I’ve produced plays and musicals for more than a decade, and like the Allstate commercial says, “I know a thing or two because I’ve seen a thing or two.” I may not have all of the answers to every theatrical problem, but my experiences have granted me a bit of wisdom when it comes to preparing play productions and motivating actors.

1. PRODUCE SHOWS THAT YOU LOVE

The fact is, if you’re not excited about a show, your actors will pick up on this regardless of what you say or how much you pretend to be happy. If you’re collaborating with someone, you can’t compromise you’re feelings if you’re the director. I once tried not to let cast and crew know how I felt about a show, but regardless of how hard I pretended to be happy, they knew my heart wasn’t in it. Many still loved the show and talk about it to this day, but others felt exactly as I did and have told me they knew even though I never verbalized my feelings. This leads to my second point, creating a theatre family.

2. CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE PEOPLE WANT TO BE

Lead by example. As director, you’re the  moral and emotional compass of the show, guiding cast and crew more by example than by your words in terms of what is and isn’t acceptable behavior. If the director shows up to rehearsal moody and expressing grievances, cast and crew will take this as a cue and follow suit. There is an old theater adage: Leave your dirty shoes at the door. Sure actors can use emotions to guide their character, but showing up for rehearsal should be fun, not a chore to be dreaded. Try having warm ups that allow your actors to release stress as well as get warmed up and into character.

Remember that for young actors, this is a social event for them. Many may have never been in a performance before, and you will need to lead by example how you want them to act. Instead of showing frustration at their inexperience, demonstrate your happiness to be there, teach them theater etiquette, and provide time outside of rehearsal to speak privately with them if necessary. If you have a student director be sure and teach them your ways. Also, never make crew feel “less than”. I worked with someone who did this once, and it infuriated me. Make sure that all roles and crew members know that they are important, needed, and welcome. Also, avoid calling your production party a cast party.

3. WORDS MATTER

When trying to quiet down cast or crew, I never use the words “shut up.” Doing this will throw up a negative barrier and kill any good vibes previously created. There are a multitude of other ways to quiet off stage (or even on stage)cast/crew. My personal preference is to snap my fingers and/Or say quiet onstage/in the wings / in the house/on deck. Let them know what your quiet cue is, and anything beyond that lets them know that they weren’t paying attention.

4. DROP HINTS ON FUTURE PRODUCTION TITLES

Try to do this a year in advance. If they know that you’re excited about a show,they will be too!  Building anticipation gives them a chance to prepare amazing auditions or decide what crew position they would like to join. This will also give you more time to prepare for shows. Many times when preparing for a current show I have seen ideas that would work well in an upcoming show. Not only does this save me from a time crunch later, it sometimes allows me to find the supplies that I want at a better cost. Near the end of each school year after striking my final production, I typically start working on the next year’s productions: ordering scripts, ascertaining royalties, looking for or creating set/props/costumes, advertising, etc…

5. ADVERTISE

If you work hard on a production, you’ll want to make sure that you have an audience. Knowing production titles in advance allows me to advertise more productively. I can make sure that my events appear in the next year’s school and community calendars. Email local schools advance notice of student matinees allows them time to arrange to come.  Wait until the last minute to send invites could result in less than ideal attendance. Word of mouth advertising is great, but it shouldn’t be the primary means of advertising.

6. INVOLVE STUDENTS IN AS MANY ASPECTS OF THE SHOW AS POSSIBLE

The more involved students are in shows, the more ownership they’ll have of it, leading to a sense of pride in their work.  More opportunities to participate also helps them see how productions run. Once students are trained well enough, they can train other students. Doing this and guiding them as they grow from year to year will help them to be better prepared for college, community, and professional theatre.

Also, their participation will ultimately help to reduce your workload. Just make sure that you are supervising their work to avoid problems, and don’t give them so much freedom that it eventually causes problems. My students know that as director/producer, I have the final say in every decision, and if they stray this vision or don’t get decisions approved, they may lose certain job privileges.

IN CONCLUSION

Directing and producing plays has its challenges, but when you approach it with a plan, play productions aren’t as overwhelming.  I am the sole person in my department, so as the only adult in charge, I find that having highly motivated students makes my job easier and more fun.  By producing shows that you love and creating an environment where people want to be, you’ll find that your work atmosphere feels a lot less like work.  Making sure that people know about your productions and that you want students involved will help your shows thrive.

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