full sentence. Simple stage direction shorthand looks like this: • DS = downstage • US = upstage • DR = downstage right • DL = downstage left • UR = upstage right • UL = upstage left • C or CS = centre stage • X = cross/move • + = with another character (include initial of character) Once the student has planned all the movements on the script pages, they will use the ground plan to make a visual map of the characters’ movements. When a character enters or exits, write on the stage drawing which entrance they use, and use arrows to indicate movement and/or the direction they’re facing. Identify characters with dots, X’s, or stick figures, and a short form of their name (for example: Rom., Jul., Tyb., Merc., etc.) or initials. It may also help to colour-code each character and their movements using coloured pencils. This will help to visualize where the performers will appear onstage. For an extra challenge, have each student trade their pre-blocked scenes and ground plans with a classmate, and try getting the scenes up on their feet using the notes and movements created by the student! Kerry Hishon is a director, actor, writer, and stage combatant from London, Ontario, Canada. View her blog at www.kerryhishon.com.

For many drama teachers, a dwindling production budget is an ongoing struggle. How do you put up a full production with limited funds? Beth Goodwin portrays the double whammy she works in a small school with a small budget. And how she still ends up with consistently stunning visuals. Here are 3 tips from her successful productions. Tip #1: Don’t rely on a set.Even something as simple as changing your curtain colour and then using it as a backdrop can make a big difference, as seen in Beth’s production of Alice. Beth says: “With Alice, I was tired of the black curtains on the stage in our gym. I went through a prom book and found red polyvinyl for $50.00, hooked it up over the black curtains, and then we had red curtains. It was awesome. We do a lot of reduce, reuse, and recycle.” Tip #2: You can costume on a budget.Beth has a few tricks up her sleeve (pun intended!) that involve planning ahead and being on the lookout for deals: • Shop a fabric store like Jo-Ann’s and look for Red Tag Sale clearance fabric • Yard sale in the summertime and stockpile for the coming year • Look on eBay for fabric lots (with free shipping!) Here’s an example of how Beth used festival t-shirts and transformed them into costumes for a production of The Absolutely Insidious and Utterly Terrifying Truth About Cat Hair: “We buy t-shirts for the festival competition that we participate in, so I got long-sleeved ones and the students turned them inside out. We made hoods to coordinate with the t-shirt colours, added makeup, and they all had black pants, leggings, and shoes. So, they were 24 cat hairs for the price of a t-shirt and some makeup.” Tip #3: Don’t rely on the bells and whistles.Often the best productions are those that don’t rely on the extras, the fancy sets, or lighting. It’s all about the actors and their characters. Beth says, “Without the bells and whistles, the actors have to be strong. The characters have to be strong. I drill it into their head, you know? If you don’t believe in what you’re doing, the audience isn’t going to believe it.” This is a practice (not dress) rehearsal of Oddball by Lindsay Price. You can see it required a lot of concentration on the beginning dance entrance. Want to hear more about Beth’s success staging productions on a budget? Click here to listen to the podcast.

All right! You’ve decided on the show your school is going to produce this year. You’ve obtained the performance rights and paid for the royalties. You’ve got the show dates in place, and you’ve booked the venue. Now, the next step is to assemble a cast–which means auditions! The following five steps will help you to get organized for the upcoming auditions. The more you have planned out in advance, the smoother your audition day will run. You can also check out Theatrefolk’s Ultimate Guide to Holding Effective Auditions. Step 1: PUBLICIZE How will you spread the word about your auditions? You’ll need to get flyers or posters for sure. If your school has a newsletter, website, or social media, you should also use those avenues. In the audition notice, include the dates and times available to audition (as well as callback dates, if you wish to have them), whether students can drop in or if they need to book an appointment, and what students will need to prepare for their audition (a prepared monologue, song, cold read, or something else). Step 2: PLACE Where will auditions be located? Do you have to book a room in advance? Be sure that whatever location you choose is clean and bright and has adequate space for both the actual auditions and a waiting area for the other audtioners. If possible, try to cover any windows or keep the door shut for the privacy of the student currently auditioning and for the nerves of the other students waiting to audition. Step 3: PEOPLE Who will watch the auditions? Is it just the director (or, if it’s a musical, is it just the musical director and choreographer)? Or will it also include producer, stage manager, and/or someone else? I highly recommend having an assistant to help outside the audition room, acting as a “waiting room” attendant. This person helps people sign in, collects information sheets, takes photos of the students (if you haven’t worked with them before), answers questions, and keeps order outside the audition room. This way you are free to focus on the auditions. This person can also secretly keep an eye on students and report back to you about their behavior before and after the auditions. Was a certain student disturbing others while they were waiting? Were they quiet and shy? Were they polite to the other students? These observations can be extremely useful in the casting process–you want talented actors of course, but you also want to work with students who are nice (not divas)! Step 4: PAPERWORK Auditions often require a lot of paperwork, such as: • Sign-up sheets for before the audition • Sign-in sheets, so you can see who actually showed up for the audition • Signs indicating where auditions are being held • Information sheets (a free template is available to download below) • Blank paper to take notes • A calendar with rehearsal and show dates • Extra copies of the script (and score, if applicable) • If you are doing cold reads, copies of the scenes that students will read from Be sure to have all these prepared ahead of time! Step 5: “PROPS” It’s best to set up your audition space ahead of time so you’re ready to go on the day of auditions. Here is a list of items you’ll need to make your life easier on Audition Day: • A table and chairs for the artistic team (you might want a second table and chairs outside of the audition room if you have a “waiting room” attendant) • Paper and pens/pencils for taking notes • A camera to take photos of the students to attach to their information sheets • A clock, to keep you from running over time • If you are directing a musical, you’ll need a CD player or an iPod dock for playing accompaniment tracks and/or a piano or keyboard for your accompanist With a little bit of planning ahead, your auditions will run smoothly–one less thing to have to worry about. Good luck for your upcoming auditions! And don’t forget to check out Theatrefolk’s Ultimate Guide to Holding Effective Auditions!

We recorded a podcast featuring 9 teachers from all over the country, in both middle school and high school programs, to find out what makes them able to do it all when directing a play. Here are 10 of their best tips: 1. Build a program that allows students to develop responsibility and grow their skills.“I give a lot of the responsibility to the students. When we get ready to move our show onto the stage from the shop, kids each have a specific task to do. And they’ve kind of come up in the ranks so they’ve earned that responsibility and they’re very competent, very hard-working, and very talented. I do leave the majority of it up to them. That helps me a lot because it frees me up to be more of a director than someone who’s in the trenches backstage.” 2. Have patience.“Just have patience that, in the end, the result is most of the time going to be excellent: the kids are going to be excited, the parents are going to be happy, and the school system and the community are going to benefit. You know, the show doesn’t have to be perfect. We’re going to miss sound cues. Sometimes, the light board is not going to come on. Whatever the situation, you’ve just got to be a little patient and a little bit flexible and just proud that the kids get the opportunity even if every show is not to perfection.” 3. Plan carefully and well in advance.“I always make sure that I’ve got my season picked out at least by June of the previous year. That allows me to spend a good deal of the summer planning. It also allows me to give roles to students and that’s been a huge asset– training kids. “Hey, Noah, we’re doing these shows next year and I need you to be the sound designer so I need you to start researching.” Being able to give different roles to students, give them the time to work on it, and then as well as for me to come up with, “Okay, we’re going to build this so we need that, that, and that.” I try to set up our rehearsal schedule as early in advance as possible.” 4. Pick one thing and do it well.“Choose one thing to learn each year and really concentrate on it in your production. I tried to do everything and it just was very overwhelming. I was way too scattered on my first production, to have everything at the level that I wanted it to be at. I know that in maybe five years I will have it at a level that is a little bit more professional, but I’m just going to have to really concentrate on studying one area each year and work on that. Then, that’ll carry through to the next year and I will pick another area.” 5. Set high expectations for your students.“I ask them (my students) to be little bit more mature and, you know, if I run into something, I have to say to them, “Guys, if you can’t help me do this, we can’t do this.” So, I just really put it out there for them and they really step it up , so I’m pretty lucky.” 6. Don’t give up.“Eventually, it gets better. You find things that work. A lot of times you fail and a lot of times you make mistakes. But that’s how we learn and that’s how we grow as educators and directors. Don’t give up because there are times that it’s hard and there are times that you just feel like you want to throw in the towel and you think to yourself, “What is this for?” But then, on those opening nights, when those kids are standing onstage taking their bows and the audience is standing and giving them a standing ovation–that’s what it’s for. It’s for them.” 7. Use recycled materials.“One year, I used all recycled materials for every piece of scenery. We had to have a great big wall that got knocked down in the middle of a particular play. We just asked people to bring in their garbage boxes and we used craft paper that had been used to cover the tables in the art room and we covered them all with that and then we wrote graffiti on them. And so, the whole set was this big recycled project.” 8. Involve the parent community with specific tasks.“I have found that the parents of my students and cast members are not unwilling to become involved. It’s that they literally don’t know what to do. I think that the first and foremost step should be communicating with them the exact jobs that are needed. Be as specific as you can: “We need somebody who is skilled with carpentry to volunteer some time–any time you have–to help us build some acting blocks or to build some canvas flats for us.” Listing off as specifically as possible what is needed is an important element. I think what winds up happening is you start to develop a culture that’s sort of (for lack of a better term) an underground culture of knowledge of what’s needed.” 9. Use a contract.“It’s in the student contract that the parents actually have to contribute to the production and that helps take some of that stress of actually getting it all done off of me. We try to offer enough different kinds of jobs, like bringing water backstage for the kids. That’s not something that requires a whole lot of time, but it’s time that somebody has to take, and it helps out the production.” 10. Count on your students.“When people are feeling the struggle, I think that the answer is always right in front of you–to use your students and to give them responsibility. What a wonderful teaching moment!”

Choosing a show for your school to produce can be challenging. But once you have selected the show, the hard part is done, right? Well, it’s one thing crossed off your list, but your list is about to get much longer–there is a whole host of other concepts to consider. Here’s a jumping off point for approaching your script, inspired by the ever-useful “5 W’s” – who , what , where , when and why. Please note: First and foremost, always ensure that you have obtained the performance rights and paid the appropriate royalties before you start the production process! What is your vision for the show?The overall look and feel of a show is called the director’s vision or concept. How do you want your show to look, feel, sound, smell? Can you summarize your vision in one sentence? This vision will help you convey your ideas to your cast and crew, as well as your audience. All your artistic choices must advance your vision. Your vision should include both your design concept and your approach to the material. Let’s say you are producing William Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet. R&J has been done thousands upon thousands of times. To keep things fresh, you will need a specific vision and approach for your production. Will your R&J be edgy and neo-gothic, sprawling and bohemian, traditional Italian, modern and trendy? What style of theatre will you employ? Commedia, puppetry, poor theatre, physical theatre, theatre on skateboards? As an aside, remember that some shows (like those written by William Shakespeare) are in the public domain, but rights-based shows sometimes have playwright’s requirements in the script that could limit your vision. Do not make any changes to a script without the playwright’s permission–to do otherwise is a copyright violation!) Where is the show happening?Consider the “where” both logistically and in terms of your overall vision. Most likely your show will be performed in your school’s auditorium, but perhaps another venue might be available? Think beyond the set as well–consider lighting, sound, special effects, pre-show and post-show atmosphere and decoration. Perhaps you can decorate the hallway leading into the auditorium to get the audience in the mood right away, or create a photobooth where audience members can hang out before the show and during intermission. (Bonus points if they take photos and post them to social media–free publicity!) When will the show happen?The length of the show and difficulty of the material will help you to determine how much rehearsal time you need to adequately mount the production. Will you rehearse twice a week for twelve weeks, or four times a week for six weeks? Will you need more rehearsals closer to showtime? Be sure to have all of this information in place before running auditions, as you will want to make the time commitment clear to your students. It will also help you to plan what scenes will be rehearsed during which rehearsals. Be sure to allow time for choreography and vocal rehearsals if you’re staging a musical. Also, allow for some “TBA” (to be announced) rehearsals in case you get ahead of or behind schedule. Who do you need for this show?Theatre is a team effort, and you need to know how many people will be required to make the show happen. This goes beyond how many actors you’ll need for the show. What crew roles are necessary, and how many students will be needed to ensure everything gets done? You’ll need team members in many different capacities–stage management, props, costumes, set, tech, box office, front of house, publicity, and so on. Will you take on a student assistant director? Can you assign senior students to head up different crew departments? (Delegating to others is absolutely necessary for your own sanity!) Will you require parent volunteers? If so, for what positions? Will any other staff members be part of the production, and in what capacity? Why this show?Why are you passionate about this script? What are you hoping your students will get out of working on this particular show? Does it tie into your class curriculum or any special events going on? (It doesn’t have to, but it’s something to consider) What are you hoping to get out of working on this particular show? Knowing the “whys” of your production will help you to get crystal-clear about your vision and the meaning behind producing this particular piece at this particular time with these particular students.

Directors need to have a vision for the play. That means ALL directors: professional, community, high school, and middle school. Why is it important to have a vision? • A vision gives the play a drive, a look, a tone. • A vision creates a unifying factor—something that can be communicated not just through the text but through staging, lights, sets, sound, and costume. • A vision helps students focus on the bigger picture. It’s more than learning lines and blocking. • A vision gives a director purpose; it’s the creative element the director brings to the table. Visions do not have to be complicated and esoteric. The simpler the vision, the easier it will be to convey to the cast, crew, and designers. There’s nothing wrong with a vision of fun and frivolity. Just make it clear and then be consistent with what you’re trying to achieve. For Example: I directed the original production of my Alice in Wonderland adaptation Alice. The line of dialogue that really jumped out at me after reading the book was from the tea party: ‘We’re all mad here so you must be, too.’ I thought it was interesting that Alice’s response was that she didn’t want to be mad, like she didn’t want a cold. What was my vision? My vision was to focus on the madness of Wonderland and see if the other characters could make Alice crazy as well. I created a huge physical division between the Wonderland characters and Alice. Alice was the only character with flesh showing–all the others were as inhuman as possible. I had a trio of girls play the Cheshire Cat instead of one to emphasize the fact that the cat wasn’t “real.” The Wonderland characters mistreated Alice at every opportunity; shoving her, towering over her, pinching her. They hissed at her from the darkness. She was not of their ‘world’ and the only way she could be is if she changed, becoming more like them. This is how I took my vision of “mad world” and translated it to the staging, to communicating acting choices, and to informing the costuming. How Do I Find A Vision? • Highlight the one word, image, or action that speaks to you in the script. • Find music that represents the story and the main character. • Give each character a colour. • Find magazine pictures, pictures of art, sculptures—anything that can help you and everyone you talk to about the play to SEE the play. • Create a scrapbook. The more visual the vision can be, the better. Exercise #1 Go see a play and try to decipher the director’s vision. Write it out in one sentence. What is the director trying to say with his or her interpretation of the play? You might find that this is a difficult task and, if you do, think about why that is. If you can’t see a vision, maybe it’s because the director’s hasn’t created one. Exercise #2 Take the script you’re working on. Describe the play using the five senses. What is the taste, touch, sight, sound, and smell of the play? How does describing the play in this way define the play for you? This is an excellent exercise for student directors who might have no idea that directors need a ‘vision.’ Exercise #3 Play ‘What If?’ with the text. That’s how many of the most interesting visions are born—a director simply said “what if” and then went for it! What if Romeo and Juliet took place today instead of in the 11th century? What if Sweeney Todd was set in a mental institution where the patients played their own instruments? What if the alienation of the main character was shown in the costumes, with everyone else in black? Example: What if Hamlet was played as a metaphorical contrast between LA and New York? Claudius and Gertrude are ‘LA’ people; they’re tan and wear bright colours. Polonius wears Hawaiian shirts and a bad toupee. Gertrude looks like she’s had a facelift. Claudius is Hamlet Sr.’s much younger brother so he’s closer to age and looks to Hamlet Jr. Hamlet, on the other hand, is New York flung into a human being – he scowls, wears a lot of black (combat boots and a satchel), and smokes. Ophelia also dresses like this because she loves Hamlet. But hers is a more subtle, or really, a less successful look. She’s such an awkward girl. Maybe she hides the black under a bright sweater, so Polonius doesn’t find out. Maybe she has a secret tattoo. Both she and Hamlet have incredibly white skin in comparison to everyone else around them. The new Denmark is kind of like a party—a luau where the Beach Boys are always playing and the light streams across the stage like bright sunshine. It’s a big change after much darkness. But is it really a party? Or has evil just papered over the darkness with fake cheer and brightness? Colours: Bright vs Dark Texture: Sun and Sand vs City steel Sound: The Beach Boys vs hard guitar and drums Sight: Bright colours, beach, but it looks like it’s trying too hard. There’s a fakeness to it. Also, Hamlet looking incredibly out of place on a beach. Smell: It smells like the ocean, but a fake air freshener version of the ocean. There’s also the occasional “rotten” whiff. Taste: Tropical Fruit and ice cream. But everything looks better than it tastes. The play has a clear visual conflict. There’s a clear colour palate for costumes, lights, and set. There’s a defined sound to the play. There’s a set direction. There’s a very simple visualization of light and dark (which plays in opposite to who are the light and dark characters in the play). This is how a vision can work for you. O** ne thing to always keep in mind…** Remember that while the director’s vision is your own interpretation of the script, you have to stay true to the playwright’s intention. You can’t come up with a vision and then change the play to suit the vision.

Do you include student directing in your program or are you thinking about introducing it this year? Tfolk playwright Clint Snyder reveals some tips for student directors. Directing can be extremely difficult and exhausting in a school setting. If you are a student director, directing your first production, the task can seem almost impossible. Luckily, here are a few quick tips to making your first production a successful one. 1. Have Faith in Your Cast & CrewIt can be tough, particularly in a classroom setting, to make choices on who is best qualified for a role or position. If you are a student director, it can be even tougher. The last thing you want people to think is that you are making selections based off who you are friends with. The best thing to do is always to cast who would be most qualified for the position and to let everyone know that their input and work is valued. If they did not get the role they wanted offer them a crew position based on their talents. After all, theater is one of the few collaborative art forms. 2. Develop a Sense of CommunityYour cast and crew should feel like a family by the end of the production. Sure families fight and bicker, but at the end of the day they come together for a common goal. You should make it your job to create situations where they can bond together outside of rehearsal. Try visiting a local community or professional production as a group. This will give the students a chance to bond and also allow them to brainstorm for ideas that they could apply to their own production. 3. Plan in AdvanceWhen you can avoid it, never put yourself in a situation where you have to scramble at the last minute. Sure, there will always be last minute adjustments, but major setbacks can be avoided by taking on the big projects at full force before going into rehearsal. If there are rehearsal space restrictions because of the classroom setting, talk them over with your crew far in advance so you can brainstorm ideas together. 4. Devour the Script BeforehandBy the time rehearsals start you should have a familiar sense of what each character’s motivation is, where each scene is set, and the general atmosphere of the play. You should still be open to the artistic process and allowing your crew and cast to bring their own unique creative perspective to the production. However, it is essential that the director is aware of what their perspective on the production is. For example, my script Lord of the Pies is set in a pie shop during the supposed apocalypse. Ask your cast and crew what would be unique about the set based on the circumstances of the play? 5. Find a Unique TwistPushing yourself beyond the script to bring some unique directorial aspect to the production can be one of the most rewarding parts of the process. As long as it is done in the spirit of the production, you can find ways to elevate the material. For example, a director might collaborate with the makeup artist and set designer to make all of the actors in a dated piece to appear in black and white. 6. Stay PositiveThere is bound to be some negativity that arises in the production process, but the cast and crew rely on you to set the tone for the play. If you are in a bad mood every rehearsal, chances are the cast and crew will be too. 7. Don’t Forget to AdvertiseNever forget that you rely on an audience to feed the energy of the production. If a crowd is dull or small, the actors will feel it onstage. Don’t forget to take lots of pictures and utilize social media to get excited about the production that you’ve been working so hard on. Consider having other classes visit and watch the performance. You want the students to be proud of their hard work and showcase it to the rest of the school. The added excitement of having other students watching can be enough to elevate your production to the next level. Clint Snyder is a playwright and actor who hails from Portland, Maine. He has a fond love of absurd comedy and currently has two plays published through Theatrefolk, To Kill a Mocking Birdie and Lord of the Pies.

The “show circle” is one of my go-to theatre techniques, no matter whether I’m teaching a drama class or directing a production. Whenever it’s time for class or rehearsal to start, the first words out of my mouth are, “OK everybody, circle up!” I also use this technique to end class or rehearsal. What is a show circle?It’s as simple as it sounds – everyone in the room comes together in a circle. Sounds simple, right? Depending on the situation, all students can either sit or stand in the show circle, but the key word here is EVERYONE. The show circle brings the full group of students and teacher together as equals in the classroom, with a common goal (a great drama class!) and ready to learn together. Think of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. The show circle encourages a sense of teamwork and camaraderie among the group, and every member of the class is necessary to make the circle truly whole. The show circle is a fantastic way to create community in the drama classroom. First, it creates a sense of familiarity. Students know that once the show circle is called, it’s time to begin. By creating this ritual every day with students, they know it’s time to transition into “drama class brain” and start ancticipating the lesson at hand. Second, it’s a multi-purpose technique. You can use show circles at the beginning of class to: • Check in with students and see how they’re feeling • Explain the lesson for the day • Begin many different warmup or improv games (for brainstorming ideas) • Create a makeshift “theatre in the round” playing space. Show circles can also be used at the end of class to: • Check back in with students and reflect on that day’s lesson • To assign homework • To impart any final words of wisdom to the class. Show circles are especially useful if your students are doing a performance (whether that be in class or as an extracurricular production). Before the performance, gather the full group together. This can be done onstage or backstage. Assemble everyone in a circle. Start with various vocal warmups, like tongue twisters, scales, humming, and sighing. Once students are warmed up vocally, have everyone hold hands, link arms, or stand together shoulder to shoulder so they can be physically linked to each other. Lead the group in a breathing exercise where everyone breathes in together, then out together. Repeat as much as you’d like. Once everyone is breathing together in sync, pump your students up with words of encouragement. Remind them that while they are performing together, they are a team, and they need to think like a team so they can succeed as a team. Your class might have a cheer or chant that they use to get themselves energized for the performance – this is definitely the place to use it! The most important thing to remember and respect about the show circle is that it’s a place of positivity. Show circles are not the place to critique or give notes – leave that for a different time in the class, or give notes individually or in a rubric. The show circle is a place for raising energy, getting focused, sharing thoughts and feelings, and coming together. Drama classes are very collaborative in nature, so creating a safe space like the show circle (where students can come together as a team) is invaluable.

Many productions are based on a pyramid structure : Stars at the top, supporting cast in the middle, chorus at the bottom. Even though there are more actors involved at the bottom of the pyramid, it’s those at the top who usually get to shine. This structure has been in place for years and is inherent in every genre of play from Shakespeare to Broadway musicals. Stars shine, the chorus gets stuck at the bottom. And because high schools often produce Shakespeare to Broadway musicals, the pyramid structure finds it’s way into student productions. There’s nothing worse than being at the bottom of the pyramid and feeling like you’re not a worthy part of a show. If you’re intent on the performance aspect of shows, you probably accept the pyramid structure because that’s the way theatre works. You can’t produce The Wizard of Oz without Dorothy. But if you’re intent on the drama in education aspect of theatre in your program, and if you ever want students to work together on something of their own, the pyramid structure has to be dismantled. Everyone in a show has to participate in and actively buy into the notion of ensemble. To be a part of ensemble is not to be part of a chorus – the acting ensemble is the entire cast. To be part of an ensemble is to create a feeling where everyone belongs. The ensemble is a space where everyone is on the same page. It’s an atmosphere where everyone on stage works toward the same goal. How do you create ensemble?There are three qualities you want to instill in your cast when creating an ensemble. • To Look and Listen: The ensemble actor always has their eyes and ears open while on stage. They are engaged at all times. • To Support: Since they are looking and listening, the ensemble actor is ready when the unexpected happens to their fellow actor. They don’t just stare into space waiting for their next cue. • To be a Community: Ensemble actors work together, they build a community out of their production. There is no star system. To create an ensemble, you want your students engaged, supporting each other, and thinking that everyone is equal in the process. These qualities are within every student but they don’t happen naturally. You have to lead by example and incorporate ensemble building exercises into your class or rehearsal process as soon as possible. Manhole CoverUse this exercise at the beginning of every rehearsal. How well do they work together by the time your show is ready to open? • Students stand in a circle. Their first job is to make a perfect circle. • At their feet is a manhole cover, which is the area and dimension of the entire circle. A very big manhole cover. • The task is to pick up the manhole cover as a group and lift it to shoulder height and then bring it back down to the floor. • All the principles of mime apply – the weight, shape and size of the cover must be taken into consideration. Everyone must work together to keep the shape consistent. • Next do the exercise with something that has the same shape but an entirely different weight and consistency. Cotton candy circle? Jello circle? • As students continue to perfect the exercise, have them do it without any verbal cues. Can they work together to lift the manhole cover without talking?

Episode 111: Directing the Large Cast Middle School Play It’s one thing to want to put every middle schooler who auditions on stage. It’s another thing to pull off a successful production. How do you actually direct a large cast middle school play without feeling like a traffic cop?

Episode 108: Directing the Middle School Musical Brian Borowka teaches a grade 8 musical theatre class which culminates in a production. He passes on his tips for directing a middle school musical, the challenges for casting an entire class and, his favourite/least favourite experience.

Enjoy this replay of our January 2014 LIVE Drama Teacher Hangout. The topic was “Directing First Time Actors” with Forrest Musselman, a theatre teacher who shared some very valuable tips for working with beginning actors. Thanks to everyone who participated. We had a great time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1JeyKhGckM TranscriptLindsay: Hello everybody! Welcome to our Google Hangout! We’re sorry that we have started a couple of minutes later. As you will see, it’s just, it’s a me-show right now. It’s me! We’re supposed to have another teacher on for interview, Forrest Musselman, who is also one of our newest playwrights. He has written a play called A Deep Poetic Journey into Something. But this is live, and this is technology, and I have to tell you, we had an absolutely awesome dress rehearsal last night. So, as is the way with theatre, awesome dress rehearsal, opening maybe not so much. But we have a lot of questions. We sort of put it out there that this Google Hangout was going to be about some production issues that you guys face with your students and we were thinking specifically this is a great place to start those first-time actors, right? You are dealing with some students who have not been on stage before and they don’t quite know how to handle it. I’m sure you have all been in that situation where you have two beginning actors and they’re in a scene and they do the entire scene like this, facing each other, and it’s like, “Okay, that’s great… for you and you,” but that’s not theatre and there’s a whole sort of lingo and language that students have to learn and there is a whole… It’s just a whole scenario. So, you guys have really asked some very interesting questions about how do we help first-time actors on stage. And this really great one that I see in our Q&A – we have a Q&A actually here in the Hangout! There is a Q&A button which I think is over on the, well, it’s on my left-hand side. So, you decipher which one it is and I can’t say that I’m all that good at deciphering between my left and my right. But it’s there and I can see some of you have already chimed in with questions which is really awesome, and Annie, I see your question – “How do you avoid giving the standard note to inexperienced actors?” How can you be more [insert emotion here], right? It’s a result orientated note that I often feel compelled to give due to a lack of understanding of standard vocabulary. This is something that you see all the time. I see it when I was directing high school students and boy, do I see it all the time in my adjudicating. You know, when I am watching, there’s a lot of beginning actors I see giving monologues and dialogues, and also, when I adjudicate main stage or full productions or one-acts, that’s a note that comes up time and time again, you know? We need more. And, for me, what I want to convey to an actor is, well, “What does you character want? What’s going on with your character? What do they want in this moment and what are they doing to get it?” So, we take emotion completely out of it and I think that is the best thing to do. You don’t really want to say to a young actor, “Be sad. Be mad. Be joyful or angry,” because then what happens is you get the stereotypical “Argh! I’m so mad!” or “Uh-huh-huh,” and there’s lots of sobbing and it is the presentation of emotion rather than a character having a true experience. So, we need to take emotion completely out of it. So, that would be my very first thing to say is, “So, how do we approach the moment without the emotion?” and it always, always, always comes back to character want. “What do you want? What do you want in this moment and how desperate are you to get it? Are you so desperate that you are reaching that level of frustration? Is it something that you want that’s going to make you just so incredibly happy?” See? We’re getting to the emotion. The emotion becomes a bi-product of the want. And then, “What do you want? What are you going to do?” So, we have an action in there and that’s always good, too. If we can avoid emotion and if we can get an actor to think of action – because then that covers your blocking, too – and then, “What’s in your way?” “What do you want? What are you going to do? What’s in your way?” This nice little package just really covers, oh, it just covers character development in playwriting, it covers character development in script analysis, and it’s really a tool, it is really the number one tool that you can give to an actor to get them somewhere that we don’t need to rely on them overacting an emotion, right? That’s something that we don’t want. So, we have to go with, “What do you want? What are you going to do? What’s in your way?” and then, “How are you going to deal with what’s in your way?” And this is something too that, if they’re having trouble figuring that out for their character, go a step back and give your students scenarios as warm-ups in which they are involved. So, it could be a scenario between two best friends, it could be a scenario in which a student is trying to get a good grade, you know? So, you’re taking it right down to the situation that they find relatable – situations that they find relatable in their very life. So, if you can get them into situations in their very life then you can move them into acting a character that’s not them, then you can get them acting maybe into dealing with this notion of emotion. Craig: I have one too, Lindsay. Lindsay: Hey, Craig! I didn’t even introduce Craig. Craig is trying to find Forrest. Craig is waiting through the forest to find Forrest. But, please, tell me what you’ve got. Craig: Well, we’ve been in email contact and Forrest is trying to get on but we’re having trouble navigating the intricacies of the Google Hangout here which is funny because last night worked just fine but, of course, here we are. Lindsay: That’s what I said. Craig: Yes, I heard you. Lindsay: Good dress rehearsal. Craig: But you want to stretch it for time so I’m going to repeat what you said. Sometimes, though, I will say, sometimes this happens even in the professional world. There’s a miscommunication between the director and the actor and sometimes the director thinks they’re being very clear, and maybe they are, but maybe the director’s been giving so much feedback and the actor is clearly not getting what the director is trying to say and, you know, when someone keeps trying to tell you how to do something, it just gets harder and harder for you to process because clearly you’re not following what they’re trying to tell you and I know there’s this big bug a bear about giving line readings – a line reading is just where the director says, “Say it like this,” and that’s true, you don’t want the director going through the entire script telling you exactly how to say the line. But I’ve been in professional situations where even that – giving a line reading – sometimes the best way to communicate the emotions that you’re trying to get across is maybe what frustrated means to you is not the same way that the actor processes the word “frustrated.” So, sometimes, if you say, “I want you to say a line like this,” then maybe they can take that and then internalize it and say, “Oh! He means this!” which is something maybe different than the word you’re using, but you’re going to get that emotion across. So, line readings aren’t always a bad thing. Lindsay, how do you feel about line readings? Lindsay: You know what? I think you’ve got to use what’s in your arsenal. And there was another question on here – I think this one was on Facebook. It goes, “How do you read your actors?” and I think this is why a director’s job is so terribly difficult is that they have to determine individual acting styles and how individual actors respond to notes. And what you’ll find is that you have to come up with a different way of communicating with, maybe, you know, ten or fifteen different actors. And I think that you will find that you will be able to say, “Hey, can you bring me more,” and not even finish and you will get, your actor will go, “Hey! I can do this!” and then sometimes you’re going to have to give a line reading and I think that you can’t throw out something because it’s not done, right? Use every trick in your arsenal. All right. I see thumbs up! Craig: Yes, I had to come in with some breaking news here. It seems we’ve had someone join us, Forrest Musselman. Forrest, just put your thumbs up if you’re ready to talk. Forrest: I am ready! Craig: All right! Lindsay: So, Forrest, we had a brief conversation last night because you are in Minnesota. Forrest: Yes. Lindsay: And a brief conversation about the weather. How are you doing over there? Forrest: Well, it’s pretty balmy today. It’s actually twenty degrees this morning so we’re able to go outside and do some things. But it’s supposed to get really bad later, Sunday going into Monday. There’s an artic vortex moving in, they said on the news last night. Lindsay: Oh, my gosh. Forrest: So, we’ll be about twenty-five below on Monday. Lindsay: Well, ear warmers and everywhere. Okay. So, right now we just started talking about specifically dealing with the issues that often first-time actors have on stage, right? They get on stage and they don’t have the language and they don’t have the experience and they don’t have the lingo. So, they don’t often give the performance that they could. And you are in the middle of directing a show right now. Do you have any first-timers in your show? Forrest: Yes, I do. I have three or four that are new this year. Lindsay: And how are you dealing with that? Forrest: Well, for starters, I gave them very small parts. So, it’s a great experience for them to watch the older kids work and how they do things and that’s more of an observing sort of thing for me because they can sort of get a hang of what’s going on and then learn from that experience so that they can build experience and know what to expect when they come in for another show. Lindsay: Do you find using your older actors very useful in sort of grooming I don’t think is the right word but just sort of maybe instilling something in your younger actors. Forrest: Yeah, they tend to, I repeat the same things over and over and over again, and after a while, you learn as a teacher some of it becomes sort of like a Charlie Brown cartoon where you’re the teacher and it just kind of goes, “Blah blah blah blah blah blah,” the whole time. And, with kids, if they’re listening to their peers, it’s sort of they repeat the rules to the kids and say, “Hey, you shouldn’t do that,” or, “Watch where you’re standing,” things like that, and I just have to have patience and let the older kids sort of give instructions and then step in whenever I need to. Lindsay: I think that’s a really great tip. Another question that came through on Facebook was, “How do you instil the discipline needed to be successful?” and I think a great tip there is use your older students. You know, have them be the disciplinarians, yeah? Forrest: Yes, definitely because they know the rules and sometimes, especially when they’re seniors or juniors, they don’t have the patience or they think that they know everything at that point. So, let them assume the leadership roles. It’s a good learning experience for them, too. And sometimes I’ll talk to kids about how to be a leader and, you know, because sometimes they can get a little gruff or say some things to younger students and the younger students will take it the wrong way. And so, I use that as sort of a learning experience too to say, “Hey, maybe you shouldn’t have said this,” or, you know, “Be a little bit nicer,” things like that, and it usually works out pretty well. Lindsay: It’s a good teachable moment, right? Like, it’s for all – for the young ones and the old ones. Yes. Forrest: Exactly, yeah. Lindsay: Okay. So, let’s talk about the real basics. Let’s talk about, first off, memorizing lines. How do you get your students to memorize their lines? Are you good at motivating them? Forrest: Well, I just give them a deadline. So, you know, it’s usually I have a six-week rehearsal period and the first three weeks they’re allowed scripts and then there’s a certain day where they know that they’re off-script. And I don’t know how they do it. They always memorize their lines. They seem to be very good. I was never good at it myself when I acted in high school and college. So, it’s just a repetition thing, I think, for a lot of those, repeating them over and over again. Craig: Are there consequences if your students don’t know their lines by the off-book date or have you just been always been a lucky so-and-so and they’ve just always known them on the right date? Forrest: Well, it just gets frustrating for them. It’s almost an embarrassment for them because, if they’re off-script and they don’t know their lines, then they’re throwing off the rehearsal , and I always know that the first few days are going to be horrible – that nothing’s going to be accomplished because they’re off-script and they’re having a hard time, but it’s sort of a motivational thing that’s the equivalent of being naked on stage sort of like a bad nightmare. So, they want to get those lines memorized quickly so that they can start building on their characters and moving on from that. Lindsay: I think too what was really important was that your cut-off date is three weeks. So, they have three weeks. It’s not like, you know, the week of the show. So, they’ve had all that time as with the script as the crutch. So, I think that’s a really great tip. You know, chuck the script as soon as you can so that they are learning their characters without that script in their hands. Forrest: Yeah, you know, the first three weeks is just sort of about blocking and maybe finding their characters a little bit. But I’ve always found that they do not find their characters until the scripts are out of the hands and if they start internalizing the lines and so then they can start playing around with the lines and then the characters really start to come out after that. And so, that’s important for me. I feel like the three weeks is blocking and then that fourth week when they’re off-script is really nothing is getting accomplished other than they’re solidifying their lines, and then you have the remaining two weeks to really work with the characters and really fleshen things out. Lindsay: Cool. I just saw Jenny and Jenny I think I attributed your question to Annie but it was your question, and you have another question which is specific to learning lines. “Are you ever willing to remove a student from a show who won’t learn their lines?” Forrest: I’ve never had to do that. I’ve had to remove a student for not showing up for rehearsals or not showing up to school, and I’ve had to remove students for bad grades because they were failing some grades, but I’ve never had to remove a student for not knowing their lines, and I’ve been doing it for twenty years. I guess, I don’t know, I’ve been fortunate I guess. I’ve never run into that situation. Lindsay: That’s pretty good. Do you do musicals? Do you do musical scores? Forrest: Not really. I’ve done one musical in all of my directing which was the Wizard of Oz. Lindsay: Was it, like, a horrible experience? Forrest: It was pretty stressful, yeah, because I know nothing about music as far as teaching it and, I mean, I still had someone helping me but musicals are a big undertaking. It’s a lot of work there, definitely, because you have to bring in someone from music and someone that knows choreography and plus you have so many students that are in it in the first place so it’s a big undertaking and I’ve never been privy to doing them. Lindsay: We have another question here about comic timing. This particular teacher is doing Noises Off. “How do you instil comic timing in your students consistently?” What do you think, Forrest? Forrest: Well, in a way, that’s almost like a natural talent. You know, some kinds have it and they’re awesome and you don’t have to do anything with them. With others, you have to almost show them to model it. I do a lot of modelling sometimes. Lindsay: Oh, what does that mean? Talk about that. Forrest: Well, I’ll just come up on stage and I’ll do the line and I’ll show them how I think it should be done and then they’ll mimic it. So, that helps a lot. I’ve also done where they have to pause in a certain way and I always have them say, “Pause, pause, pause,” in their head or, “Beat, beat, beat,” or something that there’s internally thinking something and then that kind of helps with the timing, too. Lindsay: Craig, you’ve done a lot of comic acting in your career. What are some tips you have for teaching comic timing? Craig: Well, like, Forrest is right. I think it’s natural or it’s not. But, for the kids for whom it’s not, they can still learn a lot of basic techniques, one of which, especially with farce. Farce, for the actor, should be way more serious than any other genre of theatre. The wants, it should be above any other want that you ever played in any other play. So, the wants for the actor are just tantamount, even if you’re hungry, even if your character says, “I’m hungry,” they are hungry. They are insatiable. The other thing is, especially with farce but with all comedy in general, it’s just never, never, never, never be funny. Never try and be funny because that’s the worst thing in comedy is when you’re winking at the audience, and it goes again to the wants. It all really does just stick with the basic acting technique. It’s just what your characters want and what are the obstacles in the way, and it so happens with farce that whatever your character wants is huge and the obstacles are always way, way bigger – they’re always life and death, and if they’re not literally life and death then think of them emotionally in terms of life and death. Lindsay: Awesome. Oh, yeah, go ahead. Forrest: I always think of comedy too, especially with farce or anything that’s sort of over the top, is to always exaggerate or over-exaggerate, and I always tell the kids that I’ll pull you back if I think it’s too much and to keep pushing themselves. And I think a lot of it too is about posing and I always use, like, Jim Carrey as an example or any of the other good comedic actors that use posing or, you know, coming up and finding a position or just sort of over-exaggerating everything that they do. They’re a character upon themselves. Craig: Physicality and doing a little bit of workshop stuff with Commedia dell’Arte will go a long way to helping with what your characters resting state is – I forget what I was going to say. Lindsay, say it for me, will ya? Lindsay: Well, what I’m going to say is, I think, specifically the teacher asking the question about Noises Off, yes, do a workshop on Commedia dell’Arte. I think that’s going to be your best tool because there’s lots of exercises online that you can find to introduce those kinds of comedic timing techniques. Okay. Let’s talk about blocking. Forrest, when you are blocking a scene, how much creativity do you allow a student with your movement? What do you do? Forrest: Well, I usually have a basic plan for the scenes, you know, “Walk here and sit there and do that.” Once that’s instilled, I watch it a lot of times to see if the kid is comfortable, and if they have a tendency, if they look like they want to move somewhere or do something then, you know, I’ll encourage that. I’ll say, “Hey, you look like you just wanted to move there. Why don’t you go ahead and do that?” And they’ll ask questions, “Can I do this? Can I do that?” and, if I think it fits what’s going on, I’ll say, “Sure, go for it.” And I’m always changing the blocking, too. Like, there’s sort of an initial blocking then, as we keep exploring the play or moving forward, then we’re always changing things and always kind of experimenting with how we should move and where we should go. If the kids have ideas, that’s great, and sometimes their ideas are much greater than mine and that’s the great collaborative part of theatre. Lindsay: Absolutely. Craig: I agree, and I think it’s helpful to have that environment that you’re talking about, Forrest, where, if the actor feels an impulse to go somewhere, especially early blocking rehearsals, just go there. And, going back to what you said before, I was once told the best note you could ever get from a director is to pull back because you have to push yourself forward. The director can only push you so far. Forrest: Right. Craig: And so, if the director’s telling you to pull back then that means you’ve explored what you’re doing as deeply as you’re going to explore it. Forrest: Exactly. And I think I’ve only had to do that for maybe two or three students in my career so far where I’ve actually said, “Okay, you’ve gone far enough, that’s plenty.” Lindsay: I agree. I find students, they hardly ever are going as far as they could, right? Forrest: Right. Lindsay: And that would be so, I’m always trying to tell students, “You know, it’s always so much easier to pull back than to keep going so just keep going, keep going, and see what you can do.” Forrest: Keep pushing yourself. Lindsay: And it must be so great too, particularly with exploring blocking with, again, that three-week period where they are not on book. Like, I think that’s the best, that’s the longest I’ve ever heard in talking to teachers a process where our students are off-book and I think that’s fantastic. Forrest: Yeah, I guess I didn’t realize that. For me, that’s always been sort of a norm for me and I’ve done that since the first year that I directed so it’s a good process. It’s worked well. Lindsay: Do you find your blocking changes? Do you rehearse on stage or do you rehearse in a rehearsal room or classroom? Forrest: Yeah. Well, we’re fortunate enough that we have an auditorium in our school. We’re one of the few high schools in our county, really, that has an actual theatre, and it’s a small little auditorium – it’s only 200 seats, 200 people – so we’re able to rehearse on stage. It’s kind of a smaller stage compared to other schools but we actually have a stage so that’s good. Lindsay: I’ve been to so many barns, so many auditorium barns where it’s a huge stage and huge audience and the students get lost which leads to my next question which we have had a lot of people sort of chime in about and that’s projection. What do you do to get your kids to project? Forrest: Well, I do, there’s vocal exercises that you can do. One of the things that’s helpful for me is sometimes I’ll have all the kids just lay on the stage floor and put their hands on their stomach and then they do breathing exercises where they can feel the stomach going in and out, and then how it tenses up when you push, when you say, you know, “Hey!” and then they have to feel their stomach tighten up and I encourage that that’s where they need to be pushing from from the diaphragm. And so, that helps a lot also with enunciation – lots of the “lips, teeth, tip of the tongue,” those sort of vocal exercises and what-not. And then, I also do – I call it – the sound check where I’ll stand in the back of the theatre and then they’ll have to say a line and then I’ll say, “Well, that’s not loud enough because I couldn’t hear you,” and so that makes them recognize how loud they actually have to speak. And just during rehearsals too, doesn’t matter what’s going on, I’ll always stop if I can’t hear or understand a word. I’ll say, “What?” and then they’ll have to repeat it and go on. Lindsay: Instil it early, right? Forrest: Yeah. Craig: Well, I think it helps, as an actor, to go stand – and, again, this is something you could do professionally even if you have voice training – you go stand at the very back seat and watch a scene that you’re not in, and it tells you a lot about the space that you’re in and what kind of volume you need to put out there. Forrest: Yeah, and we have, like, one-act play competitions where we have to go different schools or colleges to compete and that’s one of the things that I’ll have them do – sort of sit in the back and listen to a play. I think that’s a great piece of advice to do that. Lindsay: Do you have any students who suffer from stage fright? Forrest: Yes, I do. Lindsay: Yeah? What happens? Forrest: Well, I’ve had students have nervous breakdowns. Lindsay: Oh, my God! Okay, I don’t need to know about that. Craig: But we’re laughing in a nervous breakdown here. Lindsay: How do you handle that, eh? Forrest: You know, you try to calm them down as much as you can. I always try to keep a light mood before the show. We’ll do warm-ups and joke around and have a lot of fun. I know they’re nervous but, to me, I always tell them too that to be nervous is good, and if you’re not nervous then something is wrong because being nervous gives you that energy. There’s so much energy with nervousness till all you have to do is harness that energy and make it a good thing, and that gives you the added extra oomphf that you need on stage. So, you just calm them down, sort of realize and let them know that it is okay to be nervous, that, you know, I’m nervous too and I’m not even going to be on the stage. “I’ll be watching you but I’m nervous for all of you as well.” Lindsay: As a director, I was the epitome of the nervous director. I’d, like, sit in the very back and I’m like, “Don’t touch me. Nobody, no, no, no. Don’t sit with me. Don’t touch me.” Craig: Well, I think nerves are a good thing. Nerves mean that you care about what you’re going to do, you care about how it’s going to come across, and I think the best counterbalance to getting too nervous is to just be prepared and to realize that you’ve already done all the work and then what you’re about to do in front of the audience is basically a celebration on exhibition of all the work that you’ve put in over the last months. Forrest: Exactly, yeah. It’s what they’ve been working for. Lindsay: Have you ever had a student who’s refused to go on stage? Forrest: No. Lindsay: Good. Forrest: I have not. But I’ve had a few close calls. Just this past play that I was directing, there was a girl that had a pretty bad nervous breakdown – she was crying and things like that – but she was able to pull it together and then she was fine for the show. But, for a moment there, I was like, “Oh, boy. Here we go.” Lindsay: Is that another situation where the students themselves can help another student kind of get over their fears? Forrest: Yeah, and what was fortunate for me is that she had a brother that was in the show as well. So, he was able to talk to her and help out. Lindsay: Let’s talk about just a couple more of the technical things such as enunciation which is my biggest thing and also students who talk too fast or who are sort of in their own heads and they are not getting that they have to communicate clearly to an audience. How do you deal with that? Forrest: Which part? All of it? Lindsay: Okay. Let’s go first with enunciation. Forrest: Enunciation, it’s just, again, those exercises. They almost do it sarcastically sometimes where, you know, I’ll give them a word or they say a word and I say, “I couldn’t understand it because you’re not enunciating the last part of it, you know, and with your Ts, and your Ds, and ‘do you understand?’” and do things like that where you’re over-exaggerating the word and they have to over-exaggerate the syllable. So, they’ll do that and they’ll do it sarcastically a lot of times but I want them to understand. And then I’ll say, “Good! That was great. Just keep doing that,” and they sort of understand that the theatre sort of swallows those sounds. And so, even though they’re on stage and they think it’s being over-exaggerated and it sounds stupid to them, us sitting out in the audience, you don’t notice at all. And so, that’s an important thing for them to learn about that. Lindsay: Do you ever videotape them and then show them? Forrest: No, I haven’t done that as much. I’ve tried it a few times and it is effective. It’s something that I don’t do as often as I should. It’s been something I’ve been thinking about doing more often just because of the accessibility of technology now that I have, you know, the teachers, everyone in our school now, all the teachers have their own iPad. So, you know, that’s something now I can bring into the theatre and just quickly videotape them and then turn around and show it and say, “This is what you look like.” And I wasn’t able to do that before. I mean, I could come in and videotape it but then it was a process where you’d have to bring them to another room and hook it up to the TV and what-not. So, I think with technology it’s going to make things a lot easier and I think it’s something that I’ll be exploring more in the future. It’s a great idea because, in their mind, they think they’re doing something that they’re not. Lindsay: Absolutely. Forrest: Yeah. Lindsay: I find that where students lose actually both articulation and their speeding up so they’ve got that one-two punch in there is when they’re right in the middle of an emotional scene, right? And they’re just being so emotional and yet all communication is lost. Have you ever had students do that? Forrest: Yeah, and a lot of it is nervousness, too. They’re so nervous that they’re just going through the lines. Because I’m a speech coach as well and the goal is, you know, we always find a piece or a cutting that is so long, let’s say it’s six minutes long, and by the end of the season, I want them up to seven minutes with the same piece. So, it’s the goal to find the pauses and to experiment, and it always works, too. It always ends up getting longer and longer and longer because they know where to slow down and where to add add effectively with those pauses. And I know that with the scripts too, you know, in Minnesota, for the competitive plays, you can’t go over thirty-five minutes or you’re disqualified in the competitions. So, I always pick a play that’s running about twenty to twenty-five minutes in length, and by the end of the show, we’re pushing thirty-five because of pauses and what-not. Lindsay: My biggest piece of advice for directors out there who are picking competition pieces is exactly that. Pick a piece that is at least ten minutes less than your cut-off time so that you never have those problems. You never have to rush, you never have to worry about audience reaction, putting them overtime. You just work the play. Forrest: Exactly. It never fails. That’s one of the things I’ve learned as a director, that your initial time, that first read-through time, it’s always going to be ten to fifteen minutes longer than that by the end. Craig: Yeah, and I was a victim of that in high school where our show went overtime and we knew that we were close and there’s nothing like that stress of being on stage and doing a show, but at the same time, seeing the director walking back and forth in the wings with the stopwatch in his hands. Everyone was just panicking and then we still went overtime. And another show, this is interesting, another show in the same festival, they were going overtime and they just stopped the show at the time limit. They just turned off the lights and ended the show. Forrest: I’ve created early out scenarios before. Craig: Who wants that though? Forrest: I know but, you know, like, if you’re cutting it so close and you don’t want to cut anything, and it’s never gotten to that point but we’ve had to run emergency cut-off scenarios where the people in the booth will be timing and they’ll do, like, some sort of light cue to signify to the actors that we have to wrap it up, quickly. Lindsay: It’s like your emergency response scenario that you have to practice at school. Forrest: And we do, we would practice it. It was actually during A Deep Poetic Journey Into Something was when we had to do that. We had to come up with emergency stops because we were starting to push the time on it. Lindsay: Okay. So, ah! You’ve done the perfect segue. So, let’s talk about that! So, you directed the first production of A Deep Poetic Journey Into Something. Forrest: Yes. Lindsay: So, what was that like, first of all, to bring your own script to life? Forrest: Well, I’ve been doing that for a long time. I think it’s been fortunate for me to be, you know, for one, I’m writing for teenagers and I’m writing for youth groups and so what perfect opportunity to be a theatre director in a high school where you can basically workshop your own work every year. And I don’t do originals every year but, when I do, I just think it’s really fortunate that I can do that. It’s definitely nerve-racking because you never know. As a writer, there’s always that self-doubt about whether or not it’s actually good or not and so you have to kind of go through that every time. But then, once you start doing the public performances and getting feedback, it becomes extremely helpful because then you can make changes and that’s the great liberty about doing your own work because you can change lines and you can do all kinds of stuff to the play that you wouldn’t necessarily be able to do if you were going to do someone else’s show. Lindsay: All right. So, just give a little brief, teeny tiny synopsis. We have your main character in your play, Jane, and she’s basically going through a crisis of self, yeah? Forrest: Yeah. She just feels like she’s sort of trapped in this box and she wants to break out of the box and be different and be cool. It’s really about she just doesn’t know who she is and we use that sort of block metaphor as sort of a vehicle throughout the show because she’s trapped in these blocks and we have shadows that signify that as well. Lindsay: Yeah. So, one of the things that you used when you were staging it was the use of shadows – you have shadow screens and then actors behind. Did you always know you wanted to use shadow screens? Forrest: Yeah. Well, I always wanted to do a play with shadows because it had started with, at one point, I directed the one-act play, The Veldt by Ray Bradbury, and we had a rear projection on that because, if you’re familiar with that play or not, it takes place in this room that’s computerized so it creates these sort of living pictures on the wall. And so, we used rear projection to do that and we have a scene where they were arguing behind the screen and the father, as he’s yelling at the kids, he gets bigger and bigger and bigger with the shadow, and then the kids got smaller and smaller and smaller. And, ever since that scene, then was like, “I would love to do a show where I can do even more of that,” and it just sort of happened to fit in with the other ideas that I was having. Lindsay: So, how did you direct your students to act behind a shadow screen? Forrest: Oh, that was tough. We started right away. We had the shadow screens right away and it was a lot of just experimentation about what can we make for images and what can we do, and they had to understand how to move with the light because, if you move closer to the light, you get bigger, and if you move further away from the light, you get smaller. We’d have kids that would move behind the curtain and then other kids would come out in front and watch it so they could understand – if I’m standing here, this is what I look like. It’s just a lot of experimentation in the beginning because I didn’t even know some of the images that I was going to use and so it all kind of came through the rehearsal process. Craig: Technical question! Did you build these screens yourself? Lindsay: That was my question! Forrest: Yeah, I did. It was actually pretty easy. It was just muslin. I bought muslin and had someone sew – they hung on bars, PVC pipe, that’s all I made, and made stands out of PVC pipe and hung them up. It was really easy to make. Lindsay: So, basically, did you just make a frame of PVC and then hung the muslin on the pipes like that? Forrest: Yeah, the top of the muslin, they had sewn a pocket. Lindsay: A sleeve. Forrest: Yeah, a sleeve. Thank you. Lindsay: Yeah. Forrest: And we were able to slip through the bar, and I had three screens and it basically covered the entire stage. And, yeah, it was three squares and they were eight by eight. Lindsay: Each square was eight by eight? Forrest: Yeah. Lindsay: What light did you use? Craig: Affordable as heck, right? Forrest: Yup! I had PAR cans. I just had three PARs and just set them in the back and that was it. I built these little wooden triangles that they could sit on so that they slanted up and they kind of shot up towards because I found that, if it was shooting straight forward, it was actually shooting, the lights were so strong it was shooting through the fabric and right into the audience and that was uncomfortable for people that would be sitting in the audience. So, I had to put them on the floor and then I shot them up at a 45-degree angle. Lindsay: Do you think that, because it seems like you do a lot of trial-and-error with your work, do you think that sort of leads into your students’ understanding about really what the rehearsal process is all about? That they know that you have to try and fail and try and fail? Forrest: Yeah, and they get used to that. It’s always funny with the new kids that come in because, you know, I’ll set the initial blocking and then I’ll change something and then they’ll look at the script and they’ll say, “Yeah, but you had me moving here and doing this,” and I say, “Well, yes, but now I’m changing it.” It’s funny that it happened the other day and one of the older students sort of looked at her and commented, “Get used to it,” because they all knew that that’s what happens. So, they just get used to my method, I guess. Lindsay: So, we’re actually coming up to the end of our time and I wanted to talk about you writing for students. Is that something that you just, did you fall into it because you’re a teacher and you were frustrated with plays? Have you always been a writer? Why is it that you write for teens? Forrest: Well, you hit it on the head right there. I was so frustrated with, when I first started finding scripts that teenagers could do, and I used to have the philosophy that, “Why should students be doing plays about adults when they have no understanding of what it means to be in that situation or to be an adult to begin with?” Lindsay: That’s always been my philosophy, too. Forrest: And so, I wanted to find more and more plays that could deal with that and it just, I don’t know if it was me or what, but I just felt like there was nothing out there, and then if it was, it was so select. So, I just decided, and I’ve been writing all my life anyway so I just decided that I would tailor or just start writing stuff that would tailor the kids’ needs and that would be about teenagers. Lindsay: And so, where did A Deep Poetic Journey Into Something come from? Forrest: It was a mixture of images and ideas. Basically, the idea of wanting to do a shadow play and then the idea of a teenager struggling with self-identity or trying to figure out who they were and, you know, it’s just a combination of things. There were so many things that went into creating that play, it was like ten different things came from all over that kind of created that show. Lindsay: And you just sort of harnessed it? Forrest: Yeah, pretty much. That play was definitely an interesting process about how it got created. And then, once I cast it, I mean, I didn’t even know who was going to play the main character and then once I picked our lead character, then I actually started changing the script more to tailor her and what she could do. One of the great things is I found out that she could cry on command so there was the scene where her father dies and it was a pretty powerful scene because she could make it work. Lindsay: What was the audience response? Forrest: There was a lot of sniffling, yeah, yeah. It was great. A lot of sniffling in the audience because they could identify with her emotionally and there were a lot of teenagers, I got so many compliments from that show from teens that identified with her, and she got a lot of compliments too – kids coming up that she didn’t even know that said, you know, “You were so great and it reminds me of me so much.” I was fortunate enough that play made it to the state competition in Minnesota when I did it and I got emails from students afterwards. So, it really resonated a lot with kids and I’ve never had a reaction like that before. There’s something about that play, I think, that just sort of tapped into how they feel. Lindsay: Well, that’s the mark, I think, of a really great youth play is that, when you are hearing from the students themselves. I always know that it’s a tricky line because we write stuff that has to resonate both with teachers and with students because it’s the teachers who, you know, buy the plays. But when you can get a student who says, “I want to do this play,” and, really, it’s a real mark of pride for me. Forrest: Yeah, it was a big accomplishment. It’s actually one of my favorite shows that I’ve written from a personal standpoint. I’m glad you took it. Lindsay: Yeah, I was just about to say we’re glad to have it! It’s awesome! What do you think, Craig? Craig: I think that’s good. What I’m thinking right now is I’m so glad that Forrest made it. Lindsay: Yes! Forrest: Yes, I am too. I was getting worried there for a while. Craig: You were? Lindsay: I was like, “All right, vamp for forty-five minutes, all right, here we go! Put on my tap shoes!” All right! Thank you everyone for joining and thank you so much for your questions! I think that we are going to, we liked seeing what you guys need and what you guys are asking and that means that we can take it and, you know, do things with it and hopefully, you know, make your lives a little bit easier. And, all right, go out and enjoy the rest of your Saturday! I’m out, Lindsay Price. How about you, Craig?