Production

So, you’ve decided to produce a play at your school this year. You’ve considered all the possibilities of shows to produce and have made a great selection. You have a vision for the show and have all your dates and plans in place. You’ve held auditions and have a great cast in place. Rehearsals have just started. Things are going great! But now we’ve got another item to add to your director’s (never-ending) to-do list: publicity. You need to sell those tickets and get audience members to see your show! As the teacher, you might be responsible for acting as producer on top of your other theatrical duties. If at all possible, save yourself some sanity and add a producer to your team, or at the very least, an assistant producer. This could be a senior student (a great opportunity for a student with solid leadership skills), a teaching colleague, a student teacher, or a parent volunteer. Having that extra person will really help. Be sure to encourage all members of the cast and crew to join in with publicity. They are your best and brightest advocates of the show, and as the saying goes, many hands make light work. The more people you have spreading the word, the better. You should start publicizing your show as early as possible. So, without further ado, here are ten ways you and your team can publicize your show. 1. Get people talking.First and foremost—word of mouth— tell everyone you know. Word of mouth is the cheapest and easiest way to let everyone know that you are doing a show and that you’re excited about it. 2. Poster your community.Get your cast and crew together to do a poster/flyer blitz and paper the city. The standard poster size is 11×17 inches, but have a variety of sizes to put in unique spaces. It’s also a good idea to create postcard-sized or business card-sized flyers or handbills, so people can tuck them into a purse or pocket. You could even create a unique giveaway like bookmarks to publicize your show, especially if your show is based on a book. Remember to make sure to get permission first, if you’re putting posters in certain places like businesses or public areas. Some places require you to get materials approved before posting them. You don’t want your posters and handbills to end up in the garbage. 3. Use social media.Do a social media blitz (school website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube) and create your #ShowHashtag. Take photos during rehearsals. Share behind-the-scenes “sneak peeks” of costumes and sets. Start a show blog and have cast and crew members write weekly blog posts and updates. Create a YouTube channel to show rehearsal clips and interviews with cast and crew members. You could also create a trailer to advertise your show–just be aware of any potential copyright issues if you’re using music in the video. 4. Use traditional media.Don’t forget about traditional media (newspaper, radio, television)—approach anyone and everyone you can think of. You could also purchase ad space in local newspapers/online media, or trade ad space with other local productions in their playbills. 5. Be a walking advertisement.Order clothing with your show’s logo (t-shirts, hoodies, caps) and get your entire cast to wear them everywhere. These items also make great mementos after the show closes. You could sell these items during the run of the show. 6. Hold a contest.Organize a contest or giveaway for patrons like free tickets to opening night or a piece of show merch, for answering trivia, uploading photos, using the #ShowHashtag, or for sharing posts online. 7. Create cast incentives.Offer an incentive to your cast and crew members–whoever sells the most advance tickets for the show wins a prize. 8. Get into the community.Get involved in local community events devoted to arts and culture. You could set up a table and give out flyers and smiles! If your show happens to rehearse near a major holiday, get involved in your local holiday parade, either walking the parade in costume or even creating a float. You could also organize a flash mob at a community events–this is especially useful for advertising musicals. 9. Ticket rates.Create a special group rate for tickets and encourage groups to buy tickets in advance. Call groups in your area and arrange for them to come–try local schools, senior residences, Girl Guide/Boy Scout groups, or youth groups. Perhaps someone in your cast has a connection to a group that might like to come. Use those resources. 10. Explore your subject matter.If your show addresses current issues, you could hold a fundraiser or awareness drive, or donate a portion of ticket sales to a favourite charity. You could also hold post-show talkbacks with the cast and crew to speak to the audience about these issues. These are all great selling points to include in your publicity, and you’re giving back at the same time. What are some creative methods you’ve used to publicize your shows? We’d love to hear about them.

Coming to the end of a show’s run is an incredibly emotional experience. You’ve put hours and hours of work into a project that, in the end, has ceased to exist. Yes, you have the memories you’ve created and the friendships you’ve grown, and maybe some mementos (backstage photos, posters with autographs from the cast and crew, show shirts, etc.). But the creation process of a show is truly intangible. It’s not like painting a picture and then having the finished canvas to display, or creating a musical composition and having sheet music to share with other musicians. You’ve created an experience. Once the show is complete, the costumes are put away, the set is stripped, and you’re left with an empty theatre and a group of students who have post-show blues. Whether you’ve completed an extracurricular production or a classroom show project, it is important to take a step back and reflect on the process. This is an important step of the process because it provides closure–the final steps of your theatrical journey! Reflecting on your experience lets you re-visit your successes and failures, your areas for improvement, and what you’ve learned. It can also help you look towards the future–what worked really well and what you would do differently next time. The following series of questions can help you and your students reflect on your experiences and process of the show. Be sure to focus on YOUR experiences and process. While things like selling out a show and positive reviews are great things to celebrate, they aren’t something you have control over. Go deeper and focus on your journey–where you started and where the process has taken you. The purpose of these questions is for you and your students to reflect on the process of the show, but feel free to adapt them for weekly logbooks or journal entries, as well! For students:• Think back to your audition. How did you feel after you finished? Were you satisfied with your performance? Why or why not? • Think back to when you found out you were cast into the show and/or when you found out what role you’d be playing. Did the results match your expectations? Were you happy with your role? Why or why not? • Think back to the first rehearsal. What was the atmosphere like? Did you know everyone in the cast? What did you do in that first rehearsal? • Think back to a time during rehearsal when you had that “breakthrough” or “ah-ha!” moment, when something just clicked and fell into place and things made sense. What was going on in rehearsal? What triggered that moment? How did you feel at that point? • Think about the experience of tech and dress rehearsals. How did they compare to other shows you’ve worked on? What was different? • Think back to just before opening night. How did you feel? What was the energy like? • Think back to just before closing night. How did you feel? What was different between opening night and closing night? • Name one personal success you had during the process of the show. What will you take from that moment? • Name one failure you had during the process of the show. What did you learn from that moment? • What will you keep doing for the next show you participate in? What will you do differently? • Name one thing you learned during the process of the show. • Name one memory from this show that will stick with you forever.

Ensemble Definition A unit or group of complementary parts that contributes to a single effect; all the parts of something considered together and in relation to the whole; the general or total effect of something made up of individual parts all together, all at once. Whether you’re working with high school or middle school students, the word “ensemble” will be part of your vocabulary. Depending on how you use the word, it can be a positive or negative experience for your students. Many equate the word “ensemble” with “chorus,” implying that to be in the ensemble means you’re not as good as the other actors. But when you look at the definition, you can use the word to motivate your group to think together, work together, and focus on the end goal together. 5 Ways to Motivate Your Ensemble1. From day one, think of the entire group as the ensemble. Call them as such. Emphasize that everyone is working toward one whole. Every actor, everyone involved. That an ensemble is all parts together, and only works when every part is cohesive together not one side here and one side there. An ensemble is a community and that is what the cast of a play should be. 2. Teach the community to work together from the first rehearsal. Incorporate exercises at every rehearsal that involve the entire cast working together and that only work if the entire group comes together as one. • Tongue Twister exercises for ensemble building • Ensemble Monologue exercise Note: Find a downloadable PDF link to more Ensemble exercises, at the end of this post. 3. Teach the ensemble their important role how important they are in helping to create the world of the play Just because you’re not talking in a scene, does not mean you’re invisible. If you can see the audience, they can see you. If you’re not in the moment—if you’re picking your nose or scratching your butt—the audience can see that. If you’re not in the world of the play, you’re creating a distraction for the audience—and that means they’re not in the world of the play. Ensemble actors can learn the importance of being a character in the scene. Stress the importance of keeping focused on the action, even when they aren’t active in the dialogue. This will keep the audience in the world of the play. 4. Make the ensemble the focus. Have rehearsals just for the ensemble—make them a key part of the experience of the production. Make sure each ensemble character has a name and a background that helps the world of the play. Make them think about how they interact with each other, in character, while the main action is going on. 5. Remind your ensemble that the audience is counting on them. The audience counts on every member of a cast to keep the world of the play real and engaging, whether or not a cast member has lines or is part of the atmosphere. Sometimes it’s an ensemble player who shines brightest, not because they are hogging the attention, but because they are so in character that they are a delight to watch—a walk, a look, a shrug of the shoulder. As student actors and professionals, what it comes down to is that your experience is what you make it. It can be a bitter, boring ensemble experience (“I’m not doing anything”), or it can be an exhilarating time with a wonderful, life-changing community that you will remember forever.

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!

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.

The experience of working on a show is a multifaceted experience, but I think it can really be broken down into two main parts: the product and the process. The product is the final theatrical creation that is presented (a.k.a. your show). The process is the class/rehearsal/after school time and the methods/effort it took to get there. The product is the result of the process – the end that justifies the means. As a teacher, when you are creating a theatrical piece with your students, I urge you to consider the process as equally as important to, or even more important than the final product. Of course, everyone wants a wonderful show–that’s a given. It would pretty much be a waste of everyone’s time to think otherwise. However, the journey that you and your students take to get to that final product is essential. The means in which the process occurs has big stakes, including: • The skills students develop while working on a show (both onstage and off) • The lessons students learn during the process • The grades earned • The friendships grown through teamwork and camaraderie • The confidence gained through hard work, determination, and perseverance • The problem-solving skills developed through making mistakes and learning from them • The future of the drama program at your school (will students continue to take drama classes and/or come out for future productions?) Think of these ideas not in terms of “make-or-break,” but more in terms of goals. Look what we can achieve together! So HOW can you create an effective process for your students? Here are some suggestions to consider. 1. What’s your focus?Keeping a focus on the full ensemble of students is the best way to create a great process. Ensemble-based thinking creates a sense of fairness and equality. While we all recognize that not everyone in the show is or can be a lead, it’s important to ensure all students feel that they are an important part of the show. Downplay the idea of “stars” and create a sense of community and teamwork. Don’t play favourites with the lead actors–that’s a surefire way to create discord in the group. Focus on group bonding exercises and be sure to include the crew! It is easy to neglect the crew during the rehearsal process in favour of the actors, but your crew team are equally important and should be included in meetings, rehearsals, group exercises, and celebrations. 2. How’s your attitude?If you are excited about the process and the show, it sets a good example for your students, and they will follow your lead. Show your passion and emotion, and be real. Students can tell when you’re in “teacher mode.” Maintain professionalism, of course, but also allow them to see your human side. Theatre is all about feelings and emotions! Have confidence, as well. There is always a point where things get difficult–actors struggling with lines, crew having technical issues, whatever can possibly go wrong actually going wrong–but you need to be strong for your students. Show that you believe in your students, their abilities, and their personalities (both as a group and as individuals). The more you get to know them as individuals, the better you’ll be able to adjust your approach to their needs. Some students prefer a no-nonsense approach while others need a softer hand. Each student is a piece of the puzzle that combines to make the full picture! And on that note… 3. How’s their attitude?What are your students hoping to get out of the experience? What are their goals? How are they feeling (both about themselves and about the process)? Have these feelings changed at all throughout the process? Check in with them frequently, and be available as much as possible when they have questions or concerns. For your own sanity, make it clear what times are appropriate for them to ask questions–while you want to encourage an open line of communication, you don’t want your rehearsal stalled by an impromptu game of “20 Questions.” 4. Think from your students’ perspectives.Students are smart (of course–they’re your students!) and they are busier than ever. If they’re participating in your production, they’ll want to know what’s in it for them. Students want to feel useful, that they’re being heard and understood, that their time is valued, and that they’re learning something. Things like setting a clear rehearsal schedule early on are a good way to show that you’re thinking ahead, that you respect their time, and that you’re not calling students to rehearsal when they’re not being used. This is why it’s key to create an open line of communication from the very start of the process. 5. Remember the fun and don’t take yourselves TOO seriously.How do you measure success? You might have a gorgeous production and have sold out the whole run–but if your students hated the process, is it a success? Always strive for theatrical excellence while still keeping the FUN. Theatre can be hard work, but if it’s not fun, what’s the point? So much of theatre is play–after all, Shakespeare himself said “the play’s the thing”!

So, your school is mounting a production this year? Fantastic! Mounting a school production is a wonderful learning opportunity for students and staff alike. It’s also a big challenge. Teachers: Before auditions are scheduled and sets start to take shape, here are five things to consider when selecting the show that your school will produce. 1. What type of show will you be doing?Musicals are pretty much guaranteed crowd-pleasers (which means lots of ticket sales), but producing a musical has a very different set of needs than a play does. Musicals require additional staff (a musical director and choreographer, at the minimum). If your show doesn’t have backing tracks, you’ll also need musicians (paid or volunteer). Musicals also tend to be more expensive to purchase rights, royalties, and scripts/scores for, and extra rehearsals will be needed for teaching harmonies and dance numbers. Also consider your students – do they actually want to sing and dance, or would they rather focus on really juicy acting roles? 2. How many students will be participating in the production, and how many roles are available (especially male vs. female)?Theatrical pieces are extremely varied in the number of roles available, and are generally not written with twenty equal leading roles. Are you expected to take on every kid that auditions, or will some kids not make the cut? Or, is the whole school participating and you’ll need to figure out what roles each grade level will perform? In that case, you’ll most likely need to produce a musical with an expandable ensemble. Will you have enough boys to fill the male roles (a lack of boys is an unfortunate tendency in youth theatre)? If not, will girls play the male roles? And if so, will they play them as men or will you change those roles to female? (And will the author of the play approve of/allow that change to be made?) 3. What is your budget?Do you have the funds to produce a big Broadway blockbuster, or are you running on a shoestring budget? (Perhaps you’re expected to produce said big Broadway blockbuster WITH that shoestring budget!) Costs to consider include purchasing the rights to the show, buying scripts, paying staff, budgeting for costumes/sets/tech/etc.), renting a venue (if necessary)…The list goes on and on. 4. What are the needs of the show and are they feasible for your performance space?Does your school have its own specific theatre space, or do you need to rent a performance venue? Does your show have crazy costume requirements, such as 30 matching sequined dresses, or period-appropriate military uniforms? Does your show require special effects (fake blood, stage combat weapons, a fog or haze machine, etc.)? If you are producing a show like Peter Pan or Mary Poppins, will your actors actually fly? (And if so, will you need to purchase extra insurance?) Does the script call for scenes to occur in front of a curtain (assuming you have a proscenium arch), when you have only a black box theatre? If you can’t accommodate a specific need, do you have a creative solution in place? 5. Do you have to get approval of someone (the principal, school board, parent council) before acquiring the rights to the show?You might want to challenge your students with shows like The Laramie Project, Juvie, Rent, or Spring Awakening, but will “non-theatre people” approve and/or allow your students to work on that material? Even the most seemingly innocent theatrical pieces have had complaints lodged against them for a myriad of reasons. If the show you’ve selected causes concerns, are you able to give a strong case addressing these concerns? Do you have a written document that answers questions? This may or may not be a reason to do or not to do a show – it’s just something to think about.

What is ambiance?Ambiance is the feel of your production, or the mood and tone of it. One way you can shape the mood of a show is with lighting and sound. They are your best tools to portray the emotion of your story. You can directly connect your show’s mood to what an audience sees and hears. For example: if you’re doing a nursery rhyme themed show, what lighting and sound would you use? It depends on the story you’re trying to share with the audience. What emotions do you want to evoke? Joy or fear? Would you use bright colours or dark ones to accomplish that? Would you want the actors’ faces to be illuminated or shadowed? Would you use light-hearted, childlike, upbeat music or something more sombre, brooding, and slow? Music can play a large part in creating ambiance. It’s a common misconception that a play needs to be a musical to have music. Music not only sets the mood, but it can also ground your setting. Take a castle location. What music would you choose if the castle was the setting of Dracula? Alternatively, what music would you choose if the castle is the setting for a King Arthur comedy? Lighting and sound can also solve major set dilemmas. There is a famous scene in Les Misérables where Jean Valjean is travelling through the sewers of Paris. Perhaps In a movie you can build the cramped sewer pipes set, but on a stage that is impossible. The answer could be to use a variety grating style gobos, projected onto the floor to represent the light from the sewer grates above. A gobo is a metal stencil or a glass that when you put over a lamp projects the image onto the stage. It’s effective and creates a mood. Sound choices might include an echo or the sound of dripping water. You feel the dankness of the sewer and the desperation of Jean Valjean. That is ambiance. How can I use this in the classroom?• Take a picture of a location and project it onto a screen so that everyone can see (NOTE: A sample picture is included in the downloadable PDF version of this exercise) • Explain to students that this location is the setting for a play but there’s no play yet. • Play some music to set ambiance. Something upbeat and exciting (search online for adventure movie music). • Based on the music, ask students to describe the story that takes place in this location. Who is the main character? What will happen here? • Have students share their descriptions. • Ask students what kind of lighting would best suit the location, based on the music? • Keep the picture up, but play a completely different piece of music. Something brooding, dark, and slow (eg: Bach pieces). • Based on this piece of music, ask students to describe the story that takes place. Who is the main character? What will happen here? • Ask students what kind of lighting would best suit the location, based on the music? • Share and discuss how the change in music changed the story. How did music affect the ambiance?

Kristi Ross-Clausen, Production Stage Manager at the University of Wisconsin – Madison is constantly thinking about theatre safety. She’s taught drama and been behind the scenes for both local and Broadway productions. She did her master’s thesis on high school theatre safety, and she shares with us some basic theatre safety considerations. This should be required reading for all drama teachers! 1. Understand the equipment you have, and get training to maintain it properly.• It is important to know how to use and maintain your theatre equipment system, especially if it is a counterweight rigging system. If you don’t understand how that system works and maintain it properly, it’s very easy to have something go wrong. • Find somebody who’s an ETCP-certified theatre rigger to come in and take a look at your theatre. • No two theatres are exactly the same. Get training from the ETCP-certified rigger so you know how to use your stage’s equipment. 2. If your students are using stage aspects or equipment, make sure that it is age appropriate and skill level appropriate.• Teach students how to do tasks that are appropriate for their age level and skill ability. For example, younger students running a counterweight system might be allowed to move a 50-pound object instead of a 500-pound one. 3. Use pieces, equipment, and connectors that are made for theatrical purposes.• Buy from a theatrical supplier. The hardware that you buy at your local big-box store is not intended for theatrical use. • Look for domestically made pieces because manufacturing criteria are different in the US than in other countries. 4. Small spaces still have safety rules.• Ensure exits are clear. In case of an emergency, you have to be able to get out. Make sure there is an unblocked way for all audience members, actors, and crew members to exit. • Ensure that your sets and curtains in your theatre are flame-retardant. You can buy products that mix with paint for sets, or a flame-retardant spray to coat your curtains. Rosco is one supplier that makes great products for this purpose. 5. Don’t forget flat safety.• Use flame-retardant paint to treat muslin or Hollywood flats just like you would any other kind of set piece. It really doesn’t matter which kind of flat you’re using or what kind of set pieces you’ve got. The safety rules are the same. • Use good quality theatrical hardware designed for flats. 6. Make your scene shop safe.• Know your user’s manual and where to find it. • Ensure table saws have “saw stops.” • Use goggles, wear closed-toe shoes, and wear gloves for handling materials. Avoid loose clothing and tie hair back. Want to learn more? Listen to Kristi discuss Theatre Safety on the Theatrefolk Podcast!

Teachers often have the task of producing a school show with grand ideas but with little to no budget. Before you start organizing a fundraiser, digging into your own pockets (because who wants to do that?), or look for strange, unusual, or just really expensive items, check out the following nine suggestions to source props on a shoestring budget. (This list can easily be adapted for costume pieces as well!) 1. Absolutely essential or easily substituted?First, go through the show and determine whether or not the prop in question is absolutely essential, or could be easily substituted with something similar. As a reminder: a prop is any item that is used or carried onstage that is not a costume piece. Let’s say you are doing a fairy tale-esque show that calls for a king’s golden scepter. There’s no sense driving yourself mad looking for a golden scepter if you already have a silver scepter from a past production that could work equally well. Ask yourself: “Is it absolutely essential to have a scepter onstage? Could the king have a ceremonial sword instead? Does the king HAVE to have the scepter at all?” If the prop is absolutely essential, move on to our second point… 2. Adapt, reuse, re-purpose!Adapt props from your current storage situation. It’s amazing what you can do with a quick coat of paint or some supplies nabbed from the art studio. With a little bit of gold spray paint and perhaps even some stick-on jewels, your formerly-silver-now-golden scepter is ready to go. 3. Use your contacts.Contact nearby schools and/or theatres who have recently done the same show or a show in a similar time period. They may be willing to loan you their items, in exchange for a future rental for their upcoming productions, an advertising space in your program, a “special thanks” in the house manager’s speech, or a reduced rental fee. It’s a good idea to start a list of contacts just for this purpose! 4. Beg, borrow, and ask.Request donations or see what you can borrow from friends and family members – both your students’ and your own. You never know what treasures people are keeping in their attics, basements, garages, and sheds! Perhaps someone has a gorgeous vintage typewriter or old Halloween decorations that could be used in your show. Just make sure to clearly label all borrowed items and keep a detailed list of who lent what, so the borrowed items can be returned after the show. 5. Go corporate.Ask for donations/sponsorships from local businesses. Reach out to local businesses for sponsorship opportunities. If you’re producing a show with lots of paper products, such as posters, letters, and newspapers, perhaps a local printing company or stationary store would sponsor your show and provide the items for a reduced rate (or even for free). 6. Go digital.Use your e-resources – email lists, social media, and online buy & sell sites. Get active on Facebook. Scour Pinterest and YouTube for tutorials on how to find or make an item. Search blogs for How To’s. Email students’ families, or any other connections you can think of for assistance. Tweet from your school’s account using your city’s hashtag (for example, #LdnOnt for London, Ontario, Canada). Check out local online sources such as Craigslist – their buy & sell listings will generally have a “free” section. 7. Get thrifty.Hit up thrift stores. Value Village, Goodwill, Salvation Army, and more! These are all great places to score deals. If you are going to be doing many shows in the future, see if a local thrift store might consider a long-term “rental” agreement with your school. The thrift store could agree to loan items from their store as long as they are returned in good order, with the tags intact, or in exchange for a donation of goods after the show. 8. Get REALLY thrifty!Check out dollar stores, bargain stores, and yard sales. Items don’t have to be expensive to look great onstage. It’s pretty amazing what you can create with $5, some hot glue, and some creativity. For example, you can combine some round white decorative boxes, a plastic plate, some leftover ribbon, and fake flowers to make a fantastic layered wedding cake prop. (Remember: props don’t necessarily have to be super-detailed because the audience will be seeing them from far away.) Think outside the box 9. Partner with other departments.Reach out to other teachers in your school and see if they can adapt their lesson plans to assist your production. Can the design & technology class build the “Greased Lightning” car? Can the art department design and paint sets? Can the family studies class sew curtains and pillows? Perhaps an individual student can make an independent study project out of creating a special item for the show, or maybe an extracurricular club can get involved. The most important takeaway from this post is: don’t be afraid to ask. You never know what great partnerships and deals you can achieve until you do a little research, send a few emails, and pick up the phone. Good luck!

If you are working on a play or musical with a large ensemble, those actors can sometimes feel “less than” the named characters or the leads. I’m just in the ensemble. I don’t matter. You want to nip those thoughts in the bud. If your actors feel unworthy, that will lead to them giving lackluster performances, or worse, missing rehearsals and eventually dropping out of the production altogether. Give ensemble actors character development opportunities. Even unnamed ensemble members can be three-dimensional characters that connect with the audience members sitting in the back row of the theatre. Character ProfileA character profile gives an actor a document to refer to throughout the rehearsal process. It has all the information an actor needs for a character. Traditionally, the character profile has a page of questions, personality traits, likes, dislikes, and memories. The actor fills it in with information from the script. However, your ensemble may not even appear in the script. Or perhaps it’s made up of “Townspeople,” “Pirates,” or “Ladies in waiting.” Sometimes there is no information in the script for them to use in their character profile. That’s perfectly OK. Not only can every member of the ensemble fill out a character profile, it’s going to be easier for them than for the leads. Why? Because every single character detail comes from an actor’s imagination. They come up with their name, family background, occupation, and where they live. They don’t have to stick with the details the playwright gives them, but can come up with their own details. There are boundaries, of course. The characters they create have to fit within the world of the play. For example, if you’re playing a Shark in West Side Story, it wouldn’t make sense to have the name Nostradamus and live in a spaceship. But other than that, the sky’s the limit. Enter, Sit, ReactHere’s an exercise that your ensemble can work on by themselves. It also works as a great warm-up. It’s going to help your ensemble establish a physicality for their characters. Often, the ensemble members simply walk, pose, and gesture like themselves. They don’t have a designated character and perhaps the director hasn’t given them the tools to create one. Along with a character profile, you want your ensemble members to think about the physicality of their characters. Put a chair in an empty space. Have actors enter the space one at a time, as if they are entering a room. They enter, move across the stage, then sit in a chair. Remind them that they have to stay in character while doing each of these actions. Once they sit, the character realizes they forgot to do something. So they stand and exit. Each step must be done with a specific physicality. For example, if they are playing an older character, that’s going to affect the way they sit and stand. Students can incorporate the details they come up with in the character profile into this exercise. Start Here, End There, Carry ThisHere’s an exercise that will save you time staging ensemble scenes and help actors keep their character in mind. Look at a scene in the play you’re working on that requires the ensemble to enter and end up in a certain place (i.e. on a riser or downstage left). You’re going to decide three things: • Where the ensemble enters from (stage right, right, or audience) • Where they end up • What props (if any) they bring with them This defines where they start, where they end, and what they’re carrying. Send the ensemble off to another room. They’re going to do an exercise on their own before you see them on stage again. They have the basics – start here, end there, carry this. But what they’re going to do together is share and discuss their moment before as characters. What’s going on in their lives as they come onstage? Where are they coming from? They’re not coming from stage left, right, or the audience. They have to think about their lives in the world of the play. Are they coming from their homes? Are they coming from work? Are they coming from a fight? Are they coming from a date? Tell the ensemble to pair up or form small groups of 3 or 4. Have them create the story of where they’re coming from, where they’re headed to, why they have those objects, and (most importantly) why they stop onstage at this exact moment. Why here, why now? Have them identify the relationships within their group. Who are they to each other? Remind students they won’t have words to communicate that story to an audience. They’ll have to show the story with action, as they enter and move to their designated spot. There should never be a movement on stage that isn’t motivated by something. So an actor needs to fill in the details of the basic actions of arriving onstage and stopping. Where are they coming from? Where are they headed to? Why are they stopping here? Who are they with? Every member of your ensemble needs to answer these questions. Once they’ve answered the questions, have them rough out the staging that gets them to those positions. Have them enter and make their way to their designated spot while “telling” their story without words. Remind students to not forget their physicality. Let them do this on their own and present it to you. After the students present, you now have something you can shape, as a director. You have a visual story. You’re engaging your actors and encouraging them to make choices that fit within the world of the play. You’re focusing their movements toward the ultimate goal: a stage full of life and story. And furthermore, your ensemble has played an active part in achieving this goal. They weren’t just told to “go downstage and stand there.”

When you’re rehearsing a musical close to performance week, the last thing you want to hear is that one of your students can’t sing. Promoting vocal health in young singers is crucial. Here’s how some teachers do it with their students. You’ll notice they make a lot of the same points, which means they’re important! Tricia Oliver, Alabama“To constantly self-check and evaluate. Ask: How can I help them? How can I help my students get better on the stage? Students need to be educated on staying healthy and staying hydrated. Make sure they understand the voice is an instrument they need to take care of. Take every opportunity to talk to them about using their mind, using their body, and make sure they’re doing what they need to do vocally. And also to remember that students not only need the vocal warm up from the music teacher but also a vocal warm up from the drama teacher! Don’t forget to include projection exercises.” Joanna Fellows, Maryland“Drink water. Not only encouraging students to drink water but model drinking water. I have a bad habit of drinking a lot of caffeine, but I try hard to drink water in front of my students because it reminds them to drink water too. If you drink a diet coke at rehearsals they’ll think that’s what you do.” Kellybrooke Brown, Alabama“Just be quiet. If you’re in the cafeteria and it’s loud, listen instead of talk. You don’t always have to participate in the conversation. Preserve your voice. It’s so important and kids don’t really understand that. Your voice is your instrument and you have to take care of your instrument. Being quiet is number one.” Rebecca Cates, Kentucky“Warm up. Just as we do with any exercise involving our bodies we have to warm up. The vocal chords and the voice are no different. We have to make sure our muscles are working appropriately. If we don’t warm up our voices, we will have the same problems. Voices have to be taken care of just as any other part of the body.” Roxane Caravan, Florida“My phrase is: ‘Your body is a temple.’ My kids know it; I say it all the time. Stay out of loud places. Don’t eat lunch in the cafeteria. Don’t scream. Eat healthy. Drink nothing but water or herbal tea in the theatre. If you’re in the band you take care of your violin. If you’re in theatre, take care of your whole body. When doing marathon rehearsal weekends, we get parents to rotate and do meals so that no one goes out to get junk food. We make sure the kids eat healthy.” Lea Marshall, Florida“Find a good musical director! Find someone who’s knowledgeable and let them tell you what to do. If you don’t know something, it’s okay to delegate.” Connie Voight, Alabama“It is exhausting for them. I demand 100% and it can be exhausting. We talk about getting enough sleep, turning down fun things for staying home and getting homework done early. Go to your teachers and say, “I know this is going to be a miserable week. Can I get my assignments early?” That way you’re not stressed during performance week. Stress and weariness go hand in hand and that leads to getting sick. And if you do get sick, stay home.” Jared Benn, Pennsylvania“High schoolers aren’t aware of the taxing nature of performance. Use and abuse of the voice. What I preach as a requirement to be in my shows is preventive care. Drink water, get sleep, no screaming, wear a coat when it’s cold outside. It sounds elementary to adults, but to kids (who are willing to run around outside in the winter in their bare feet because they’ve just been at rehearsal) those reminders are very useful. There are things you can do that you’re in control of to help maintain your voice, to make sure you have the stamina to get through a whole show, rehearsal process, year. Yes there are things we can’t control, but let’s concentrate on the things that we can do to avoid putting ourselves in vocally vulnerable positions.”

Auditions happen everywhere at every level, from middle school plays, to high school musicals, to college admissions. Audition styles range from prepared monologues, to cold readings, to group activities. No matter the audition, directors go through the same set of emotions, issues and concerns: • Will I be able to cast my show? • What am I supposed to be looking for? • How do I stop the kids from getting so nervous? The Ultimate Audition Guide: Teachers takes you through the audition process and provide suggestions for the above questions. Auditions don’t have to be nerve wracking experiences! What’s in The Ultimate Audition Guide: Teachers?There are Seven sections: • Preparing for Auditions What should you do to best prepare for auditions? • Choosing the type of audition Which is the best audition for your production? • Activities to help your students ahead of time How can you prepare students to audition effectively? • Activities during auditions How can you calm student nerves? • Audition Day What to focus on during auditions. • Make It A Teaching Moment How can you assess an audition? • Dealing with the aftermath How do you deal with student and parent discontent? Start the new year off right with a great audition. Break a Leg!

Some drama teachers have their whole production year figured out before the first day of school. If you’re doing a big musical, you need to get that paperwork started way in advance. Or maybe you need to coordinate using the theatre space with other departments – you need to know what you’re doing and when. Or, if you’re lucky, you have an engaged drama club and they’re reading the plays and deciding what they want to do ahead of time. But sometimes all that planning goes out the window. You choose a play, hold auditions and the actors you think you’re going to have don’t show up. Or you choose a small cast play and are faced with a flood of wonderful auditions. And sometimes, just the act of choosing a play is the issue. It can be an overwhelming and frustrating experience. Auditions loom and you still haven’t chosen a script. If you’ve stared at a stack of play catalogues with panic in your eyes, we here at Theatrefolk are ready to come to the rescue! Ok. We’re not a superhero. But we can give you some guidance to what we have available and how you can swiftly navigate our catalogue. If you’re frustrated with your search, or if you have to make a last minute decision NOW, have a look at the following plays. With each play there’s a link to the website page where you can read free sample pages. Enjoy! Top SellersWant something popular? Try these! Hoodie by Lindsay Price Hands down, our most popular one act. Hoodie is a middle school play about self image and appearance. Great for classes, and the kind of play that lets you cast every kid who auditions.

Awhile back, The Guardian compiled five of “the best video talks on theatre” and I wanted to share them with you as well. The article asks the question: “How can the performing arts compete against technology?” I wonder if that’s the right question to ask. In fact, it seems pretty odd to me because “compete” is really the wrong word. Theatre competing against technology, who would win that fight? The spry young whippersnapper, always moving, always bobbing? Or the elder statesman who knows exactly when to punch? My bias may be with the elder statesman, except for the fact that I love the technological world we live in today. Technology is an effective complement to almost every step of my playwriting process. I use technology for everything from helping with research, to writing drafts, to organizing workshops to posting production photos. And though many writers did just fine for hundreds of years before the technological age, I would not want to write without it. Why do theatre and technology have to be thrown into an adversarial role? Why do they have to compete? Why can’t the two co-exist? And within the question of how the performing arts can compete against technology, what kind of technology is being referenced? Technology today has a sprawling reach – it encompasses so many things, so many pieces of machinery, so many nuts, bolts and computer sparks flying through space, zinging up and down wires. What exactly about technology is in competition with the theatre? Is it idea vs idea? Is it machine vs building? Is it screens vs the stage? There are so many technological elements that have been such a help and support to the theatre – the light and sound areas alone are astounding. We can create worlds through pools of light, projections, and soundscapes like never before. Does technology here mean eyeballs on a medium? Does technology win because fancy bells and whistles capture more eyeballs than theatre does? The death of theatre has long been predicted and it hasn’t happened yet. Further to that, in some circles, to compete is to suggest a winner. But how can you have a winner when the two objects are apples and oranges? They aren’t on the same playing field, so to pit one against the other seems, well, useless and unproductive. What do you think? How can the performing arts compete against technology? Is the question viable? Or does the question miss the boat on the relationship between theatre and technology? Exercise :For our students, any competition between theatre and technology is a non-sequitur. Technology is a part of their life and they expect to see it as part of their theatre. To that end, use this exercise with your students. Divide your students into groups. All of the groups are going to get the same story: a storm. It can be a tornado, a hurricane, a blizzard. The characters have to be in the middle of the storm (so no hiding in a root cellar while a tornado passes by off stage) and we have to see the storm on stage. Decide on what kind of storm, the characters involved, and the location. Divide the groups in half. • The first group of students get the direction: No technology. They’re not allowed to use lights, recorded sound effects, music, or projections. The storm must be created using just the actors and raw materials (fabric would be allowed but printed pictures would not). They can’t use technology in any way. • The second group gets the direction: All technology. They must use technology to support their scene – projections, sound effects, lighting effects. They can’t use traditional theatre techniques (like using fabric to show waves). The actors can say their lines, but they can’t use action to create their visuals – it has to be shown through technology. The aim of the exercise is to go to the extreme on both sides of the coin : all technology or no technology. Students may get frustrated by what they can or cannot do and that’s part of the exercise. How do they meet the challenge? On the technology side, it’s important to emphasize that it’s not the sophistication of the final product that counts but the approach. Maybe you don’t have a screen for projections, but students could certainly create a slide deck on a computer. This is not an exercise to prove one method is better than the other. To that end, assess this as a process-over-product exercise with a participation rubric. Each group decides how they’re going to tackle the challenge, rehearses and presents. After the presentation, discuss the place of technology in the theatre. What worked? What wasn’t as successful? Is it more effective to use a piece of fabric to show a wave or to show a picture? Which is more theatrical? Why? Is it better to combine methods?

You’re shopping for your next play. The stack of catalogues is to your left. There are seven open tabs on your computer from various publishing companies. Your eyes are bleary and if you have to read one more peppy description (only to be disappointed by the sample pages) you may run screaming from the room. High School productions, more than any other scenario, can have a pretty rigid criteria to follow. Maybe it has to fit in a classroom. Or it has to accommodate a variety of acting abilities and flexible casting. It has to fit a specific time limit. It has to be staged with just a couple of cubes. Maybe your play needs to include all of the above. The search gets less and less fun as play after play fails to fit. How do you make choosing a play a simple, straightforward process? The School Play Shopping List: A one-stop shop to make your next play search easy as pieBefore you start looking at scripts, follow the recipe below and create a shopping list of ingredients. Identify the elements that will turn your play shopping experience from sweet to sour. This way, you never spend time on plays that were never going to fit your situation in the first place. Base IngredientsStart with the elements that will not change: the constraints of your space, the general size of your cast, budget, and your assets. You can eliminate a lot of plays just by mapping out the basics. General Cast Size: • Are you looking for a small (5 and under), medium (6-12), large (13-20) extra large (over 20) or maximum (everyone who auditions) cast size? Shape of the Space: • Do you perform in a classroom, gymnasium, cafeteria, Proscenium stage, thrust stage, black box theatre? • Do you have wing space, fly space or an orchestra pit? Budget size for sets, costumes, props: • Do you have a non-existent, small, medium, or large budget? Access Do you have access to: • cubes, risers, flats • stock furniture pieces/ unique hard to find pieces • costume closet • students for set construction, costume building, prop gathering • adults for set construction, costume building, prop gathering • stage management, lighting operator, sound operator Primary ProteinThink about the subject matter. Just as a beef dish could never be the same as a tofu dish, a comedy is going to be a different experience than drama. Hone in on the direction of your subject matter before you start reading plays. If you don’t, you could get bogged down in seconds. You may have a wide range of likes, maybe you like all kinds of theatre! But if you’re in a time crunch, a choice has to be made. If you’re not sure where to begin, start with questions: • What did you do last year? Or if it’s your first year, what was done last year? What was the response to the play last year? Do you want to swing in the opposite direction, or stay in the same wheelhouse? • What do you like? Never choose a play that irritates or annoys you. You have to spend a lot of time with it! There’s nothing worse than rehearsing a play you hate for months. • What don’t you like? Theatre is personal and subjective. It doesn’t hurt to write down subject matter that doesn’t appeal to you. • Does the play need to fit into the curriculum? Does the subject matter have to address specific curriculum strands? Try adaptations and issue-based plays. • What’s the status of your drama club? Is this a rebuilding year? Large cast comedies are a great draw to build drama club numbers. Do you have a lot of seniors? Think of a meaty drama. • What do your students want to do? It never hurts to poll your drama club or class to find out what kind of plays they’d like to perform. You might want to assign the reading and evaluating to seniors. There’s a read/eval form with the Printable Check List at the end of this post. • Who is the audience? Are you doing a family show? A show for feeder schools? For your high school? The audience can play a huge part in play selection. • What is the purpose of the production? Always have a purpose. It will really help you hone in on subject matter. Are you rebuilding? Is this a fund-raiser? Are you presenting a play on a specific issue? Are you competing? Is it just to do something fun? There is no wrong answer here, but knowing the purpose can help narrow the possibilities. Flavour EnhancersYou can take chicken and prepare it a thousand different ways: fried, grilled, stir-fry, poached, and so on. Once you’ve defined a subject, think about a specific genre. • Comedy? • Drama? • Kitchen sink? • Fantasy? • Absurd? • Abstract and poetic? • Gritty and real? • Fable? • Classical? • Futuristic? • Musical? And just like defining what you like and don’t like in subject matter, do the same for genre. * My favourite genre of theatre is…………. * My least favourite genre of theatre is…………. Rank the above from your most favourite to your least favourite. Finishing TouchesThese are the questions that don’t fit in the above categories, but need to be addressed because they’re specific to your situation. • Are there rules to consider? (e.g. Does your competition have a time limit?) • What can’t be in my play? (e.g. Language. Is there a policy limiting certain words?) • Is there an actor you want to feature? • What’s the primary gender of your audition pool? • How long is the rehearsal period? When do I get to read plays?Right now! Based on what you’ve discovered you should have a specific profile of your group and the kind of play you’re looking for. It’s one thing to wade through a thousand comedies. It’s another thing to look for a one-act large cast abstract comedy. I would suggest using web searches over flipping through catalogues. You’re going to be able to do an advanced search online. For example on the Theatrefolk Search page you’re able to filter out plays by grade, length, gender breakdown, cast size, and genre. NOTE: Need some help narrowing down your options? Try Theatrefolk's free Play Concierge Service! Answer a few quick questions about what you're looking for and we'll send you a handpicked list of perusal plays chosen specifically for you! BUT WAIT… What happens if you do all this and you don’t find a play? Or you find a play that doesn’t fit the recipe? Well, unfortunately play choosing is not an exact science. You can come up with a formula and there will always be an anomaly. But following this formula will never be a lost cause. Look at all the information you’ve gathered about your interests, your theatre group, and what you can access – don’t lose it! Knowing who you are and what you have is important. It can help you crystallize what you might need or want in the future. All the best with your search. Happy reading.