Producing a Play? Read the script! Be Prepared & Keep an Open Mind!

There are no excuses for having a set without a window when there's a line in the script, "Get away from that window!".  There is no reason why a character should be wearing pants if another character comments on her skirt.  I do not understand how a props person can fail to add a coffee cup to the props' list when an actor is supposed to throw one!  I understand that mistakes happen but I am not talking about mistakes or the ONE night someone forgot something.  I am referring to the lack of commitment to take the time to read, re-read and get to know a script inside and out before mounting the show.

Many professionals plan their theatre season ahead of time by choosing the script and holding auditions ahead of time for all the shows they intend to put up.  Along with this selection process comes the reading of scripts and analyzing the details.  I do not own a theatre or have a board of directors. I do it just for fun but I still have to respect the playwright in anything I produce and do the same amount of preparatory work as "the big guys".

After selecting a script which interests me, and before holding auditions, I do three things: 
First, I purchase a journal which I will use for the sole purpose of writing ideas, putting down questions, drawing costumes or set concepts and recording the notes I give my actors once rehearsals begin. 
Secondly, I contact the theatre where I intend to mount the show and work out an opening date and start making the payments for the rights, the scripts and the stage rental.  This ensures a reserved spot for me in their busy schedule and also gives me as much time as possible in advance to make small payments towards the (otherwise "hard to swallow") amount due.
Lastly, I read the script again and again until I have a good feeling of the set & cast requirements...or until I get a headache.  Then I put the script down, sleep on it, dream about costumes, cast, set, sounds, pauses, mannerisms, music, timing and whatever pops into my head. The next day, as soon as I have a moment free, I read it again and this is what my life looks like until I hold auditions.

The best and most important part about preparing to produce a play (in my opinion) is knowing your script and the playwright's intentions AND keeping an open mind.  Once auditions start, the live actors will sound differently than the ones who have been in your head for the past several months.  Once rehearsals begin, actors will move, converse and interact differently than you had dreamed and it is important to stay open to their input and ideas.  As a director, you may have had a script on your brain and in your dreams for months but in a rehearsal, it is the actors who are living and breathing as the character you've placed them in and it is the actors who will blow YOUR mind...if you give them room to do so.

"Do or do not, there is no 'TRY'" - the Director has Absolute Power

It is so exciting to be cast in a production which has a well-known and distinguished director calling the shots.  You've heard of their name, you've researched their work and you are THRILLED to have to opporunity to work with such a passionate and dedicated artist.

I had been looking forward to working with one director in particular who in my mind's eye reminded me of Yoda - wise, experienced and it was he would teach me the ways of being a Jedi Actor!

And then, I met them.

I do not want to say that ALL directors have egos or that they think of the cast and crew of their shows as "the little people" BUT, in my experience, the directors I HAVE worked with, have been oblivious to the lifelong impression they leave and the absolute power they hold over the actors.

Many would like to assume that someone who has won many awards and has produced and directed many shows all over the world, would be passionate about theatre, would be caring towards their actors and would want to teach AND learn from them.  This is not always the case.

I cannot stress enough how heartbreaking it is to hear a Director say, "you're doing fine."
I don't WANT to do FINE I want to do GREAT!  As an actor, I do not mean to bother a director by asking them for criticism or their thoughts on a particular piece which I've performed.  My intentions are rather completely selfish - I want to learn and grow and do better.  We as actors do not carry a mirror around with us onstage so we rely upon the eyes of the director to watch us carefully, take notes of our every move, our emotions, our body language and voice projection.  It would be better, for an actor, to hear
"next time - I would rather you try this than that" or
"I really didn't like when you did this, have you thought of trying this?" than
"you're doing FINE."

A director holds the absolute power when it comes to actors' egos, self-esteem and passion. 

Being an actor in a show also means being in a relationship with the director.  The director can either love and support their actors, pay attention to them, give them the constructive criticism they need so they can be the best actors they can be or - they can ignore them, not give them the attention they deserve, crave and require, praise others infront of their face and dangle them like a gold medal, making them feel as though they can never achieve greatness, talk down to them and make them feel like their questions in search of knowledge are "below them" and frivolous.

A Director can inspire and open an Actor's mind or they can obliterate their passion and break their heart.

My obsession: Community Theatre - I must be CRAZY!

"There are 2 major differences between Professional Theatre and Amateur Theatre:
1 - Professionals have more training and are paid more
2 - Amateurs do it ONLY for the love of Theatre"

Community Theatre in London, Ontario is competitive yet very supportive.
Actors work for many theatre companies at a time and most local companies network
- it's not what you know all the time but WHO YOU KNOW!
You've heard this all before I'm sure but it's true!

Time and time again, I see young actors walking into an audition and they have not combed their hair, they have not read the script, they have not researched the theatre company they're auditioning for AND they're wearing jeans or spandex with holes in the knees.
Welcome to Community Theatre!

It is so refreshing when an actor comes into an audition who has not yet had much stage time/experience but they are eager and willing and you can see that they are passionate about the arts and about learning more.  Nine times out of ten, a director and/or production team would rather work with someone who has no theatre experience but who took direction well in an audition and who appears eager, friendly and dedicated than some experienced diva who thinks that they are going to be famous one day, who cannot take direction and who no one can imagine spending one evening with for drinks let alone 3 months in rehearsals!!!

It takes a certain person to be able to survive and thrive at a Community Theatre level. 

As an actor, you have roughly 3 months to memorize your lines, rehearse each moment of the show and put on a one or two week long performance WITHOUT getting paid or expecting payment.  Honourariums are always a nice treat and they remind actors that the show could not have gone on without them. 
Did I mention...it is also expected that Cast & Crew are also (more often than not) expected to "strike the set" meaning that after the final performance (finishing between 10 and 11pm) they are expected to stay back or come into the theatre early the next morning to tear down the set.  SO MUCH FUN! 

Having said all this, when I think of Community Theatre, I do not think of the long hours, the transporting to and from rehearsals, finding the spare time to memorize my lines or all the political "fluff" that goes on behind the stage. 

Instead, I think of the friends I will make knowing that the fellow actors will need to depend on me as much as I will them. 
I think about all that I can learn from a director who is passionate about the script, the stories between the lines and the unforgettable characters within the tale.
I think of all the connections I will make and the people I will be able to learn from.
I think of the satisfaction of going from the initial read-through (which is usually crap), through the blocking of the individual scenes (who stands where and when), droolingly long evening rehearsals right up to the opening night!  It brings such joy to be able to look back at the work done, all the time spent and all that you have accomplished individually and as a member of a team.

There is no other job satisfaction than that which one recieves while taking a bow after a performance.
More than likely, it was a job you were never paid to do.

"Theatre: Where we lose and find ourselves at the same time"

To an audience member: theatre might be an escape, a place and time where they can forget about their power-hungry boss or their bills which are months overdue.  Theatre could mean a night of cheap entertainment in comparison to a concert or movie.  Perhaps, to them, theatre means forgetting about the problems and issues they face in their own lives at home and taking a break from it all as they watch someone else push through and deal with more serious issues.  It might be the place where they can watch, care for and follow a character who has it worse off than themselves.

To an actor: theatre might be the place where they can become someone else and live someone else's life for 2 hours a night for 2 weeks.  Theatre might be a place where they can put on fancy clothes and wear pretty make-up without ridicule (unless it is is ridicule they are going for ;).  To actors, theatre means opportunities to please an audience and take full responsibility for a standing ovation or the roar of over 1,000 people clapping in appreciation for a job well-done.

Theatre affects many people in different ways.  Audience members, Directors, Producers, Actors, Light & Sound Operators, Stage Managers, Stagehands, Set Designers & Builders, Costume & Prop Coordinators the list goes on!

What does "THEATRE" mean to you?