Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board: First time directing: part of a show

Author

Message

Rorgg
Celebrity

Joined: 2/10/09
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 151

Topic: First time directing: part of a show
Posted: 2/11/09 at 12:49pm

So I was recently approached about directing a short one-act play that will be part of a collection of one-acts. I'm not sure which of the scripts I'll end up with yet, but it's going to only be about a 10-minute show with a small cast of 3 to 6.

It'll be auditioned along with the other one-acts, plus another show the company's putting on, and then we'll somehow pull our cast from that, and get 1 night a week rehearsals for about 3 months (seems like plenty of time) then combine with the rest of the show for tech rehearsals before it goes up.

I assume there's not much I can do until I choose/am assigned a script, but once I have that in hand, I'm looking for any advice for getting started. I don't think I'll have an actual SM, but the producer's offered any help needed in that direction.

IP Logged

KEB54
Celebrity

Joined: 7/24/08
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 227

Posted: 2/11/09 at 6:01pm

Well, it sounds like a fun project.

I think your rehearsal period is kind of problematic with a 10-minute show and one night rehearsal a week for 3 months. Assuming that you have 3 hours per night, I don't know how you're going to let it progress organically. I mean you have to let the actors go away and absorb and practice some of it and then come back to rehearse (as in "re - hear"). I would rather see one hour a night for three nights a week rather than one three-hour block. I mean, in one hour you can run the entire play twice a night with notes and discussions.

Are the actors going to be cast in multiple plays? You have to coordinate with the other directors so that you can vary types and size of roles for each actor cast.

There is going to have to be one director that coordinates/directs the production as a whole. He/she's going to have a vision. Make sure that you share and understand that vision. Is there a common theme? Is it a circus theme with 3-rings? Are all the plays by the same author? Will there be intermissions between each play? That is something you can do now before you know what script you're directing.

That may include set pieces and lighting. Are you going to have a bare stage with set pieces? Are there certain color themes? Drops? Flats? Platforms/levels?

As far as a SM, it has been my experience that there is one SM for the production and not individual plays.

So ask the main director or the producer about the production as a whole and what his/her vision is. Your question may help him to focus and you may be able to help with some creative ideas.

KEB

IP Logged

greenphoenix
Star
Star

Joined: 1/21/09
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 52

Posted: 2/12/09 at 1:00am

My first time directing was in a very similar situation.

I would request a script ASAP so you can start brainstorming. If there is one of the plays in particular that speaks to you, there's no harm in requesting that one for yourself.

I, too, am a little concerned about the "one night a week" thing. It's hard to build momentum that way. Is there any way you could do two nights a week? Or maybe have a split night with one of the other directors (an hour and a half each)?

One of the challenges will be having good communication/cooperation with the other directors. Having a meeting with all of you together would be wise at the start. The set and lighting will have to be flexible enough to accommodate all your needs. Is there a set piece or interim music that can be used to "tie" all the shows together? We used a large mobile picture window that was repositioned for each short play.

Also, are you sharing cast members or having entirely independent casts?

It should be fun if you have a script you like and get enthusiastic actors. Best of luck!

P.S.- I would definitely recruit someone to be your SM if the overall show doesn't have one.

IP Logged

Rorgg
Celebrity

Joined: 2/10/09
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 151

Posted: 2/12/09 at 4:34pm

Lots of good suggestions and questions, a few of which I have some answers to:

As far as I know, actors may be cast in multiple plays, but it will be avoided if possible, to get participation as wide as possible. There's a distinct possibility (probability) however, that the various mini-directors will appear in each other's one-acts.

The final one-act is much longer than the other three, and I think the director of that will be acting as the overall coordinator for the show. Two of the three short plays have been selected, and they're by the same author, as is at least one of the scripts under consideration for the third, I've read all of those already to become familiar with them.

There will be an intermission between the three short plays and the longer one. The long one at the end is essentially a bare stage, I know. As for the short pieces, I've been told that a set can be built "within reason" -- there's an existing one with a couple levels that I believe will still be around for that show (if it survives, that'd make the 4th show running on that stage for that set, with changes).

One night a week may be all I can get to at least at the start -- I'm acting in another production through April myself. I figured that still gave a good 5-6 weeks to pick up the tempo before the show goes up.

Like I said, there's a significant chance of cross-polination of the mini-directors ending up in each others' shows, maybe if there's a reciporical casting, we could work something out.

There will be a live musician to tie the bits together throughout the show.

Thanks again for the suggestions so far.

IP Logged

Rorgg
Celebrity

Joined: 2/10/09
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 151

Posted: 6/16/09 at 9:14am

Thought I might pop in here and just report back what happened, and share some lessons learned.

I did, in fact, get to choose my piece. I took the shortest of the available plays, a little piece called "The Tragical Tale of Melissa McHiney McNormous McWhale" by Walter Wykes:

http://www.10-minute-plays.com/comedies/tragical_tale_of_melissa.html

It's essentially a little poem that's very Seussian in its rhythm and a little Seuss for the Grownups in its sensibility. I went with a very kind of cartoonish feel for it, in the set and staging, and I think it went well. We opened Friday, and it got an enthusiastic response from the crowd.

The overall experience has been positive. To get a little more participation, I actually cast the full 12 roles (including a couple that were only 1 line) and use the smaller bits more visually. With 12 people doing a 6-minute show, as you can guess, I didn't see a need for tons of rehearsal time. I had the 6 bigger parts on essentially once a week for an hour at a time from March, then in May, I brought in the smaller parts, and started gluing everything together. Since there was a lot of shared casting between the shows, we shared rehearsal nights, but I still only went once a week until tech.

I don't think we ended up needing an overall director. Since I was cast in two of the other three shows, and the director of the fourth was in my cast (as Melissa herself, in fact), I was actually able to keep pretty good tabs on everything between the shows in terms of anything the directors needed to discuss. What we DID need, however, and didn't have was an overall Stage Manager. I felt the lack both as we approached tech week and I had almost no set yet, and nobody to run my lighting and sound through, and during the week and run, as it's been a challenge to keep everything moving tightly.

The cast and producers have done a good job filling the holes and making it happen, but it's just one of those things that could have been much easier, if there'd been someone dedicated to the task.

I'll deny this if anyone asks me to my face, but by the end of it, I sort of enjoyed the directing process, since I felt like I sort of had an idea of what I was doing by then, and I could stop fretting from week to week what I'd come up with to say (and have them do) for that hour. An hour doesn't seem like much, but when the piece runs in 6 minutes, there's plenty of time to fill. Given the choice, I'd still prefer to act, but I've grudgingly agreed to be a last-option director for the fall production if they do a script I'm helping a friend with.

So, that's about it. Oh -- there are some pictures available:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=22068&id=1547246014&l=8404618055

The big gold thing hanging from the ceiling is a part of the "50-foot statue with an ass that appears to be coming right at you" -- it actually swings down. That's a winner with the crowd, as is the UFO with Tom Cruise on it, but I didn't get a shot of that, unfortunately.

IP Logged

greenphoenix
Star
Star

Joined: 1/21/09
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 52

Posted: 6/16/09 at 9:45pm

Darn, I couldn't find the pictures. The address didn't work for me. Can you make a clickable link on this forum? I don't know if that's possible here.

Anyway, it's nice to hear it worked out well.

IP Logged

Rorgg
Celebrity

Joined: 2/10/09
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 151

Posted: 6/17/09 at 4:42pm

Try this:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=22068&id=1547246014&l=8404618055

IP Logged

Directing
Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board :Producing Theater :Directing

Author	Message
Rorgg Celebrity Joined: 2/10/09 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 151	Topic: First time directing: part of a show Posted: 2/11/09 at 12:49pm
	So I was recently approached about directing a short one-act play that will be part of a collection of one-acts. I'm not sure which of the scripts I'll end up with yet, but it's going to only be about a 10-minute show with a small cast of 3 to 6. It'll be auditioned along with the other one-acts, plus another show the company's putting on, and then we'll somehow pull our cast from that, and get 1 night a week rehearsals for about 3 months (seems like plenty of time) then combine with the rest of the show for tech rehearsals before it goes up. I assume there's not much I can do until I choose/am assigned a script, but once I have that in hand, I'm looking for any advice for getting started. I don't think I'll have an actual SM, but the producer's offered any help needed in that direction.

	IP Logged

KEB54 Celebrity Joined: 7/24/08 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 227	Posted: 2/11/09 at 6:01pm
	Well, it sounds like a fun project. I think your rehearsal period is kind of problematic with a 10-minute show and one night rehearsal a week for 3 months. Assuming that you have 3 hours per night, I don't know how you're going to let it progress organically. I mean you have to let the actors go away and absorb and practice some of it and then come back to rehearse (as in "re - hear"). I would rather see one hour a night for three nights a week rather than one three-hour block. I mean, in one hour you can run the entire play twice a night with notes and discussions. Are the actors going to be cast in multiple plays? You have to coordinate with the other directors so that you can vary types and size of roles for each actor cast. There is going to have to be one director that coordinates/directs the production as a whole. He/she's going to have a vision. Make sure that you share and understand that vision. Is there a common theme? Is it a circus theme with 3-rings? Are all the plays by the same author? Will there be intermissions between each play? That is something you can do now before you know what script you're directing. That may include set pieces and lighting. Are you going to have a bare stage with set pieces? Are there certain color themes? Drops? Flats? Platforms/levels? As far as a SM, it has been my experience that there is one SM for the production and not individual plays. So ask the main director or the producer about the production as a whole and what his/her vision is. Your question may help him to focus and you may be able to help with some creative ideas.
	KEB
	IP Logged

greenphoenix Star Joined: 1/21/09 Online Status: Offline Posts: 52	Posted: 2/12/09 at 1:00am
	My first time directing was in a very similar situation. I would request a script ASAP so you can start brainstorming. If there is one of the plays in particular that speaks to you, there's no harm in requesting that one for yourself. I, too, am a little concerned about the "one night a week" thing. It's hard to build momentum that way. Is there any way you could do two nights a week? Or maybe have a split night with one of the other directors (an hour and a half each)? One of the challenges will be having good communication/cooperation with the other directors. Having a meeting with all of you together would be wise at the start. The set and lighting will have to be flexible enough to accommodate all your needs. Is there a set piece or interim music that can be used to "tie" all the shows together? We used a large mobile picture window that was repositioned for each short play. Also, are you sharing cast members or having entirely independent casts? It should be fun if you have a script you like and get enthusiastic actors. Best of luck! P.S.- I would definitely recruit someone to be your SM if the overall show doesn't have one.
	IP Logged

Rorgg Celebrity Joined: 2/10/09 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 151	Posted: 2/12/09 at 4:34pm
	Lots of good suggestions and questions, a few of which I have some answers to: As far as I know, actors may be cast in multiple plays, but it will be avoided if possible, to get participation as wide as possible. There's a distinct possibility (probability) however, that the various mini-directors will appear in each other's one-acts. The final one-act is much longer than the other three, and I think the director of that will be acting as the overall coordinator for the show. Two of the three short plays have been selected, and they're by the same author, as is at least one of the scripts under consideration for the third, I've read all of those already to become familiar with them. There will be an intermission between the three short plays and the longer one. The long one at the end is essentially a bare stage, I know. As for the short pieces, I've been told that a set can be built "within reason" -- there's an existing one with a couple levels that I believe will still be around for that show (if it survives, that'd make the 4th show running on that stage for that set, with changes). One night a week may be all I can get to at least at the start -- I'm acting in another production through April myself. I figured that still gave a good 5-6 weeks to pick up the tempo before the show goes up. Like I said, there's a significant chance of cross-polination of the mini-directors ending up in each others' shows, maybe if there's a reciporical casting, we could work something out. There will be a live musician to tie the bits together throughout the show. Thanks again for the suggestions so far.
	IP Logged

Rorgg Celebrity Joined: 2/10/09 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 151	Posted: 6/16/09 at 9:14am
	Thought I might pop in here and just report back what happened, and share some lessons learned. I did, in fact, get to choose my piece. I took the shortest of the available plays, a little piece called "The Tragical Tale of Melissa McHiney McNormous McWhale" by Walter Wykes: http://www.10-minute-plays.com/comedies/tragical_tale_of_melissa.html It's essentially a little poem that's very Seussian in its rhythm and a little Seuss for the Grownups in its sensibility. I went with a very kind of cartoonish feel for it, in the set and staging, and I think it went well. We opened Friday, and it got an enthusiastic response from the crowd. The overall experience has been positive. To get a little more participation, I actually cast the full 12 roles (including a couple that were only 1 line) and use the smaller bits more visually. With 12 people doing a 6-minute show, as you can guess, I didn't see a need for tons of rehearsal time. I had the 6 bigger parts on essentially once a week for an hour at a time from March, then in May, I brought in the smaller parts, and started gluing everything together. Since there was a lot of shared casting between the shows, we shared rehearsal nights, but I still only went once a week until tech. I don't think we ended up needing an overall director. Since I was cast in two of the other three shows, and the director of the fourth was in my cast (as Melissa herself, in fact), I was actually able to keep pretty good tabs on everything between the shows in terms of anything the directors needed to discuss. What we DID need, however, and didn't have was an overall Stage Manager. I felt the lack both as we approached tech week and I had almost no set yet, and nobody to run my lighting and sound through, and during the week and run, as it's been a challenge to keep everything moving tightly. The cast and producers have done a good job filling the holes and making it happen, but it's just one of those things that could have been much easier, if there'd been someone dedicated to the task. I'll deny this if anyone asks me to my face, but by the end of it, I sort of enjoyed the directing process, since I felt like I sort of had an idea of what I was doing by then, and I could stop fretting from week to week what I'd come up with to say (and have them do) for that hour. An hour doesn't seem like much, but when the piece runs in 6 minutes, there's plenty of time to fill. Given the choice, I'd still prefer to act, but I've grudgingly agreed to be a last-option director for the fall production if they do a script I'm helping a friend with. So, that's about it. Oh -- there are some pictures available: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=22068&id=1547246014&l=8404618055 The big gold thing hanging from the ceiling is a part of the "50-foot statue with an ass that appears to be coming right at you" -- it actually swings down. That's a winner with the crowd, as is the UFO with Tom Cruise on it, but I didn't get a shot of that, unfortunately.
	IP Logged

greenphoenix Star Joined: 1/21/09 Online Status: Offline Posts: 52	Posted: 6/16/09 at 9:45pm
	Darn, I couldn't find the pictures. The address didn't work for me. Can you make a clickable link on this forum? I don't know if that's possible here. Anyway, it's nice to hear it worked out well.
	IP Logged

Rorgg Celebrity Joined: 2/10/09 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 151	Posted: 6/17/09 at 4:42pm
	Try this: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=22068&id=1547246014&l=8404618055
	IP Logged

Topic: First time directing: part of a show( Topic Closed)