Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board: Play reading committee

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GoldCanyonLady
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Topic: Play reading committee
Posted: 5/03/07 at 4:40pm

How does your play reading committee work?

How often do they meet and how do they conduct the meeting? Also how many are on the committee?

Who picks the plays to read? And how are the season's plays (play) selected.

I am just curious as to how other groups do this.
Barb

Barb Hofmeister,
MountainBrook Village Players, Gold Canyon, Arizona.

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Nanette
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Posted: 5/03/07 at 6:32pm

Right now I am the play reading committee, but in the future I will ask for up to 5 people (3 adults and 2 children ~ we're a children's theatre) to sit on the committee. We will have our "next season" selected before the prior season ends.

All of our plays are literature based. I have asked for suggestions from my actors and try to find scripts based on books they've read and liked. I try and get 2-3 scripts for each title and find the one that best fits our abilities. Sometimes that means we have to put away a script until they've developed more as actors.

We try to do one "boy" play (something that will get more boys into our theatre), a holiday show, and then two others. One show I like to have a large cast, but the rest I'm trying to get smaller casts (about 9) with whom we might be able to develop stronger characters with my more talented actors.

Hope that helps.

In a world of margarine, be butter!

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Kathy S
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Posted: 5/04/07 at 1:52am

We will periodically schedule a reading of a play that somebody is interested in the group becoming familiar with. Usually it is something that one of the people really likes and thinks we could produce. We will publicize that we are having a reading and invite anybody who wants to come and read a part or just listen. Everybody brings food and its pretty much fun. The last time we did this we had a group of 60-70ish women attend. I think they thought they were just coming to listen, but we didn't have enough people show up to read parts and they were pressed into service. They really enjoyed it and laughed a lot which was how we decided that it was a good choice for us to try -- until then we were hesitant about the play because we didn't know if our typical audience member would find it funny, or find it offensive. It really served our purpose that time.

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B-M-D
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Posted: 5/04/07 at 12:24pm

We have play reading committee of 5 that's elected by our membership in August. About a month or so before we solicit our membership for play submissions. We usually get 30 to 50 submissions. The play reading committee reads the plays (all have to be read by at least 3 of the 5 members), meet as necessary and cuts the list to 12 to be considered for our 4 show season. In February we have a membership meeting where 10 min scenes are presented from each script followed by 5 min of discussion after each one. The membership then votes for the for shows they'd like to see and the top 4 vote getters comprise the following season. It has to be a balanced season (can't have 4 Neil Simon comedies in one season). There are various contingency rules for ties and determining if the season is balanced but all in all it works well and is a fun and entertaining Sunday afternoon.

"Dying is easy, comedy is hard."

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GoldCanyonLady
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Posted: 5/07/07 at 9:57am

Thanks B-M-D. That helped. I can't believe that no one else responded to this question, but I am glad that you did.
Barb

Barb Hofmeister,
MountainBrook Village Players, Gold Canyon, Arizona.

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POB14
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Posted: 5/07/07 at 2:52pm

The theatres with which I have been associated have always kept their playreading methods a deep, dark secret, and have never let me sit on such a committee (probably because they know my tastes!), so I can't help.

POB
Old Bugger, Curmudgeon, and Antisocial B**tard

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Aimee
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Posted: 5/07/07 at 6:41pm

Committee?? I am handed the script and told...here this is waht we are doing....now design the set.

As TD I would love to be apart of that process!

I am trying to get the director (who is the committee) to let me see the last few choices before the decision is made (cross my fingers/pray/beg/plead) what ever works!

Aimee

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dougb
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Posted: 5/08/07 at 11:36am

I decide our season. I usually review it with our board but the final decision is mine. Several times a year I get inquiries from other directors who want to do their favorite play - or want me to direct them in their favorite. About every two years the right combination of play, director, vision come together and I let someone do their own project. I also get a lot of requests for book-ins but if I don't know the people involved, I usually pass on it.

Putting the right season together is a lot more than just picking the requisite number of plays.

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timokay
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Posted: 5/08/07 at 2:54pm

As TD, I made only one request for next season.

Please, please, please, no early 1900's period settings. The last five sets I have built have been turn of the century, victorian, period interiors and exteriors.

If I have to do one more I will go nuts.

I am begging for something medieval, or better yet, outside sets. I wanna build a forest setting, or a castle, or even something contemporary.

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pdavis69
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Posted: 5/16/07 at 11:38am

Our theatre tried a new technique for our selections this year. Prior to the committe meeting, the chairman polled the entire membership and patrons for suggestions on next season. The committe was open to all playhouse members. In order to be in on the final vote each member had to attend 5 (i think) meetings and report on 5 shows. There were eight meetings held. In the first meeting we whittled the initial list of shows down to about 40 that would be do-able in our house. The final meeting was the vote meeting. We ended up with what I believe is a great season.

Patrick L. Davis
Fort Findlay Playhouse

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Topic: Play reading committee( Topic Closed)
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Author	Message
GoldCanyonLady Celebrity Joined: 2/05/05 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 172	Topic: Play reading committee Posted: 5/03/07 at 4:40pm
	How does your play reading committee work? How often do they meet and how do they conduct the meeting? Also how many are on the committee? Who picks the plays to read? And how are the season's plays (play) selected. I am just curious as to how other groups do this. Barb
	Barb Hofmeister, MountainBrook Village Players, Gold Canyon, Arizona.

	IP Logged

Nanette Celebrity Joined: 8/01/06 Online Status: Offline Posts: 399	Posted: 5/03/07 at 6:32pm
	Right now I am the play reading committee, but in the future I will ask for up to 5 people (3 adults and 2 children ~ we're a children's theatre) to sit on the committee. We will have our "next season" selected before the prior season ends. All of our plays are literature based. I have asked for suggestions from my actors and try to find scripts based on books they've read and liked. I try and get 2-3 scripts for each title and find the one that best fits our abilities. Sometimes that means we have to put away a script until they've developed more as actors. We try to do one "boy" play (something that will get more boys into our theatre), a holiday show, and then two others. One show I like to have a large cast, but the rest I'm trying to get smaller casts (about 9) with whom we might be able to develop stronger characters with my more talented actors. Hope that helps.
	In a world of margarine, be butter!
	IP Logged

Kathy S Celebrity Joined: 8/21/04 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 303	Posted: 5/04/07 at 1:52am
	We will periodically schedule a reading of a play that somebody is interested in the group becoming familiar with. Usually it is something that one of the people really likes and thinks we could produce. We will publicize that we are having a reading and invite anybody who wants to come and read a part or just listen. Everybody brings food and its pretty much fun. The last time we did this we had a group of 60-70ish women attend. I think they thought they were just coming to listen, but we didn't have enough people show up to read parts and they were pressed into service. They really enjoyed it and laughed a lot which was how we decided that it was a good choice for us to try -- until then we were hesitant about the play because we didn't know if our typical audience member would find it funny, or find it offensive. It really served our purpose that time.
	IP Logged

B-M-D Celebrity Joined: 11/03/05 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 346	Posted: 5/04/07 at 12:24pm
	We have play reading committee of 5 that's elected by our membership in August. About a month or so before we solicit our membership for play submissions. We usually get 30 to 50 submissions. The play reading committee reads the plays (all have to be read by at least 3 of the 5 members), meet as necessary and cuts the list to 12 to be considered for our 4 show season. In February we have a membership meeting where 10 min scenes are presented from each script followed by 5 min of discussion after each one. The membership then votes for the for shows they'd like to see and the top 4 vote getters comprise the following season. It has to be a balanced season (can't have 4 Neil Simon comedies in one season). There are various contingency rules for ties and determining if the season is balanced but all in all it works well and is a fun and entertaining Sunday afternoon.
	BD "Dying is easy, comedy is hard."
	IP Logged

GoldCanyonLady Celebrity Joined: 2/05/05 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 172	Posted: 5/07/07 at 9:57am
	Thanks B-M-D. That helped. I can't believe that no one else responded to this question, but I am glad that you did. Barb
	Barb Hofmeister, MountainBrook Village Players, Gold Canyon, Arizona.
	IP Logged

POB14 Celebrity Joined: 7/01/05 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 349	Posted: 5/07/07 at 2:52pm
	The theatres with which I have been associated have always kept their playreading methods a deep, dark secret, and have never let me sit on such a committee (probably because they know my tastes!), so I can't help.
	POB Old Bugger, Curmudgeon, and Antisocial B**tard
	IP Logged

Aimee Celebrity Joined: 8/31/04 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 156	Posted: 5/07/07 at 6:41pm
	Committee?? I am handed the script and told...here this is waht we are doing....now design the set. As TD I would love to be apart of that process! I am trying to get the director (who is the committee) to let me see the last few choices before the decision is made (cross my fingers/pray/beg/plead) what ever works!
	Aimee
	IP Logged

dougb Celebrity Joined: 3/30/04 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 148	Posted: 5/08/07 at 11:36am
	I decide our season. I usually review it with our board but the final decision is mine. Several times a year I get inquiries from other directors who want to do their favorite play - or want me to direct them in their favorite. About every two years the right combination of play, director, vision come together and I let someone do their own project. I also get a lot of requests for book-ins but if I don't know the people involved, I usually pass on it. Putting the right season together is a lot more than just picking the requisite number of plays.
	IP Logged

timokay Walk-On Joined: 3/15/07 Online Status: Offline Posts: 0	Posted: 5/08/07 at 2:54pm
	As TD, I made only one request for next season. Please, please, please, no early 1900's period settings. The last five sets I have built have been turn of the century, victorian, period interiors and exteriors. If I have to do one more I will go nuts. I am begging for something medieval, or better yet, outside sets. I wanna build a forest setting, or a castle, or even something contemporary.
	IP Logged

pdavis69 Celebrity Joined: 3/26/06 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 437	Posted: 5/16/07 at 11:38am
	Our theatre tried a new technique for our selections this year. Prior to the committe meeting, the chairman polled the entire membership and patrons for suggestions on next season. The committe was open to all playhouse members. In order to be in on the final vote each member had to attend 5 (i think) meetings and report on 5 shows. There were eight meetings held. In the first meeting we whittled the initial list of shows down to about 40 that would be do-able in our house. The final meeting was the vote meeting. We ended up with what I believe is a great season.
	Patrick L. Davis Fort Findlay Playhouse
	IP Logged