Nebraska Speech Communication and Theatre Association

Some collected wisdom from Lee Meyer.

It’s that time of year, when all of us that compete in Play Production are scurrying to make a selection and work all those extra rehearsals into our schedules. I contacted a few of our colleagues that seem to have their finger on the pulse of this event. Here are their ideas about making a good choice and making it a successful experience.

From Patsy Koch Johns:

Read a lot.
Choose material you love and that you can’t wait to start working on.
Never choose a play with the lead characters already cast in your mind. It seldom works out.
Research your play. Find out what others have done.
Go to International and State Thespian Conventions.
Be will to take ideas from your students and other people.
Be willing to change.

From Jeff Nienhueser:

Look first at literary merit and then at flexibility of the script.
Look at special effects and music even though acting is the focus.
The key to rehearsing is don’t do too much. They lose interest.

From Greg Gibbs:

Two ways to choose a script:

One is to ahead with the “Field of Dreams.” The theory that students will hear about the selection and they will come to audition. Better known as the “Wish and a Prayer.”
The second way is a more athletic approach. Coaches evaluate the returning prospects and build around them. A good coach will evaluate all students who will compete for positions or roles. This method allows directors to mold the selection to the talent.

And from Carol Carraher:

I know it’s the right one act when I’m reading a script and I can’t read fast enough. And in my mind, I’m thinking “This might be it!” and I want to read faster than my brain can carry me to see if, when I get to the end, I still think,” This is it!” It’s when my heart is racing, my thoughts are racing and then, I keep ‘seeing the scenes’ in my head and dreaming of and wondering what we could do with them. That’s when I know!

The keys to rehearsing and preparing a play are: Get the kids to work hard. Work together. Be kind. Respect each other. Have a boatload of fun a long the way. As a director, never stop teaching and modeling those things to them. The rest will take care of itself.

And a final note from Patsy:

“There is no magic formula!”

Isn’t that true! I hope these ideas give all of you something to think about during this Play Production season.
Lee Meyer