From Audition to Curtain Call: Directing Youth Theatre

Created by Steven Stack

Directing youth theatre can be one of the most thrilling, rewarding, and exhausting jobs there is – because it’s not just about staging a play. It’s about creating an environment that fosters hard work, dedication, trust, and the willingness to take chances, to “play without fear.”

As a writer/teacher/director of youth theatre for over 15 years, I have developed tools and strategies that enable my students and me to focus on the process of creating theatre while fostering an environment that leads to creative freedom and a cohesive groups that doesn't act as individual “stars,” but as a community of one.

In this course, I will share with you these tips and strategies, along with the ways to implement them in your theatre environment.

Lesson 0: Introduction 5:30 FREE PREVIEW
Lesson 1: Setting Up for Success 6:19 FREE PREVIEW
Learn the four basic pre rehearsal steps that will help you set yourself up for success.
Lesson 2: The Five Keys 9:00
The five key concepts that are important to communicate to your actors. From memorizing lines, to dealing with stage fright, these ideas are vital.
Lesson 3: All About Auditions 13:41
Basic types of auditions you can hold, things to say to the students before the audition starts, what to focus on during the audition, casting your show, and dealing with the aftermath of casting.
Lesson 4: Check In / Check Out 8:14
Learn about these group sharing tools: check-ins and check-outs, that help actors feel connected, valued and part of a community.
Lesson 5: The First Rehearsal 12:08
This module steps your through your first rehearsal including introductions, warm-ups, schedules, actor expectation, and setting up your rehearsal environment.
Lesson 6: Rehearsal Games 9:55
Five games that will help your cast warm up, restore focus and energy, aid character development and have fun!
Lesson 7: Blocking Your Show 10:26
Blocking: what it is, various methods, and how long it should take. You’ll even get a mock scene to practice what you’ve learned.
Lesson 8: Character Bios 9:57
Learn what makes up a character bio and how they help your actors to see their characters as living, breathing, beings and not just characters on the page. This module will even give you a template to use.
Lesson 9: How To Deal With The Things You Want NOT To Deal With 10:17
Issues arise in every production. Here you’ll learn how to deal with everything from actors not off book, to scheduling conflicts and actors dropping out of the show.
Lesson 10: The Show and Curtain Call 6:43
You and your actors have done the work, built the connections, and now it’s time to show the audience this world that you have spent all your time creating.

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