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
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