$2800 For This?

$2800…minimum. That’s what it is going to take to put on ‘Tis The Season’ this December. For those who have never been around theatre the costs may surprise you. It doesn’t take long for the little things to add up and before you know it you are in the red before you start.

Let me break down some of the costs that we foresee for the Christmas production that your kids will be in.

$300 for decorations: This is to try and take the Old School and bring a little Christmas cheer to it…make it a more inviting experience. While $300 may not be near enough we are hoping from some great creativity on the cheap from some key people (if this is an area that you are gifted let me know and I will connect you!)

$600 for stage flooring: We are putting a new floor that will allow the entire stage surface (original plus the extensions that we built) to be the same level for the first time. This will let our dancers use the entire space without fear of tripping…when you are dancing that is key!

$600 for dance costumes: While the dance parents will be providing most of the costume pieces there are a few that will be purchased by SHAC. Professionally made costumes are very expensive.

$400 for drama: This is as low a figure as I could go. This will provide us money for some of our set pieces and some key props. Maybe even a fog machine! Luckily, most of the costumes will be provided by the parents (nothing that your child probably doesn’t have in their wardrobe right now).

$900 for marketing: We want to make sure that everyone knows about the show. We will be placing ads in local papers as well as printing full color posters that we hope you can assist us in placing all around town. Our goal is that everyone in Spring Hill hears about this show!

As you can see it all adds up quickly…and that is not counting the rent that we have to pay the owner of the Old School. So…in case you were wondering why we have to charge for tickets this might explain it! I would love to be able to provide this show as a gift to the community one day…maybe we will find a big sponsor that will let us do that in the future.

The Prepared Actor

Before taking centerstage actors need to get prepared

During my early years as an actor I was fortunate enough to have directors who instilled in me some very good habits. Habits that would continue to come in handy as I performed in collegiate and professional theatre. Here are few things that every actor can to be ‘The Prepared Actor.’

Bring A Pencil – A pencil is VITAL to the not only the success of the individual performance but to the production as a whole. Each performer will be given direction by the director telling them things such as where to enter, when to move, which way to move etc. It is up to them to write this information down in their script for future reference.

It saves us a ton of time to not have to go over that same information the next time we rehearse that scene. It is frustrating as a director to have to stop and give the same direction and it is not courteous to the other actors who are having to wait because of the unneeded stop.

Be Focused – We all love to have fun. Believe me I love it but in theatre, like many other places in our lives, there is a time for work and a time for fun. Rehearsal is a time for focus. While it may seem harsh we only have so many times together to practice to get it right. I want to be sure that the time we spend is well spent and not wasted. Spend the hard time up front and the fun comes latter!

Be Rested – In addition to being focused it is vital that these young actors come rested. While I know that Friday nights area ‘stay up late night’ I just want them to have the energy and metal alertness that they need.

Be Creative – Nothing please me more as an actor than to have actors be brave and take chances with their interpretations of their characters. When you are working with your children on their lines encourage them to try to read them differently. Don’t feel the need to tell them ‘say it like this.’ Instead try to lead them by asking ‘how would it sound if you were more excited here?’ It’s amazing what their minds will do when challenged.

There Are No Small Parts…

Early in my career I was told by a director “there are no small parts only small actors.” (later I would find out that this old theatre saying was first said by Constantin Stanislavski…who is the father of Method Acting) His point? While you may not have the lead, while you may not be in every scene you are vitally important to the success of the production. It is up to each performer to take his or her part and be a ‘big actor.’

You may be asking ‘Joe, What does that mean?’ Well…quite simply it means that in my eyes each part in the show that we will be doing are equal. Some will have more lines but no matter how large or small the part I need each actor to perform to his or her best ability. Giving it their all and not complaining about the size of the part.

If your child does not get the part that they want this time encourage them. Tell them that their role is important (it is!). If they want a better part tell them the best way to get it is to do their best with a good attitude. I can tell you that next time I cast I will remember how they were in this process.

- Did they have fun?
- Did they take direction well?
- Did they have a good attitude?
- Did they perform with enthusiasm?

Your help in all this will be greatly appreciated! I want this, above all, to be a fun process for each of your children!

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Joe

Welcome To The Site

Hello Actors and Parents…I decided to begin writing this blog to ensure that communication is good between all of us. On this blog I will post updates on what we have been working on and what I plan on working on in the coming weeks.

The first three weeks of class have been great! Your kids are beginning to work in the world of theatre and I think it is safe to say that they are having a good time.

Drama I: They have been working on some drama games that help them begin to gain confidence in themselves as performers. Games like alphabet charades, animal charades, zip zap zop, pantomime, mirroring and during the last class these young actors blew the biggest bubbles with their imaginary gum you have ever seen! They are doing great!

They can work on the following warm up to keep their annunciation going:
Lips, teeth tip of the tongue.

They repeat this faster and faster until they can’t do it any more.

Drama II: Much like the younger actors my Drama II students have been playing games that help them gain self confidence. In addition to great games we have been working on breathing as well. Breathing if a fundamental need for any actor and by developing this solid foundation they are going to be ahead of so many other performers at their age.

They can work on the following vocal warm up:
MA
NA
LA
THA
VA
ZA

They repeat the words over and over faster and faster.

I will try to keep this updated each week with new info and to repot on what your children are learning.