So, I have a dilemma.  The local middle school has practically no fine arts opportunities for their kids, so my best friend graciously mentioned my name to the principle.  One thing led to another; I can't say 'no' to anyone, and WHAM!  Here I am in charge of a fall production.  Anyway, the stage is in the gym, and I can't decide whether or not I should try to mic it.  I have throughly examined the situation, and there isn't really an echo to speak of, but the sound is a tiny bit muddy--not so muddy you can't understand someone who knows how to project, just not quite crisp.  However, this being a middle school, most of my kids have probably never been on stage and won't know how to project. There is no existing sound system, so I would have to bring everything in, and there is no budget, so all equipment and labor (Damn it, Jim!  I'm a playwright, not a sound-man!) would be volunteer.  And while I am not looking a gift-horse in the mouth, charity mics don't sound so good to me (no pun intended).  So, do I take my chances with the kids and drill them with volume and diction or do I try to mic?  

I don't think you should go for mikes.  It complicates things a whole lot.  It takes a lot of experience and skill to locate mikes and speakers and all the other stuff involved.  If you do it wrong, you will have hot spots on stage, the potential for feedback and of couse picking up unwanted noise (like kids moving and talking off stage or kids shuffling their feet on stage). 

The kids need to learn the volume thing someday, why not now?  Each day sit a row further back and keep yelling "louder" - they'll get the idea.  If I am having volume trouble I get everyone attending the rehearsal to sit in the back row.  The actors catch on very quickly that they need to be heard back there.

Amen to that one!

Projection is a major issue with my high school kids. As the Tech director, I don't work with the actors until very late into the production. Very frustating to tell them not to depend on the mics when they have no idea HOW to project. 

Teach them now, you'll be better off later on.

Good luck!

I don't know....working with middle and elementary school kids for a number of years, a LOT of them will not know how to project properly. And it is difficult to get them to project and keep projecting. Let's hope there's no singing too. If there's singing, definitely get mics. I don't think that there'll be many Ethel Mermans in that middle school. 

I wouldn't mic...