Director Expectations for a Theatre Production

A Theatre production takes a lot of time, so it’s very important for the person in charge of

the event to follow policies, procedures and systems that have been developed at Encore

over the years. While we are always open to suggestions and improvements, in some

cases it makes little sense to reinvent the wheel. We have discovered that some policies

and checklists work really well to create amazing productions that reduce unnecessary

stress and allow us all to enjoy the process as much as we eventually enjoy the

performance.

So that’s what we’re going to cover.

Because of the size and scope of our productions, it’s necessary for a lot of people to be

involved. As the Director of the Production, you are responsible for making sure

everything gets done.

This doesn’t mean that we expect you do to everything. But ultimately you are

responsible.

While you will have a lot of personal involvement, including rolling up your sleeves and

digging in like everybody else, you will also learn to delegate the many moving parts of

putting a Production together.

We are all here to help; you just need to be aware of all the steps involved so you know

who and what to ask. In the end…we all want this to be successful!

To help you in your role as Director, I wanted to cover the policies and procedures that

have been set up for the theatre so that we don’t end up with parent complaints, broken

children, and frustrated Directors.

So let’s start with a little background.

Background: Theatre Expectations

You’ll notice that we call our events “Productions” rather than “School plays.” This is

not by accident.

When we opened Encore, our intention was that every single Production would be of the

highest quality. As you know, the term “Quality” is subjective, so we have defined what

we mean by quality as follows:

High School: The goal for every single production, whether it is a Dance Production, a

Drama Production, a Cirque Production, or an All-Encompassing Production, is if the

students performing are mostly high-school aged, then the resulting event would exceed

the expectations of the highest level college performance.

Junior High: If the students performing are mostly junior-aged students, we expect the

result to be at the level of a high quality high school performance.

If we exceed those expectations…Great! But at a minimum, this is where we have set our

sights.

Now, you may be asking how we are able to pull off an event with such high expectations

and limited resources. That’s a great question!

Because of the information you will learn in this document, you’ll find out how we have

been able to accomplish so much with the resources we have. We want you to learn what

we have already learned because you will be expected to keep those same Production

standards while working within any time, money, energy, and other resource constraints.

Don’t worry – we are here to help. Because we have done it, we know it can be done and

we are more than happy to share that knowledge with you as you take on the role of

Director!

So, let’s get started.

Basic Framework for a Theatre Production

Built into the framework of each Production is this: The CEO and COO always retain the

right as Executive Producer.

What this means is that the CEO and COO will generally come in to watch a performance

prior to the Production commencing on stage. During this time, we will give feedback

and make judgment calls as to whether or not it fits within the standards of Encore.

This is not done in a way to stifle anyone’s creativity or their concept. What we do want

to ensure is that

1) everything is safe

2) that people are going to be pleased with the Performance

3) that the performance is of the same quality (or greater) than what our audience and the

community has seen before and come to expect from our school.

The Assistant Dean of Students in charge of Arts, or the Executive Director of Arts, will

pop in to show rehearsals as the planning and prep take place and they will act as a sort of

“behind the scenes” producer of a show unless they are designated as the Director of that

Production, in which case the primary role of Director will be theirs (obviously).

What this means for you is that they are the “Guide.”

Their role is to help the Director because a lot of time within Encore you’re going to be

the new Director on the block without a lot of experience and you’re going to need help.

Generally, that help will come from the Assistant Dean of Students in charge of Arts, or

the Executive Director of Arts.

Your support extends beyond this level as well. If you are stumped on how or what to do,

and your “Guide” is stumped as well, do not hesitate to reach out to the CEO and COO

for additional input, thoughts, and resources in order to allow your concept to be realized.

One of the reasons we have been able to pull of such extraordinary Performances in the

past is because we pool ideas, knowledge, and contacts and do what many people fail to

do: Ask!

The Production Meeting

Before a Director moves forward with any production, a Production Meeting takes place.

Generally the meeting is help by the Director and any other person who will “touch” the

production over the life of the event. This covers auditions, rehearsals, final curtain,

evaluation and everything in between.

The Production Meeting is a time for the Director to organize the team and organize their

own thoughts. When they come to the meeting they should have a breakdown of the

Production by scene along with a list of items they need in order to execute the event.

Remember, you’re working with a team that also wants to be creative so encouraging

ideas versus micro-management is a much better approach and you will experience much

better results. However, you want to be specific enough with your vision so that your idea

is realized.

The Production Meeting is where you give your costume design teacher the ideas behind

what you want the costuming to look like. A lot of times I will cut out pictures, or

download pictures from YouTube and give them to the costume design teacher so they

know exactly what you are looking for. If there is something which is super specific and

must be created exactly a certain way (for example, Belle’s dress in the Beauty and the

Beast), then you show them a picture of that item to be sure that they know exactly how

to prepare that costume piece.

During the Production Meeting you will also talk with the person in charge of building

the sets as well as whoever is in charge of painting the sets and all props. At this time you

want to give them as much detail as you can in regards to what you need.

For example if, during the production, you need something really weird to happen like it

to start raining inside the theatre, then tell them at the meeting. This allows them enough

time to figure out how to make it rain in the theatre during that point of the show.

The more specific you can be with expectations for what will happen during each stage of

the production, the better it will be for the team.

In regards to set building, you want to remember that your sets fall into that overall

budget. Based on how ornate and intricate you make your costumes, and how much your

spending on royalties for your show, is really going to drive what your set looks like

because you want to make sure that everything is happening at a price that makes sense.

We do a lot with very little money. When you look at what our shows are, what we are

able to produce, and consider that the average show spends about $6500…I think we do a

pretty phenomenal job. So keep that in mind.

There are a lot of pieces that are already in place in the theatre to make your job easier.

It’s why we have the 2-story stage; it’s why we have the projection screen; it’s why we

have the scrim; it’s why we have all of these things so that you don’t have to spend as

much money to make the magic happen.

When Should You Have Your Production Meeting?

The Production Meeting should happen 6 months or more before your opening

night. So anything later than 6 months before is going to start to gum up your deadlines.

It’s not so much that they need 6 months to prepare for your production. Most likely,

there are 4 to 5 other productions happening which means they have other projects on

their plate…not just yours. So, they need ample time to plan and prepare so you can have

things done.

Especially in time frames about costume design. If you are telling your costume designer

that you are doing a Bollywood-themed production of Taming of the Shrew and you’re

telling her that 6 months in advance, then she has the opportunity to shop sales for fabrics

that you’re going to need as opposed to ordering something at the last minute because

they didn’t know what you’re going to need.

“The earlier and the more proactive you are

with planning, the more money you save”

With planning, every person has the time to shop for sales rather than simply buy the first

thing they see.

Professional-Level Auditions

Every Production begins with auditions.

As part of our goal in the area of Arts, we want our students to be prepared for a career in

their craft once they graduate from Encore. Auditions will be part of the opportunities

they will likely encounter in the “real world.” I encourage you to plan and conduct your

auditions so they closely resemble what they would experience at a professional or

college-level.

Many of our kids have the goal of continuing a career in the Arts after graduation. This is

part of what brings them to our door. So, why not give them the opportunity to

experience an audition similar to what they will encounter later in life?

Practice breeds confidence. The more they are exposed to the process, the easier it will be

for them to handle the stress and jitters of auditions at every level.

If you need pointers about how to conduct your auditions in this manner, please do not

hesitate to ask the Assistant Dean of Students for the Arts, the Executive Director in

charge of Art, the COO, or the CEO.

Here’s another idea for you: Walk in their shoes!

It’s a good idea for you to audition for something at least once per year. This gives you

first-hand experience regarding what your students go through: the jitters, the excitement,

the sense of competition. By being a part of the process yourself, you will be able to offer

support and nurturing to our students when they are facing you in an audition.

Now by nurturing, I’m not implying coddling. You can support a student as they put

themselves out there (many for the first time) AND be honest and authentic with them

about your feedback.

The Audition Process

We have some amazing and talented kids on our campus!

The challenge is that many of our kids are involved in several different conservatories

and, in their enthusiasm, tend to commit themselves to a lot of different activities on

campus. This is great and we encourage our students to be involved in as many activities

as they can on campus because it keeps them motivated, keeps them enrolled, and keeps

them out of trouble.

However, we must always remember that we are a school first. As a school, academics

are important…very important.

So, when you are casting, especially when you’re casting seniors for a show, it’s really

important for you to be in contact with the other Directors of the other Productions that

are being planned during the audition process.

I’ve seen it happen more than once and it always breaks my heart when we over-use a

senior student to the point where they hate their craft by the time they graduate. It’s a

terrible thing and I cannot express enough how important it is for us, as the adults, to

ensure that our students not only excel in their Academics and their Art of choice, but

also that they leave our care with their enthusiasm for the very thing that brought them to

our doors in the first place, fully intact.

It would be a shame for them to graduate only to hide their talents out of frustration, and

never to fully express who they are and their unique gifts because we were not aware they

were getting burnt out.

So…let’s not do that!

Along with your being aware, we have also implemented this Policy to avoid that very

situation:

The auditions for all shows within a single semester should be done simultaneously.

During those simultaneous auditions it should be made clear that no single person

should hold the lead in more than one (1) show per semester. If they are a lead in a

show, for example playing the part of Sandy in Grease, that person should not be the

lead part in another show.

The reality is that when a student is a lead in one Production, and plays a supporting role

in another Production, their grades suffer, they experience more stress, and their psyche

suffers.

Examples of a “Lead” role include:

Christine or Phantom from Phantom of the Opera

Shrek from Shrek

Annie from Annie

Belle or The Beast from Beauty and the Beast

The student that holds this lead role should not be cast in another Production during that

semester. They must have time to concentrate on their lead and also be able to

concentrate on their Academics because we are still a school that teaches Academics.

Remember, as much as we love the Arts, and as much as we understand the value of Arts

in education, it’s those Academics and how our students perform on THAT stage that

keeps our doors open so we can continue to serve the community for years and decades to

come.

At the end of the day, our job is to teach the whole student…not just a part of them.

Your Audition Team

When you go through the audition process, we prefer that more than one person is

involved in the selection of the students. There are a couple of reasons for this, one of

them being that it avoids an unhappy parent who might otherwise believe you chose a

certain student for a role because you like them more than their own child.

Yes, this happens, and yes, it brings back memories of the silly popularity contests that

we may have experienced ourselves during our own junior high school and high school

journeys. Even though it is silly (we’re all adults, right?) the easiest way to avoid it is to

have your team with you during the auditions.

Who is your team?

Assistant Directors

Acting Coaches

Vocal Coaches

Choreographers

Others relevant to the Production

It’s best to align yourself with the other Directors in that semester so the auditions can

have the benefit of more than one person’s opinion.

The other reason also relates to transparency and fairness. Without even realizing it, you

may avoid considering someone for a role simply because you are not aware of what they

can offer.

For that reason, auditions must be opened to the whole school.

No matter how much you may have your whole show cast in your head based on what

you’ve seen in your classroom, or what you’ve seen on stage, it’s not fair to the rest of

the student body to mentally cast your show and refuse to hold auditions based on your

mental casting.

In my own experience, I have ended up with a different cast than what I anticipated and

have been very pleased with the result. So be open when it comes to auditions because

you don’t know what you don’t know!

Casting changes from year to year and even from semester to semester. You’re still

dealing with teenagers where attitudes, expectations, and other factors change as they go

through their own changes. They get older, they get boyfriends/girlfriends, they take on

jobs, they start driving, they get a teacher they don’t like, they experience changes and

challenges in their home life situation and much more.

You have to understand that participation in these events is important for developing

them socially, helping them to become who they will be after they graduate. So as a

Director, you’re going to spend a lot of time with these kids. Because of that, it’s so

important for you to understand you are going to be that role model in their life.

If you are not open and nurturing, it’s going to be very difficult for these students to

develop into really substantial human beings after they graduate. Every person in their

life has influence on them – good, bad, and neutral. Which will you be?

Call-Backs

After your first auditions, you can have call-backs. These are conducted with a little bit

more scrutiny than the first round.

Call-backs can last 1-3 days depending upon the position you are filling. Just like the

initial auditions, the call-backs must be planned with the ASB master calendar. Don’t

make a student choose between a pre-planned high school experience (like a field trip)

and a call-back.

At this stage of the audition process, what you have the students do can pertain more

closely with the Production and what you anticipate they will do during the show.

For example, when I was casting for Shrek, I had 4-5 pairings of people that would

possibly play Shrek and Fiona. I was able to see who would look best on stage, and who

exuded that emotional connection to reach the audience in a way that I wanted them go.

The Cast List

When you are ready to put your cast list up, you must:

Do a second Aries grade check to be sure none of the kids have an “F”

Be sure none have multiple “D’s”

If a member has one “D” on their grades, you want to talk to that student before you cast

them in the show. This is important if they are in a lead role, or if you know that in

general, the person struggles with their grades. Be careful here. If cast, their time after

school will be occupied and it’s possible their grades will slip even further, making them

ineligible by the time they get to your “Blackout” period.

Now, does this mean that person has no chance of being involved?

No, this means that you and the student must have a conversation and a firm

understanding of expectations. What you expect from them and what will be expected of

them moving forward. You both must decide how willing you are to work to achieve

success – both with the show and with their Academics.

In the past, we’ve had Directors pull these students directly from Study Hall to work right

in front of them to ensure they stayed on task; others have tutored with them after school.

If you choose to cast a student who is struggling with grades, you must also choose to go

the extra mile in one form or another to be sure they don’t fall behind. If you are not

willing to do this, then when it comes time for the show, you could literally be up the

creek without a paddle.

If blackout time comes and your student is not eligible to play the role, then you must

cast that role again…at the last minute.

The best day to post your cast list is on a Friday afternoon, as you are leaving. Let the

kids know where the list will be posted.

The reason for this is simple: This gives our kids the weekend to let the decisions

marinate. If they weren’t cast, or didn’t get the part they wanted, they are allowed the

dignity to go home, away from the other students, and respond how they need to respond.

Yes, tears are possible and even healthy.

Get It On the Calendar

To get an audition date, you must clear it with your ASB Advisor. This person holds the

key to the master calendar.

They will take your request for the audition date, which should be collective for every

Director during that semester, and consider in terms of the full master calendar for

Encore.

Our master schedule typically is very busy in October, November and then again from

May through the end of the year. Getting “real estate” on the calendar during these times

is near impossible, so be aware that your audition is considered an “event” and it does

need to be approved.

Your paperwork must be submitted at least 2 weeks prior to the date you want to

hold your auditions.

Please give yourself time to advertise your audition. Participation in the auditions, your

ticket sales, and the buzz on campus about your Production begins with the advertising

you do for the auditions. You want people to be excited to participate and to attend the

event.

If the kids aren’t excited about your show, or they don’t know about your show (which

I’ve seen both situations happen), you won’t gain the momentum and enthusiasm and

“buy in” from the kids that you want to participate.

You WANT to be make sure the kids know about it; you WANT to be sure they’re

excited about it. This means that even if you know a kid probably won’t make your show,

or isn’t at the level of talent that you wish they were to be cast, you don’t want to deter

them from trying out because, quite frankly, sometimes they might surprise you.

Also – they cannot get better if they are being influenced to NOT try to do something.

There was a great study which Malcolm Gladwell talks about in his book “Outliers”

where it was suggested that the difference between the violinist who would become a

teacher, and the violinist who would reach mastery level and perform in the most elite

orchestras was not necessarily raw talent, but instead, opportunity and hours of

intentional practice.

Another interesting fact from Gladwell in his book “Blink”, which is relevant when you

hold auditions which I’ll talk about more a little later, is the story of Abbie Conant.

Before she auditioned for the Munich Philharmonic, conductors couldn’t find a woman

that was talented enough to win an open seat. Orchestras at that point were made up of

white males. If women auditioned, they were not accepted and for years the composers

believed it was they had not had a female try out whose talents exceeded those of the

men.

Then, something changed.

The year she tried out, they decided to put a screen between those auditioning and the

composers because one of the men trying out was the son of someone they all knew.

They wanted the auditions to be fair and not be influenced by this man’s family

connection.

So, as she found her seat for the tryouts, nobody could see her…they were left with only

the sense of sound to judge the music. Her instrument…the trombone. Hardly the choice

for a woman. And hardly the obvious choice for first chair.

Still, she blew them away, literally! After she performed (she was 16th

in the lineup) the

Philharmonic’s music director said that was who he wanted and they sent the remaining

17 applicants waiting to audition home.

When they called her to meet the judges…they were flabbergasted. A woman?!

Also, they were instantly convinced, by her appearance, that she was NOT the best

choice.

The auditions continued for two more rounds and Conant completed those with flying

colors and even joined the orchestra. Still, a year later, she was demoted to second

trombone with no reason given.

After taking the case to court, and passing a series of lung capacity and oxygen tests to

prove she had the physical capacity to play (turns out, she had the lung capacity of an

athlete), and a prolonged court battle, the music world became aware of their prejudice in

appearance.

Today, because of the use of screens during auditions, more women are playing at this

level…right alongside the men who were once deemed superior simply because they

were men.

This isn’t about men versus women. This is about perception and pre-conceived notions.

You may not even be aware of what you believe about the capacity or ability of a certain

person. It’s not in your conscious brain; it resides in your subconscious brain.

We want to bypass what we “know” in order to open ourselves to the possibilities of what

we have yet to discover.

At Encore, that means opening up auditions to all students and promoting those auditions

so that known and unknown talent alike will have the opportunity to explore the Arts.

Our philosophy is that during high school, that’s when the world is open to you. You

have (or should have) more opportunities than you do for your entire life. Think about it,

our students have a whole lifetime after graduation where they are going to have the

experience and the opportunity to be disappointed. We really don’t want to start them on

that road at an audition in high school.

There are so many “no’s” in the world. We really want to try to be that positive influence

behind the kids as they are moving forward because the more positive we can be, the

more comfortable they will be at trying things.

Please keep that in mind when you’re planning these auditions.

In my experience, I’ve seen kids try several times before they were cast in a part. I was

always encouraging them, and motivated them to try out. The result was that they

grew…and I was lucky enough to see them get better and more confident.

This happened in part because I never told them that they didn’t have a chance, or that I

didn’t need them to audition, or that I already knew who the cast members were going to

be so they would just be wasting their time.

Unfortunately, these things have happened.

I shudder to think that our Directors and teachers would fail to offer support to our

students. Ask yourself…why are you here? Why are you doing this? Is it simply to create

a show; or is it for a bigger-picture reason, one that supports our mission of developing

the students who cross our threshold.

Tips For Your Audition Flyer

When you create the flyer for your audition the following must happen:

Approval of the flyer through your ASB Advisor

o Check for grammar

o Print specs (ie..bleed-over)

o Spelling

o Content (does it make sense?)

o Expectations (don’t make promises that we don’t want to make)

Be sure to tell them how to prepare for the audition.

o Will they prepare something on their own?

o Will you provide them something to prepare?

o Example: If they are auditioning for drama, you may want them to prepare

a monologue for that audition. It’s easiest for everything except dance, to

have them prepare something ahead of time.

This is a good way to handle the first round of audition. Then, as you do call-backs, you

can get more specific and in-depth about what you want to see. For dance, teach them an

initial routine for the first round, and then add to that during the call-backs.

Generally we try to avoid using material or music from the show during the audition.

What About Grades?

Prior to the first day of auditions, you must pull the information for those intending to

participate and do a grade check. If a student has any “F” grades, they are automatically

disqualified from the audition process and will not be allowed to be a part of your show.

This participation includes your tech team. It’s imperative that you understand your tech

team must also be academically eligible to participate. Just because they are not on stage

and in costume doesn’t mean they are allowed to enjoy the benefits of our Arts

performances without the same level of academic expectations as the performers.

It doesn’t matter how talented an individual is, we choose not to make exceptions to

academic standards. This is completely aligned with our mission. Although a student or a

parent may get upset with this qualification if they are not allowed to participate, we

understand that building the traits of accountability, and expecting them to excel in all

areas of their life, are far more important to their whole development than any one-time

show.

Our goal is to create a nurturing environment of excellence. That standard of excellence

extends beyond talent. Can you think of a talented entertainer or sports figure who ended

up bankrupt (financially and morally) because their whole-being was not developed?

Rehearsals

Rehearsals should begin within a few weeks of auditions.

If you have a show scheduled for August or September, plan to rehearse over the

summer.

The guidelines for your rehearsal schedules include:

Rehearsals should not require any student to be on campus more than 2-3 times

per week

Rehearsals should not require any student to be on campus past 6:00pm in

Hesperia

Rehearsals should not require any student to be on campus past 6:45pm in

Riverside

This does NOT include Blackout…but it is to be followed for ALL rehearsals

If needed, and if you want to speed up progress, think about scheduling a Saturday

rehearsal time from 9:00am to 3:00 about half-way into your normal rehearsal time

frame. The benefit of this is that everyone is present, uninterrupted for that time. This

gives the kids an opportunity to see the bigger picture and get a sense of where they are,

and where they need to be in the time remaining.

Remember, all rehearsal times must be approved, which we’ll talk about more later in

this section.

You must work with a plan. During the rehearsal planning, you’ll divide the show into

what you need. What this means is that not every member of the cast and crew will need

to be at every single rehearsal, or need to stay until the end of a designated rehearsal time.

If you plan to only work with the supporting dancers on a certain number, there may be

no need to include the rest of the participants during that day’s rehearsal.

Be mindful of your student’s time and their other obligations; be mindful in how you

organize each rehearsal. Get the most productivity out of the time you have with them.

Why is this important?

Well, imagine this scenario: You require every cast member to attend every single

rehearsal (whether needed or not) and stay until the end. As a result, 30%of your cast are

not academically eligible when Blackout arrives. You must re-cast 30% of your team.

Are you stressed yet? Add to that, these new members must learn everything in a shorter

period of time, which requires a lot of their time and preventable stress, which in turns

causes their academic grades to suffer. Still not enough stress for you? Well, since

everyone is stressed, on the night of the performance 50% of your cast, including

yourself, are sick, tired, cranky and not having a lot of fun.

Gives “the show must go on” a whole new meaning, right?

Building Your Rehearsal Plan

Build your rehearsal schedule on the skeleton framework of what you need done and

work backwards.

When you prepare your rehearsal schedule, you personally may be on campus

every single day of the week working with a different group of students.

However, only ask the kids involved in that days rehearsal to be present when

they will be actively practicing something.

For example, if your Production is a musical and you need to have your dancers 3

days a week. Be sure you’re only calling your dancers for that time. If you have

more than one set of dancers, be sure to indicate which group is required at the

rehearsal.

Your goal is to avoid having students sitting around doing nothing.

This kind of planning and organization allows you to get more accomplished

because you are focused on working with that particular group of kids.

You keep your kids happy and enthusiastic because they are actively doing

something with their time (trust me, they know when their time is being wasted).

You keep parents happy because they are only asked to shuttle the kids when it’s

really needed (and they don’t have to listen to disgruntled children).

You keep the Academic teachers happy because you are not “taking” grades from

the students for the sake of a show.

You keep cast members happy because they know that you are trying to respect

their time as much as they are trying to respect your show (yes, it’s a two-way

street!)

Your rehearsal schedule must be approved by the Assistant Dean of Students

for the Arts AND the Executive Director of the Arts AND the CEO

Your rehearsal schedule needs to be as detailed a possible. The reason that the approvals

are required is because another set of eyes can spot if something is missing or has been

overlooked. By catching it at the planning stage, it can be corrected before it becomes an

“emergency.”

The rehearsal schedule must also be approved through the ASB Master Calendar.

Remember, this calendar is like Command Central and allows us to logistically keep

everyone from running into and over each other.

Another consideration for keeping an accurate master calendar is for the safety and well-

being of our students. We must be able to answer calls from parents about where their

child is, or is supposed to be.

For example, if a parent suspects that their child may be sneaking off after school with

their boyfriend/girlfriend and calls the school to confirm whether or not they have

practice after school, then we can give them an answer rather than say “I don’t know.”

If there is an emergency at home and the child must be pulled away from an activity, we

must know where they are supposed to be so we can easily locate them.

For this reason – if your event is not on the master calendar (a Google Doc), then in

the eyes of the administration that event does not exist and you don’t have permission

to move forward with your plans. Only approved events are listed on the master

calendar.

Please be sure to follow the steps to be sure that every activity around your Production

gets approved and listed.

Also, be sure every cast member gets a copy of that rehearsal calendar to share with their

parents so everyone is aware of their expectations. Remember, many of our students

commute from 30-45 minutes away. Give them time to plan their rides!

The Production Contract

Cast members are given a contract for their involvement in the show as well as a copy of

the rehearsal and show schedule. This contract must be signed by their parent/guardian.

What is the purpose of the contract?

Again – it’s about making everyone aware of expectations up front in order to eliminate

any possible misunderstandings later.

How do we enforce the contract?

We expect to hold up our end of the agreement just as much as we expect the students

and parents to uphold theirs.

Our need to enforce is seen mostly in the area of academics. It’s imperative for everyone

involved to fully understand that “the show will NOT go on”…or it will go on without

the involvement of their child if their child becomes ineligible because of grades.

Yes…we mean it. The integrity of our word and the standards we set rely on it.

For example, we have had to pull the lead of Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz one week

before the show; we have cancelled weekend shows because of ineligible grades; we

have even cancelled full productions when the majority of cast members became grade-

ineligible.

It’s important for students, parents, teachers and Directors to work together and maintain

awareness of the academic standing of our kids, working together to go that extra mile to

ensure success because we are a school first.

Blackout Rehearsals

What is “Blackout?”

Blackout is the two (2) week period prior to the production going live, on stage, curtains

up.

Blackout rehearsals are different than regular rehearsals.

Blackout rehearsals can run until 8:00pm (8:30 for Riverside)-(FIRM…do not go

beyond this time!)

*Note – we did allow an exception when at 8:00pm, the night before opening

night, we finished rehearsal with the lead dancer of the Nutcracker blowing out

her knee (and subsequently not dancing for 2 years)…an exception was made so

her replacement could get some practice time before the opening performance the

following night. Run these rare exceptions through the Assistant Dean of the Arts

or the Executive Director of the Arts or the COO/CEO.

Expectation is that all students in the production will remain after school, every

school day, until 8:00pm for those 2 weeks (For Riverside campus, possibly

8:30pm)

Food. You will have these kids for about 5 hours… arrange to have a parent get

food and bring it to the site in order to keep the kids running! Healthy snacks,

healthy dinner, water (lots of it!).

On the 1st day, after the tutoring day on the 1

st week of Blackout, you must run a

FINAL grade check. Any cast member with an “F” is cut from the show. Period.

This includes your tech members. Any cast member with one “D” is cut from the

show.

Tip: Be sure to have understudies!! It’s nice to have a backup.

Prepare in advance because stuff happens…you just don’t know where or when.

Arrange the Student Show before the actual show. For example, hold the student

show on Thursday when opening is Friday night. This gives time to check

costumes, get a “live” run, work out some jitters, and gives the cast members a

night off before opening night.

Student shows occurs after the end of the school day with a ticket price of

approximately $8.00.

Arrange a “Red Carpet Rally” on the day of the student show to build up

excitement and introduce the cast members. Think about including a dance after

school for about an hour from which the students enter the show. Make this fun!

Parent Volunteers

Directors are responsible for making sure everything is safe, clean, orderly, and that the

kids are well-mannered and safe, and they are following the policies and rules of the

school.

Accomplishing this will be much easier when you enlist the help of parent volunteers

who you know and trust. If you do not recruit your own volunteers, the receptionist and

volunteer coordinator will ask for parent volunteers on your behalf.

This can be a great match; however, it’s possible that the parents chosen are not familiar

with your program. Without some guidance from you, you may not get the most you can

from them. They need to know what you expect from them and it’s great when you get a

volunteer that can anticipate needs so they are a real asset to the process.

What are some ways parents can help?

A parent can be instrumental in monitoring how respectful the cast is with each other and

the public.

With a parent in each dressing area, the kids are assured that everyone’s personal items

stay where they are supposed to be.

They can remind kids that eating a drinking in the costume area (which can result in spills

and damage) is not allowed. Bullying is not tolerated. Boys stay in the boys dressing

room; girls stay in the girls dressing room (remember…teenagers!); non-cast members

are not in the dressing room (including parents).

Parents can supply snacks. Water, water and more water, along with healthy snacks for

the kids to munch on are a great asset. It keeps everyone hydrated and in good spirits.

The parents are there to assist, not to criticize how things are being done or not being

done. When a parent is familiar with your program, they will better understand what is

going on and what you expect from them.

Communicate your needs; recruit parents you work well with.

Costumes

Encore is known for its outstanding costumes and we don’t plan on changing that

anytime soon. Reaching that high standard is the result of giving our costume design

team plenty of time to create a vision for the costumes, procure the materials, and

produce and size the items.

Remember, the costume design team is involved in just about every single event on and

off campus throughout the year.

You may be directing a production in April and it will consume most of your time for

that production.

The costume design team will create the costumes for your April performance as well as

dozens of additional events from the beginning of the school year up until the day of

graduation.

They are one…you are one of many…and we are all equally valuable.

Planning and courtesy of these schedules and time needs go a long way in allowing us to

keep great talent, work together, and get everything done as quickly as possible and

delivered when expected.

Planning also helps us stay on (or under) budget.

Here are some ways you can help your costume design team:

Go through the items they already have to discover what can be used / recycled

for your production;

Give them a clear description of what you want and need…but give them some

creative leeway. Remember, costume design is a class so we want to give those

students the opportunity to explore their creativity.

Give them information about what the costume should be able to do for the person

who will wear it…its’ function. For example, if the costume needs to be a candy

cane, and that candy cane will be performing on a trapeze, your design

department needs to know this.

What are the movement and expectations required of that costume on that

character?

Tell them about your costuming plans as early as possible so they have time to

shop sales and keep an eye out for special items for your Production

Give the costume design department a copy of the cast list the same day that you

post that list for the students.

If you change (or add) a cast member, let the design department know

immediately. One tip I’ve used is to get in the habit of texting the design director

every time something happens with a cast member. (ie…”just added another tap

dancer to the parade routine; Sally (size 9) just quit, Gwen (size 3) will take her

place)

Here is another consideration which you are probably not aware of. Because costume

design is a class, those students who are creating the piece are just as invested in the

performance as you are. After all, they get to see their work up on stage and it’s as if they

are up there themselves.

That cast member who is playing what you see as a minor role as the fairy princess, may

be wearing a costume created by a student’s labor of love. So, when you pull that cast

member and replace them with another member that is a very different size (to the point

that the costume cannot be altered)…or if you eliminate that scene from the show

altogether, the costume design student may not have the opportunity to have their design

grace the stage.

This IS real life, and it does happen. In my own experience I had to cut the part of a duck

and a goose in Alice in Wonderland. The costumes were amazing…really amazing…and

we didn’t use them.

Please just be aware that the decisions you make affect everyone around you. Every

change you make in your show doesn’t affect just you. Accommodate when you can;

provide empathy and understanding when you cannot.

Make your decisions with grace. For example, if that fairy costume will not be used

because the person who was going to wear it was cut because of grade ineligibility, why

not display that costume, that student’s work, in the gallery so that everyone going to the

show (including the student who made the costume) gets to the see the work.

The message is that that student’s work is just as valuable as the work of the student that

was going to be on stage. As the Director, you have the opportunity to set the tone for

that type of appreciation for everyone involved.

The House Manager (and role of the Director)

While we do employ a house manager, it’s the responsibility of the Director to do a

“walk about” before the doors open for the show…every show.

I expect the Director, the Assistant Dean of Students of the Arts, and the Executive

Director to be on site for opening night.

All three of these members must be fully aware of what our parents and the public see

when they enter the building for an Encore show. To be sure that every single room and

building is ready for the public eye, each of these members must walk through every

room and area that will be open to the parents and the public to ensure that things are

safe, orderly, clean, inviting and organized:

Box office

Dinner House

Main Theatre

Bathrooms

Any other open room

If you find an area that is not clean, well-stocked and organized then you must take action

to be sure it gets that way. Either track down someone to fix the situation, or you

personally fix it. None of us is beyond the ability to wipe down a sink, pick up some

trash, clean toilets, refill toilet paper, or call a plumber or maintenance person.

In the dinner house, be sure there is enough space for people to sit down. Ask yourself if

humans of regular size will fit in your dinner house. Put on your event planner hat and

see the venue from the eyes of your customers.

Others things to watch for:

Is the seating for paid seating available and comfortable?

Are the seats numbered?

Where are the tickets located?

How many tickets were sold prior to the event? (so you know how many more

you can sell)

Dressing Rooms

Assign dressing rooms based on what they are doing.

o Quick change room

o Boy’s room

o Girl’s room

o Principal cast members

o Non-principal cast members

Note: you reduce the possibility of theft in a dressing room when you separate

principals from non-principals. Not because one is better or more honest than the

other; but because the principals don’t spend a lot of time in the room which

leaves their personal belongings unattended for a tempting amount of time for

some members that may be spending a lot of time waiting in the dressing room

area. That, too, is real life.

Place curtain around the door – that way if someone leaves the dressing room,

those that are undressed behind them cannot be seen from the hallway. Yes, we

are trying to create a real-world professional environment, but be mindful that our

students are pre-teen and teen and often not fully comfortable with their

bodies…and we are still a school.

Actors are usually more modest than dancers…take that into consideration when

setting up your dressing rooms so there it fluidity in how the dressing room

functions

Assign a student captain and co-captain for each dressing room. This person

ensures that nobody leaves the dressing room at the end of the night until

everything is cleaned up and put away. This is helpful for you because these

rooms must be ready for classroom time the next morning.

You can enlist the help of others to make everything about the dressing rooms happen;

however, you are ultimately responsible for being sure it’s done correctly so give good

instructions for set up and take down and double check at the end of the night.

Budgets

At the beginning of each school year we budget a certain amount of money for our

Productions. As of this writing, we give each show “seed money” in the amount of

$2500.00.

I know, that doesn’t sound like a lot of money but that’s generally the amount you have

to start with.

The goal for your budget is to break even on your show.

Income – Expenses = Net Income/Loss

You’re going to need to do some projections and calculations to figure out what your

break-even point is. So let’s break this down.

Where does the income come from?

Income comes from ticket sales.

Your cast members will sell tickets. (Generally tech doesn’t sell tickets)

To calculate your projected ticket sales take the number of cast members X how

many tickets on average each cast member will sell X the purchase price of the

ticket.

Example: 100 cast x 6 tickets each = 600 tickets x $8/ticket = $4800

*if you are doing a dinner show, be aware of how much of the ticket price goes

back to the dinner portion (as of this writing about $4/ticket)

I like to see as many kids as possible in each show. Why? Because the more kids in each

show, the more involved they are in the school and what we are doing. The more

involved a student and their family is in the activities we make available, the more tickets

that will be sold and the more likely all of that leads to a positive experience and

increased retention of our students.

Active students = lower rate of drop-out

Plus – with more ticket sales you have an increased budget which allows you more room

to create something amazing that the students are proud to be a part of and the parents

and community are proud to be stakeholders of.

Everyone wins.

Having said that – don’t go overboard with your cast number solely for the sake of ticket

sales. The largest show we had was 360 participants and it was too much. It ended up not

being a great experience for everyone involved so keep what you’re doing manageable

and fun.

We have created a lot of shows that have fallen under a $5000 budget. Just be aware that

things cost money (like costumes). In fact, it’s very easy to slip over budget in costumes

alone so please refer to the section on costumes for tips on how to keep those expenses in

line.

Ticket Sales

Be sure that tickets for you Production are made available online as soon as possible.

This gives you plenty of time to sell enough tickets to meet your expenses.

For example, if you know that your Production will have a large budget, but you have a

smaller cast, you need to make sure those cast members are doing everything possible to

sell those tickets.

We did a beautiful production of “Our Town” a few years ago which was probably one of

the best drama’s we’ve had at Encore since it opened. There were only 30 kids in the

cast. Even so, it was probably one of the most moving drama pieces and the kids did a

great job.

There was just one problem.

They did a matinee performance with only 4 people in the audience.

The cast, nor the Director, did nothing to promote the event.

We always hear “If you build it, they will come.” Well…apparently not, especially when

nobody told them that “it” existed…or what “it” is.

This is where you need to think about marketing even if you know nothing about

marketing.

Think about this: When you go to the store are you more likely to buy something that you

are familiar with either through commercials, something you read, or because someone

you know, like and trust told you about it? Or are you more likely to buy something

you’ve never heard anything about that’s wrapped in plain brown wrapper.

Most likely – you’re going with what you are familiar with, right?

Well in this case, the title ‘Our Town’ meant nothing to most people. They were not

familiar with the story in the way that we would be familiar with a show like “Shrek” or

“Beauty and the Beast.”

There was not built-in buzz or familiarity that could be leveraged in the way that the

other, more known shows had.

Another thing to remember is that everyone is pressed for time. When you put on a show

your “competition” is every single thing in our community’s life that is screaming for

their attention. Work, family, play, tv, computers, clubs, shopping, eating, carving little

animals out of wood (just seeing if you’re paying attention! )

You can’t assume they will choose your event just because you create it. You must

market it, promote it, build buzz, and get people excited about coming to your show.

Remember we are all here to help you create a production where everyone has fun…so

thank you for stepping up!