How to Put on a play

How To: A Basic Guide to Putting On A Play

Putting on a play is great fun and very rewarding, but it also requires a lot of commitment and can take some months to achieve.
If you do decide to take on a project, below are some things it is helpful to ask yourself and your group.

Before you begin:

Who is in charge? It is helpful to have one or two people who are acknowledged as the leader/s of the project. There may also be a larger group of people who are each in charge of organising a specific thing. But if six or seven people are all on equal terms as leaders, although this may work for you, it often leads to disagreements or crossed wires in communication. If you are applying to funding or insurance etc, as explored later on, it can also be helpful to have a main person or couple of people as the point of contact. The main leadership roles are:

Director: Directs the actors in the play
Producer: Is in charge of a budget if you have one and how much each department is spending. In many amateur projects the producer and director are the same person, especially if the budget is small.

There are lots of other roles to think about too which are covered later.

What is your group's name? Is it already being used by someone else? Google is very helpful for this!
How will you pay for things you need? You will need to research what everything will cost, and make a budget - it is sometimes helpful to make this on the computer if you know how to use programmes like Excel, but if you don't a carefully kept piece of paper will do. It is tempting to go for the most glamorous or advanced options (ie the biggest theatre in your area) but the higher the total money you need, the more work it will take to raise and the longer it will take to put your project into motion. Alot of things can be found for free with help from the local area, and the more you can find for free the better! Some ideas for things you will need to research are:

Rehearsal Space: A place to practise your play or musical. (Church halls, school halls, disused building owned by the council etc)

Performance Space: A place to perform your play (Church halls, local theatres both amateur and professional, gardens in summer)

Photocopying of scripts (Often someone will volunteer to do them at home or work but if not this will cost you money)

Costume (Will you hire them, each person make their own, have someone to make them for you - remember material costs money)

                        Set: Do you need one? How will you make it, who will make it and how will you pay for or find what it's made of?

                        Props: (Anything the actors use on stage apart from furniture is a prop) See the Set questions.

Technical Items (All theatres and many schools and churches will have lights of one kind or another already there. If you are somewhere without lighting you will have to hire it which can cost a lot of money and is a consideration when picking your venue. Outdoors venues like gardens can be lit by the sun, or can look very beautiful lit by candles at dusk)

Publicity: You'll need to tell people the play is on or you'll have no audience! As well as word of mouth to family and friends you'll need to create other publicity (this is in more detail later). If someone won't print this at home you'll need to cover it in your budget.

Insurance: Covered in more detail later but some theatres require you to have public liability insurance even for amateur productions and this can cost about a hundred pounds. Some venues don't require it.

Once you know how much you need to cover your budget, you will need to decide how you'll do this. The easiest thing to do if it is a low amount is that everyone in the play pays towards the costs which is often a small amount when split between a group of people. You can then decide to pay yourselves back from the ticket sales (which won't necessarily happen if you don't sell enough so the contribution must be made on the understanding it might not be paid back). Or you can keep all the profits from tickets towards the group’s next production and see the contribution as a donation. One person can also cover the costs and reclaim that amount from ticket sales, but this is quite a gamble and should only be done if that person doesn't mind not getting the money back. This option is by far the easiest and fastest way to get a play on.

However if you need a larger amount or your group isn't in a position to do that, then you can apply for funding to put your play on.

How can I apply for funding? This is a big undertaking, and if you have anyone in your group whose job involves numbers or form filling, get them involved! Most local councils will run some kind of funding for groups to do projects with, so check your council and your town website. However you need to check you fit their guidelines (for example they often prioritise work which deals with certain groups or issues, so may only fund groups who are doing work which is relevant to women or the gay community for example, so you must check where your group fits) The national lottery also runs schemes for five hundred pounds or less to fund local activities such as drama. There are also several foundations online which give money privately. You may also qualify for other funding if you are a group of young people (considered as twenty five and under by most funding bodies). However, be aware that funding is very competitive, especially now many arts bodies have lost so much money. It can be done, but is a much harder route than funding it between you as a group.
What is 'not for profit'? It is much more straight forward to be a not for profit group, and often encourages people to help you for free. This simply means that with whatever money you make from your ticket sales, apart from paying back money to yourselves that you have put in (try and keep receipts to prove everything you've spent) the rest of the money isn't kept by the group for themselves and is either given to charity or kept for use on another play.
Where should we keep any money that's left over? You can open a community bank account for groups such as amateur dramatics, some banks offer them and the Co op does a good one. Go in and speak to them about your needs and make it clear you are an amateur group and not for profit.
What are you going to do? It is hard to draw up a budget until you have decided what play or musical you would like to do. Everyone has different tastes and it is often easier to decide what you are doing before you involve your cast of actors, so they know what they are agreeing to be in. The person or people who are directing and producing should decide on something that they really like and feel passionate about, and something they feel they could bring to life on the stage. Once you have chosen your piece you will need to research copyright.
What is copyright? Copyright protects playwrights from people using their work without paying them. It does not apply to many older plays, for example Shakespeare, and this can make them appealing options for people on a low budget. You can find out about copyright by looking inside the front cover of your play or musical. It will tell you who to contact to find out how much you would have to pay to perform that play. Unless you are paying your actors, you are an amateur company, and there are normally lower rates for amateur performances of a play than professional ones, so it is important to mention this. Be aware that occasionally playwrights or publishers won't agree for their plays to be performed for other reasons (normally because a professional production is on in London or a main city and they want people to have to go there to see it. Also sometimes because the playwright is protective of their work and how often it's done, which is true of 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf' by Edward Albee).
When will we rehearse? You'll need to decide how often you'll rehearse and on what days, as well as when you will tech the play and what days it will be on (you should have decided when the play is on and when you will tech it with your performance space already. Teching the play is when you go through it slowly and do anything technical until it works, for example lighting). Come up with a schedule. Are you going to rehearse for two hours on Wednesday evenings for three months? Or every day for two weeks in the summer? There's a lot to do especially with a full length play or a big cast so give yourself enough time. Once you have your schedule it means actors who want to be involved can know if they'll be free when you're rehearsing or not.
How do I get actors involved and how do I choose them? Especially with communities where you know a lot of people it can be difficult to choose people for your play, especially if you are worried about upsetting friends or family. It is good to come up with a Company Brief which sets out fair rules you can all abide by. This should include how you will audition or decide on actors. Sometimes people just ask friends or people they know will be good, and if you are funding the project yourselves there is no reason why you can't do this. But if you are being given any sort of funding you will need to prove your selection process was fair. A good rule for this is to advertise your auditions with posters or on the internet, and invite anyone locally who is interested, including the people you already know, to come to a church hall etc and audition. Let them know when you're planning to rehearse as there's no point auditioning someone who's never free on your rehearsal days.
How do I audition people? Try and have a panel of more than one person, this way you share responsibility and people won’t feel the decision is personal. Either get everyone to sit in a circle and read the play, changing who's reading what, every scene, so everyone can read everything and get to know the play, or ask people to prepare a little scene or monologue from the play before they turn up. If you do ask people to do this it can be really scary to ask them to perform it in front of everyone so it's better to see people individually or in little groups. When you have decided your cast you must let everyone know if they got a part or if they didn't. It is best to try and do this as quickly as possible so that people don't have to stew for too long.
What else do I put in my company brief? It is also good to have what your group is trying to achieve, who's part of it (eg this is for people aged fourteen to twenty five, or anyone can join etc) and to make clear what is expected of the group and what will result in people being asked to leave (for example racism, bullying, not turning up a certain number of times etc). If you give a copy to everyone in your cast before you start, then everyone is clear of what is expected of them.
Who else will I need to talk to? You'll also need people to volunteer to help with the following:

Costume: If the cast don't bring their own and you need them hiring or making, then who is going to be in charge of this? They'll need plenty of notice especially if they're making things, and might start before you even begin rehearsals! Sometimes it's good to avoid plays with very elaborate or expensive costumes if you've not got a lot of money.

Set: Who's going to decide what the set looks like and make it? Do you need one?

Props: What does the script say you'll need? Will each actor find their own props? Will just one person find all the props?

Lighting and Sound: During the show who will operate the sound and lighting if you have any?

Front of House: Who will take people's tickets and give out programmes? Do the venue provide people, or do you need volunteers? In an interval does the venue have a bar? If not will you provide juice or snacks (It is a bad idea to provide alcohol as the venue is probably not licensed)? Who will do this? Will they be free? Who will provide them?

And for musicals:

Musical Director: Who will work on the songs with everyone?

Musicians: Are you having recorded music? If the music is live who will be playing it? When will they rehearse? Who will conduct them?

Choreographer: Who will decide the dances and teach them to the cast?

Starting rehearsals:

What atmosphere do I want to set up? It can be useful to have what's called a 'meet and greet' before or on your first rehearsal so that everyone who's involved, backstage and actors get to meet. Especially when everyone's volunteers, it makes everyone feel included and part of the project, especially as the backstage volunteers won't get to meet everyone else until the tech days.
What do I want to get through each day? It is good for the director to know which scenes they want to do in each rehearsal. This also means that you may not need your whole cast for every rehearsal and if someone's not needed it saves them hanging about.
When do I want my cast off book? It can be good to give the actors a deadline to have learnt their lines by, especially if they are less experienced, as otherwise it can be a rush at the end. It will also make rehearsals more productive for everyone once the actors aren't holding a script. Be sensitive to people who find learning harder than others and give your cast plenty of warning of when they will need to have learnt it by.
How much time off is ok? When everyone has families and other jobs, sometimes people won't be able to make rehearsals. You need to decide how casual you want the project to be; is it ok to take time off? Do people need to commit to all the rehearsals from the start? What is it acceptable to miss a rehearsal for? As long as it's clear before you start and the rules are the same for everyone there shouldn't be any conflict.
During rehearsals is also the time to check that costume, set and props are all being prepared as needed.
During rehearsals you will also need to start thinking about publicity. Who's designing it? How are you printing it?
During rehearsals you need to find out from your venue if you have to have public liability insurance. If you do, research how much it will be and start getting it processed. This basically protects you in case anyone hurts themselves during the play. Some professional theatres ask you have it as it also means that if an audience member is injured for any reason due to the show and decides to sue, your insurance covers it and the theatre doesn't have to pay out. There are several people who can provide insurance for you, but a good one is First Night Insurance, at www.firstnightinsurance.co.uk. They cater specifically for amateur companies.

Publicity:

Ideas include:

Posters - make sure you include the date, time, venue, how to get tickets and how much they are. Put them in your windows and also take them round all your local shops and coffee shops, it's amazing how many businesses will agree to put them up for you.
A website on the internet
Creating it as an event on facebook and inviting everyone you know (see if a member can do this or if anyone you know can do this if you're not sure how)
Putting it in local ‘what's on’ guides on the internet (search for ‘what's on’ in your local area)
Talk to your local newspaper and seeing if they'll come and talk to you or take pictures of rehearsals. Failing this, see if they'll put it in their events guide.
If you're performing in a theatre of any kind, you should find out before you book if they have a brochure they'll include you in, or a website they'll mention you on. They may also take posters or flyers for your show and put them up.
If any of your members are on twitter they can tweet about your project.
Can you get on local radio to talk about it?
If there's a jumble sale or event locally can you give out flyers at it or even perform an extract?
You might also want a programme that is given out at the play or musical. You can charge for these to cover printing but it is common to give them out for free. It should include a cast list, the director, any other roles, such as costume, lighting etc, and a thank you list for anyone who's leant props, helped build things etc, as well as a thank you to fundng bodies if you've been funded.

Technical:

You will probably need a day or evening or two for your technical rehearsals. They are mainly for the people doing anything technical to practise (ie lights, sound, smoke machines etc) but are also for your actors too.
All of your actors should be in full costume for the tech. This is so you can see what they look like in the space, but also so they can see what it's like to move in their costume and if it's both possible and safe. They should also have the right hair and make up.
Before the tech starts make sure everyone knows where they're meant to be changing and they have somewhere to leave their things.
Your set should be up before you start your tech. This is so the actors can practise with it, and so the lighting is in the right place.
All your props should be there for the tech. It is useful to have a prop table either side of the stage, backstage, to keep the props on. The actors can practise using the actual props and getting them and returning them to the right place during the tech.
Before the actors arrive, make sure the lighting and sound people have gotten everything ready. It can save time for the director and the lighting person to spend a morning together deciding what the lighting should look like for each scene or part of the play. If your actors can't come until the evening this is a good use of the daytime if the director and lighting person can be free.
When the actors arrive, before you start running through the play, you should let your actors walk round the set, see where their props are, try out steps etc, so they don't hurt themselves later.
Start at the beginning of the play. Every time something isn't right, for example the lighting is wrong, they need time to programme new lights, a sound cue is missed or an actor doesn't come on in the right place, stop everything and wait for the problem to be resolved. Then go back to just before the problem happened and try again. The tech is to make sure everything is working. There is no point rushing through things that don't work as otherwise they'll go wrong in a performance.
If an actor has to do a quick change, ask that they shout 'quick change' as they run off. This means that if the director knows they are going to stop, they'll stop before the actor starts changing, or if they want to check the actor can do the quick change, they'll keep going even though something else has gone wrong, just to time if the change is possible.
The director should understand that a tech is tiring for actors and they have to do things several times. If the performances aren't as good as in a rehearsal, don't worry, they will be just as good in the performance.
Make sure the director is listening to the technical team and vice versa.
At the end of the play make sure you decide on a curtain call (a bow) for the whole cast.
After you have done your technical, you will need to do at least one dress rehearsal before you do the play with an audience. You can do this on the same day you have finished your technical. Make sure, though, that everyone has some breaks if you are working a long day.

Dress rehearsal:

Do at least one of these. It is when everything is exactly as if there is an audience but no one is watching.
If there are any mistakes, or actors forget their lines, the show must keep going just as it would if there was an audience. Don't stop for technical problems etc.
Practise the beginning of the play just as it will be, ie the actors should be backstage, not watching. You should practise how they'll know when the play is starting (does someone go round and tell them? Do they get an announcement backstage?)
You should have an interval of the same length as it will be in the real thing (If you're having one)
Do the curtain call etc exactly as it will be.
It's a chance for everyone to run the whole show through before an audience is there

Performing:

Whether you have one or many performances enjoy them.

It is usual after a dress rehearsal and after the first few performances that the director will give the actors notes to help them improve. Try to make these small things they can adjust, instead of reworking whole bits of play or it can be very distressing. Try and support your actors with the notes you give them, as it will help them do a better job. Make sure the notes you give are an instruction to try and do something new or different, and aren't just criticisms they can't do anything with, such as 'you're bad/not funny'. Be sensitive as to when you give notes - it is good not to give them right before the actors go on stage.

Ending a Play:

Make sure you leave the theatre/performance space and the changing rooms neatly or they won't want to have you back and might even charge you.
Make sure you have thanked everyone who helped or donated anything and they have been given a ticket or invited to the play.
Make sure everything that has been borrowed is returned. Whoever organised to borrow things should have made a list and should tick everything off as it is given back. As well as being good manners this will ensure people will want to help you again if you do another project.
Collect the ticket takings and make sure anyone who is expecting to be reimbursed is. Put any remaining money in your group's bank account. If you are paying people back keep a record of who's being paid back, how much for, and what it is they paid for. If you are reimbursing people for things used in the show like costumes or paint ask them to give you a receipt and make sure you keep this in a book or folder even after the play has finished. Also ensure that people are clear with you, when they buy things, if they are expecting to be reimbursed for it from the ticket money, and if so write it down. You don't want to promise too many people money back from the tickets and be unable to pay them all back.
If you have received funding you will probably need to update them on the project, and some funders ask for the money from ticket sales be returned to them.

TONY CASEMENT is Associate Director at the Mercury Theare Colchester

HOW TO PUT ON A PLAY.