Students missing rehearsals because something “better” comes up. Tears when the role goes to somebody else. Lines that don’t get learned. Disruptive behavior offstage. Angry phone calls from parents about any number of issues. A student who thinks he or she is a “star.”  The stage parents who think their kid is the next Miley Cyrus. And if that isn’t enough, sometimes you’re caught in the middle between parents and administration. 

Don’t be discouraged. Help is on the way, and it comes in the form of a contract. Yes, a contract.  A document that you write, sign and insist that the auditioning students and their parents sign as well. It is also a wonderful way to CYA, which is another way of saying Cover Your, er… Bases. 

The audition form can be your first contract with the students. This form, which should be signed by both student and parent before auditioning, should include a sentence such as: “I agree to play any part assigned to me without complaint.” Teenagers often balk at wearing costumes, or even combing their hair in a way they consider “uncool.” Cover this possibility in the audition form as well:  “The actor agrees to wear the costumes, wig, or hairstyle of the director’s choosing.”

Once you’ve cast your show, require all actors and their parents to carefully read and complete a separate cast contract you’ve written to outline their responsibilities as an actor in the show. When preparing this contract, keep it clear and straightforward. Ask yourself things like: Outside of sickness, how many rehearsals is an actor allowed to miss? Put it in the contract. If an actor misses more than that, what happens? If you feel he then agrees that the director has the right to replace that actor, put it in the contract. When is the deadline for being off book? Put it in the contract.

Unfortunately, many students are more familiar with competition than they are with cooperation, which is one of the reasons theater is so important. Nothing ruins a theater experience faster than a kid who thinks he or she is the “star” and doesn’t get the idea of ensemble. Believe it or not, even this sort of behavior can be addressed in your contract. “The actor agrees to work as part of the team. Any actor whose attitude or actions are disrespectful will be asked to leave the show.” 

Clearly stating your expectations upfront will help you keep your sanity throughout rehearsals and keep the behind the scenes “drama” to a minimum. I encourage you to have your cast contract available when students first pick up their audition forms. Though they won’t have to sign and turn it in unless they’ve been cast in a role, students should know from the get-go what you expect of cast members. Besides protecting yourself, having a contract demonstrates to first time actors and their parents that you take theatre seriously, that it’s not just fun and games. Ironically, when everyone understands the rules and you give yourself the power to enforce them, then everyone really does start having more fun!

From the hundreds of plays on the Pioneer Drama website (and you will look here first, right?), how do you choose the one that is right for you and your actors? Selecting the right play for your particular group will make your job easier and ensure the success of the production. Keep the following in mind when considering plays:

1.       Start with your actors.  Are there more girls than boys, as is often the case in school drama?  Make sure the script reflects that, unless your girls have already agreed to dress as boys for male parts. Even if you have three amazingly talented boys, doing a traditional Robin Hood or Tom Sawyer or Three Musketeers relegates most of your girls to minor roles and leaves too many out all together. Many Pioneer Drama plays are written knowing your bind. You just can’t judge a book by its cover—or its title. For instance, look closely at Pioneer’s The Masked Musketeer:  the three musketeers are male, but the rest of the cast, including some large roles, is primarily female.  Pioneer Drama also carries a vast number of plays with “flexible” casts, meaning several roles can be played male or female.

2.       Decide if you want to do a musical or straight play. Think of how much rehearsal time you have. Musicals take many more hours of rehearsals than straight plays. In addition to the scene work, the kids have to rehearse singing and choreography as well. If you only do one production a year, doing a musical could also deny the opportunity to kids that want to act but can’t sing or dance. On the other hand, musicals give all actors more stage time, even if their roles are small, thanks to large chorus numbers that have the entire ensemble onstage.

3.       Are there a decent number of lines for each part? Pioneer Drama puts all of their cast lists on line, and for those plays published in the last three years, you’ll even see the number of lines for each character! Pioneer Drama strives to publish plays that avoid the weight of the show being on just one actor’s shoulders. (Check out any Charlie Lovett play for impeccable equality with the lines!) There is nothing wrong with small parts—in fact, you probably want some for beginning actors or for those who can’t make all the rehearsals. However, typical kids don’t want to rehearse for weeks to only get couple of minutes onstage. Kids are line counters (as are some adult actors), and they will feel insignificant if they only have a handful of lines. Plus, unoccupied actors can be a problem just waiting to disrupt a rehearsal. If you like a script but there are too many small parts, see if you can do some doubling—having one actor play two roles that are never onstage at the same time. Musicals also are a great way to get all actors more stage time, as pointed out above.

4.       Is the production a fundraiser?  Shakespeare may not be your best choice here.  Keep it light and fun, such as a comedy or a funny murder mystery.  If it’s appropriate for all ages, you’ll have a bigger audience and raise more money!

5.       How much help will you have with building the set?  If you’re on your own, choosing a play with a unit set (only one set for the whole show) could well save your sanity. And your wallet. Most Pioneer Drama plays have a single set or simple representational sets.

6.       Google it! You’re looking at the catalog—you’re overwhelmed. Help is on the way! Google a couple of the play titles that sound right for you and find out where other productions have been done. This will sometimes take you a school’s website, most likely with the name and email of the drama teacher. Or you’ll find a community chat room of other school drama or community theater groups. Shoot an email to them and ask questions. YouTube is loaded with plenty of scenes from Pioneer Drama plays as well!

7.       Commit to investing in some reading copies. Face it, choosing a show is a big deal, so you don’t want to cut any corners. Get your list narrowed down to four or five shows and buy reading copies of each. I know it’s tough on the budget, but it’s cheaper than buying a whole set of scripts that you end up hating. Besides, developing a library of reading scripts will give you a resource to tap into in the future. A play that’s not right one year might be perfect for a different year’s group! Pioneer Drama has the musical perusal program to help you look at musicals in a cost-effective manner. And for non-musicals, make sure you take advantage of Pioneer Drama’s “Buy-Four-Get-One-Free” offer!

8.      Call Pioneer and ask for help. The staff at Pioneer Drama is great and loves to help customers! They know the plays and can tell you what types of groups have produced the play in the past. They also know which are their best-selling plays and can point you to the ones that will best suit your needs.

Happy shopping!

The actor's past experience, observations and use of the five senses and emotional recall should be tapped when creating a character. Working on a character takes a great deal of time. Over time, character becomes clearer. It has been found that one can behave and respond as the character in any kind of situation outside the confines of the play.

Internal Qualities:

What are the character’s occupation, educational background, hobbies, and entertainment choices? Is the character bright, limited mentally but determined to be the best he can be, brilliant, or slow and uninteresting? Does he have ethics? Is he religious? What faith? How does he feel about other people, rich or poor, or towards life and the future in general? Is the character optimistic, pessimistic, easygoing, happy, sad, cynical, sarcastic, pompous, arrogant, opinionated, etc.?

External Qualities: