I was fortunate enough to have done only one show in High School. I didn't start doing community theater until 25 years after high school but since then I've done about 35 community theater shows in about 11 years. It is my hobby and I love it.

   That being said there were a number of experience from high school that may be worth considering.
Generally I felt that there were way too many rehersals . Kids that age, although lacking in experience, greatly make up for it it energy and spirit and absorb things much more quickly. I can recall being boared a lot of the time. If your rehersals are efficent and well organized the kids will do it on a much shorter schedule.

   Another thing I seem to remember was the director ( a teacher, that I assume you are too ) not really giving enough responsibility for the production to the students. Everything, as I remember, seemed to be under the directors close scrutiney and there was very little of "spreading out" of responsibility to students. That unquestionably "slowed" thing down too. It's suprising what can happen when you give more responsibility to students....

Another thing to consider.... I noticed in your schedule that rehersals were only during the weekdays from 7 to 9 or 10. Don't you think students might be a little tired at that time? And possibly conserned about getting their homework done? Is it against the rules to have rehersal on Saturday or Sunday? Personally I have always prefered weekend rehersals as I am rested and much less tired after being at work all day. Possibly students might feel the same?

And the final thing to say : Is the show "Their" show or "Your" show. If the students do a good show, ( For YOUR sake ) but don't learn anything ... was it really worth doing at all? That is, are you doing a show which challenges them and makes them learn something and inspires them or just a show where some of your friends afterward say ( and possible the Principal)... Oh! That was a nice show! So that you are really just trying to make yourself look good?    

   
   

I work with kids a lot and  my career requires me to work 2 nights a week which cuts into rehearsal time.  Do you call the whole cast for all rehearsals?  I never call the whole cast until we begin running acts or they are learning a whole cast scene.

Music Man D:

    I seem to hear from what you say you have "no help" with these students. Yet from other responses I seem to hear that you've been around the community theater circuit a bit. Don't you possibly think that some of these community theater people, who you probably know, who have tons of experiences would be willing to help you out if you asked them? I've done over 35 community theater shows and I know people who have done over 300. I think the help is out there if you look for it. And many community theater people would be glad to lend a hand , free of charge. Unless , of course , you WANT to be the big fish in the small pond.

NDTenor: That is the second time you have come into my thread and questioned my motives. I simply don't appreciate it. To be frank, I've read a lot of your posts on this site, and you consistently present yourself as an actor who believes his own views are superior to the director's. You consider a director who takes time to teach inexperienced actors to be a "tyrant" and refuse to accept direction unless it is from the author himself. You've even said you would quit a show over artistic differences. Why on earth, then, should I give any prudence to anything you've had to say?

Here is my situation- we lived in this community when I was growing up, but moved away 15 years ago. I graduated high school, finished college, then taught band and choir several years in another school two hours away. Got a better job here and was handed the director's post for the drama department. Although I did a dozen shows with the community theatre here from 1989 to 1997, after we moved I did another few dozen with school, community, and professional theatre groups around the state. Now I'm back, and plan to get involved with the CT again (in fact, they are auditioning for their first summer show on April 30, and I plan to be there), but truth be told, I only know one person still involved with the group. Once I begin to build more relationships, you can bet I will be utilizing those resources.

These two shows this year have been the first time I've been the sole director. I've been the musical director, assistant director, co-director, and I even directed a few one act plays, but these two shows have been my first experiences as DIRECTOR.

I am finding parents and older students to be incredibly useful. Our stage manager is a senior that I have found incredibly helpful. For the musical, he came up to me two weeks before the production and offered his help- he solved several strange issues for me (a vacuum cleaner that had to explode, creative ways to dress the set, etc). For the play, I had him on board from the beginning, along with a senior student director and a senior who was doing set design as his drama class project. We outlined the entire show and set them loose on it. I still had to be around to help and supervise, but those students made the show work. Parents: I have a FANTASTIC mother of a junior (thank the lord, she also has an eighth grade son, so I'll keep her for four more years) who not only feeds the kids every show night, but is a professional face painter. The play was a fairy tale-themed show, so she did almost the entire cast's makeup.

With every show, I make notes, both mental and physical, to improve the shows in the future. I get new ideas and learn from the past, often changing what I do to see if certain things are necessary. For example, the musical had a regimented rehearsal calendar that I found to be bulky, so I tried the play with a much more fluid schedule. Next year, the regimented calendar comes back because I didn't like how the more flexible schedule worked. That's why I'm here- to learn from others' experience.

Toward that end, Rorgg and Theatermama, thank you for your great suggestions. We do have a couple of active college theatre programs around, and I hadn't even though about utilizing those resources.

Edited by MusicManD - 3/28/11 at 6:02pm

See, I don't mind delegating some tasks, but I also don't mind doing them myself. The whole process is really fun. Things continue to fall through the cracks- I need to figure out a really reliable way to publicize, for example- but I get better every time. I love theatre, and had my family stayed in this community through my high school graduation, I very likely would have majored in theatre rather than in music. Having this opportunity to indulge in and share my love of the stage with my students is simply priceless.