Lights, Camera, Action! Stepping onto the Stage: Putting on a Play!

Calling all aspiring actors and theatre enthusiasts! Get ready to embark on an exciting adventure as we delve into the exhilarating world of putting on a play. Here, we’ll discover the magic of the stage, where imagination knows no bounds and dreams come to life. Whether you’ve always dreamed of performing in the spotlight or are curious about the behind-the-scenes magic, we’ll explore the art of creating a theatrical masterpiece from start to finish. Get ready for auditions, rehearsals, costumes, sets, and the excitement of opening night. So, raise the curtain, gather your enthusiasm, and let’s dive into the extraordinary world of bringing a play to life!

No matter what you are performing, expect things to take longer than expected. What may seem like a short script when you read it will take longer than you think to rehearse and perform.

Good casting is absolutely vital, and there are multiple considerations. Lead roles should be played by students who can act the part but can also remember more lines and remember cues. It’s easy to want to cast louder students in the main roles but sometimes a larger-than-life student in the lead role can actually detract from the whole performance.

But putting a larger-than-life student in a character role can have a great result. These students are also fantastic to give lines to before or after chorus lines or ad-libbing. (Ad-libbing is where the actors talk freely but in a rehearsed and directed way) Consider the quieter, more serious mannered and reserved students for lead roles. See them come out of their shells!

Cast for the character and not the actor. Choose a student-actor you know will do well, but be open to surprises.

Give less confident students or students that have trouble remembering lines or cues—funny short lines with an easy cue. They’ll get a strong reaction from the line, so they won’t feel discouraged with a smaller part. We should ensure that all actors have an opportunity to shine by nurturing smaller parts. Engaging the actors in the background is key for a successful performance.

There is such a thing as over-rehearsing. You don’t need to get all the parts perfect before moving onto the next rehearsal stage. It’s important to keep things moving as actors can get bored rehearsing the same part over and over. It is better to come back to some parts and if there is a part that is difficult (blocking or lines or something else) move on and come back to it next rehearsal when the group is fresh. (Blocking is the moves or positions the actors take on a stage.)

Fast delivery is a big issue for all performers. It usually affects the middle of a line, where a line is more than one sentence or a lengthy sentence. Words get lost in the middle because it is too fast. It is important to break sentences up and use pauses and inflection. Remember that the audience has never heard the line or the story before. So it is important that the entire line is very clear. Pauses and inflection are important. A pause means a breath, and that is good to use in order to slow down.

Expect the dress rehearsal to take longer than expected, as actors can get distracted by their costumes. It’s important to do a dress rehearsal to get comfortable with the costumes and fix any costume issues. If actors are bringing costumes from home—always have spare costume parts ready to go.

It can be stressful to put on a play and to feel the pressure of an impending audience! There will always be a line forgotten or something that goes wrong—and these things usually turn out to be very funny. So, just do your best and have fun with it! In the end, it really is all about having fun putting on a performance! The show will go on!

Remember, there is a saying in theatre—bad dress rehearsal, great performance!

AIME