musicals on a small stage
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Category: Producing Theater
Forum Name: Play Suggestions
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URL: http://www.communitytheater.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2909
Printed Date: 11/26/24 at 11:59pm
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Topic: musicals on a small stage
Posted By: magicguy
Subject: musicals on a small stage
Date Posted: 1/13/08 at 7:47am
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I am looking for musicals that can be performed on a small stage. Minimal scene changes are preferred. We will be doing the musical version of "Sleepy Hollow" this fall. It's available through Pioneer Drama Service. It's a good one. However, I am having a hard time finding others. Anyone have any suggestions?
Thanks! ------------- An actor is a sculptor who carves in snow. - Lawrence Barrett |
Replies:
Posted By: JoeMc
Date Posted: 1/13/08 at 8:43am
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"Smokey Joe's"
'Irma La Douce'
"Cabaret"
"Man of La Mancha"
"By Jeeves"
------------- [western] Gondawandaland "Hear the light & see the sound! TOI TOI CHOOKAS {may you always play to a full house!} |
Posted By: MartyW
Date Posted: 1/13/08 at 9:13am
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stage size? Fly? Wing Space? Arch/Thrust/Round??? ------------- Marty W "Till next we trod the boards.." |
Posted By: DWolfman
Date Posted: 1/13/08 at 11:22am
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"The Fantasticks"
http://www.mtishows.com/show_home.asp?ID=000035 - http://www.mtishows.com/show_home.asp?ID=000035
"La Vie Ennui"
http://www.dramaticpublishing.com/product_info.php?products_id=791 - http://www.dramaticpublishing.com/product_info.php?products_id=791 ------------- Even a man who is pure of heart... |
Posted By: B-M-D
Date Posted: 1/13/08 at 2:29pm
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We have a postage stamp and odd shaped stage with no fly space or conventional wing space and we've done The Secret Garden, Godspell and Red Hot & Cole to name a few. ------------- BD 
"Dying is easy, comedy is hard." |
Posted By: SherrieAnne
Date Posted: 1/13/08 at 9:44pm
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GODSPELL is designed for a small space. The NUNSENSE shows don't take a lot of room, either - we did NUNSENSE II on a tiny platform stage, with some use of the floor in what would have been the pit in a conventional theatre. It's all in how you stage it, though - one of the local companies did SOUND OF MUSIC and THE MUSIC MAN on a miniscule stage with no wings to speak of, and another, which works in a converted train station with NO wings, a small playing area and next to NO backstage space did SWEENEY TODD and SHENANDOAH (and just recently A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC). ------------- There's a little bit of diva in all of us. Some just have a larger helping than others. |
Posted By: pdavis69
Date Posted: 1/14/08 at 8:34am
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Please don't limit yourself. We have a rather small thrust stage. 20' at the peak of the thrust and 42' wide. We have zero wing or fly space. We do shows of all sizes on there. If you are looking for one set musicals don't overlook Somethings Afoot. One set and great fun for the fx people in your company. ------------- Patrick L. Davis Fort Findlay Playhouse |
Posted By: magicguy
Date Posted: 1/14/08 at 9:50am
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Thanks for your replies. I have a plethora of ideas now. Our stage is about 20 feet by 15 feet with no fly and almost no wing space. We have done large scale plays with many sets, but have not done any muscials. We can fit about 15 people at one time on the stage. After that, it's a bit crowded. Keep the ideas coming.
Thanks again! ------------- An actor is a sculptor who carves in snow. - Lawrence Barrett |
Posted By: oldactress
Date Posted: 1/14/08 at 10:01am
| dames at sea, you're a good man Charlie Brown, nuncrackers, company |
Posted By: tristanrobin
Date Posted: 1/14/08 at 1:10pm
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just to give you some ideas of what can take place on an 18"square proscenium stage with almost no wing or fly space... http://www.goodspeed.org/images/HighButton1.wmv - http://www.goodspeed.org/images/HighButton1.wmv http://www.goodspeed.org/images/SinginintheRain.wmv - http://www.goodspeed.org/images/SinginintheRain.wmv http://www.goodspeed.org/images/GoodMornin.wmv - http://www.goodspeed.org/images/GoodMornin.wmv http://www.goodspeed.org/images/Moses.wmv - http://www.goodspeed.org/images/Moses.wmv Don't limit yourself! You can do anything you put your mind to! Sometimes the most wonderful and exciting things can happen when given limitations and imagination has to take the place of doing what's easiest! |
Posted By: Nanette
Date Posted: 1/15/08 at 6:39am
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I agree with tristanrobin ... don't limit yourself! We work in a church with an oval stage and a choir loft. We have no wing space, no fly space, and no proper backstage area, yet we are able to produce a quality product. Remember, too, that your entire cast usually won't be onstage at once so shoot for something larger than 15 every once in a while. (We've had up to 26 in a cast.) ------------- In a world of margarine, be butter! |
Posted By: Tallsor
Date Posted: 1/15/08 at 10:28am
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A...My Name is Alice (or it's 'sequels', A...My Name is Still Alice and A...My Name Will Always Be Alice (or something like that)
I've seen The Spitfire Grill done on a teeny stage.
Angie
http://www.kcstage.com - www.kcstage.com
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Posted By: MartyW
Date Posted: 1/15/08 at 11:33am
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All good info here Magic... Remember too to try to use any other spaces... the ocational aisle, or that little space you might have done front of the stage, or whatever.. We have an old choir loft down one side of our theater, two aisles with landings.. they see a lot of action during a musical.. Also, no fly dosent always mean you cant fly some stuff either... Let the imagination soar and have fun with it.. Patrick69 can tell you many times we have put a mega show on a limited stage.. ------------- Marty W "Till next we trod the boards.." |
Posted By: JoeMc
Date Posted: 1/15/08 at 5:42pm
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No Fly loft does not mean you can't fly settings or a lighting grid.
Most small comeatres I have worked in have a stage set up below a plaster cieling.
It is not that difficult to remove the Gyprock/plaster cieling sheets above the stage area & utalise the jiosts or roof truss framing as fly space. It helps if there is an open roof viod, in most cases with 'A' frame roofs this can be quite a big unused area.
Using simple pulleys & rope lines with or without line counterweights, a low tech fly system can be achieved.
If you think outside the box, there is a lot of space available to be used.
Even adding a simple gate leg rostra to the apron of the stage & chaeting in the proscenium tormentors & leg drops to give that extra wing space.
I remember back in the 60's we removed the cieling in a building & utalised the floor above as well, for storage/fly loft.
luckily each time the jiosts ran across the stage, which made it easier for a flying grid.
with a wee bit of pre planning, the improssible is probable, making the improbable possible & perfect!
I have performed in a 'Gang Show' with a 150 in the cast, utalising covered over baine maries & servery of a hospital cafeteria, as well as other weird & wonderful venues, using a little bit of the old 'X' factor!
------------- [western] Gondawandaland "Hear the light & see the sound! TOI TOI CHOOKAS {may you always play to a full house!} |
Posted By: Aimee
Date Posted: 1/21/08 at 11:10am
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The stage we had was just a bit bigger, though not much, than yours. Small wing space and no fly space.
We've done Cinderella, Leader of the Pack, 1940's Radio hour, Bye Bye Birdie, Damn Yankees, the list goes on. I make as much as I can be double sided. I 've had wagons that had scenes on two sides so it just spun around for the next scene to save space too. I agrgee don't limit yourself just because the space is small.! ------------- Aimee |
Posted By: Ken W
Date Posted: 1/30/08 at 12:51pm
| Our stage is rather small, but we have done "Music Man", "Anything Goes" and right now are rehearsing "Jesus Christ Superstar". The sets have to be either minimal or very creative, but it can be done. Our stage is roughly 25' wide and 30' deep, and we have had 52 people dancing on it. |
Posted By: mary051756
Date Posted: 2/01/08 at 8:41am
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Our stage is about 25 W x 16 D with no wing or backstage area to speak of, and we have done Oliver, Annie Get Your Gun, Hello Dolly, The King and I, and Wizard of Oz.
We add a stage extension 4 x 24 across the front of the stage to give a little more depth.
We also made 6 3' flat sets that can be used on both sides so that we had less to store - usually 3 will convey the scene, then we just flip them around; split them up for other scenes ------------- “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” EMERSON |
Posted By: lynda gee
Date Posted: 2/02/08 at 3:07pm
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Yes, I've done "Jesus Christ Superstar," "Seussical," and even seen and done "Children of Eden" on a small stage. You do have to be really creative but that's half the fun. A fun musical with a small cast that is easily done on a small stage is "Smoke on the Mountain" and its Christmas version "A Sanders Family Christmas." There are also the small cast shows like "Forever Plaid" and "The Taffetas." |