FREE
RESOURCES: Directing
Tips
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Ideas
& suggestions for producing a creative, fun school play
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Cast
the Shy Kids First
ArtReach’s
School Plays Let Your Kids Blossom
Theatre is a fantastic way to
draw kids out of their shells. The written lines give shy kids
something to say without having to worry about the difficulty of
conversation. Without too much effort they are suddenly engaged
with others – speaking, emoting and having fun with new
friends! Almost every one of ArtReach’s School
Plays has roles that require lots of movement and very few or no
lines. Kids who have trouble memorizing facts in class will
love being free to perform without having to remember anything but
the action of their scene!
   
Peter
Pan
Multiple Peter
Pans help each out!
Peter’s
Shadow, Tinker Bell & Crocodile are stars without memorizing any lines!
In Peter
Pan, each pirate has a name and personality. The part of
Smee is less famous than Captain Hook but it’s a great
part! Smee has a hilarious scene with Tiger Lily that will draw
belly laughs from the audience. This will be a wonderful moment
on stage that child will never forget! Very shy students or
kids with learning disabilities will blossom in roles written just
for them.
Tinker Bell, Peter’s
Shadow and, of course, the Crocodile have tremendous fun on stage
without the burden of memorization. And take advantage of the
multi-casting option for the large roles. When five kids play
Peter Pan they will likely become a band of brothers and help each
other along throughout the entire process!
When choosing a play for your
class or group, instead of thinking who will be “best” in a
given role, think of who will get the most out of the
experience. Open up your mind to casting decisions that will
bring out the hidden talents in every child in your cast.
You’ll be surprised how often the least obvious choice is the
very best one!
Take
a Tip From Andre
The
Possibilities for Alice in Wonderland are Endless
If you’ve ever seen
the movie “My Dinner with Andre” you know that Alice in
Wonderland has a rich theatrical history. In that movie, Andre
Gregory describes his experimental approach to theatre and talks
about The Manhattan Theatre Project’s production of Alice in
Wonderland. Andre’s much ballyhooed production in the 60s
gave the children’s story a twist for grownups, proving that
theatrical possibilities are limitless.
It’s always fun to dress
up like a character in your favorite movie which is why most schools
use designs they’ve seen on the screen. But a little bit
of imagination can really get kids excited about making their School
Play something unique and special. If you are directing
ArtReach’s Alice
in Wonderland, you might want to mix it up by asking kids for
their own ideas. Discuss and look at pictures of the
traditional designs and then ask them how they might do it
differently. Here’s a unique production of ArtReach’s
medium cast version of Alice
in Wonderland by Trafalgar Middle School in Montreal:
  
Alice
in Wonderland
It makes us smile to see these
pictures because the ideas here are decidedly French! And
here’s a picture from ArtReach’s original professional
production of Alice in Wonderland.
Let your imagination soar and
don’t be afraid to open your mind to new ideas. When you
break with the designs that you have already seen in a movie, you
make your production extra special. Alice is in Wonderland
after all, and anything can happen there!
Using
Pop Culture to Kick It Up a Notch
Jazz it Up for
a Cool Show
We like to think of
ArtReach’s School Plays as a solid, well-structured place to
hang your own ideas. Although we embellish familiar stories
with tons of humor and participation, we seldom stray too far from
the original story as you and your kids know it. You won’t
go wrong if you stick to the script. We know some of your
performers may be very young. They have experienced the magic
of the fairy tale quite recently and may still be captivated by the
wonderment of a glass slipper or true love’s kiss. For
them it may be best to present the tale in the time and place that
seems the truest to the story.
However, if you think your
kids would prefer to jazz it up go right ahead. Add rock songs,
write rhyming raps, dress everyone like the stars of Glee! If
you have a teacher or student who is a great composer, by all means
enlist their talents! We all know the Wizard of Oz spin-offs of
The Wiz and Wicked. Go ahead and use ArtReach’s script as
the first step toward your own Rock Musical! Here are some cool
Dwarfs from Snow White
(Gellett Elementary School, Sarasota, FL) and Cinderella’s Step
Sisters from A
Christmas Cinderella (Theatre Works, LLC of Stewartstown, PA):
 
Snow
White ----------------- A
Christmas Cinderella
When you purchase your School
Play Package you have the rights to make any changes and adapt the
script to make it perfect for your special performance. Terry
Overfelt produced a contemporary version of ArtReach’s School
Play with High school students at Rock Bridge High School (MO).
She had this to say:
"Peter
Pan was wonderful! WE HAD SO MUCH FUN! Your giving us
permission to adapt the script was liberating and inspiring!"
Liberating and inspiring?
Now that’s what we like to hear!
Adapting
the Script for Your Kids
Adapting the
ArtReach Script for a Large Cast of Students
Oh, no! Everyone Wants
to Be in the Play!
We hear it everyday:
"Last year we had 20 kids in the cast and this year 50 kids
showed up wanting to try out!” First of all
congratulations – last year’s show was such a hit everyone
wants in on the act!
But, what do you
do? Should you hold auditions and give the parts to the best
actors, the ones that show real talent? Or should you pack the
stage with every child that wants to be there? Here’s a
picture and quote from one of or ArtReach fans:
ArtReach's
Wizard of Oz, Columbia
Children's Theatre
"Don't
know if it's a record or not... but Columbia Children's Theatre is
presenting ArtReach’s The Wizard of Oz with 156 children!"
Jerry Stevenson, Columbia
Children's Theatre, SC
Check out lots of large cast
ideas here: ArtReach’s
Wizard of Oz
When you purchase
ArtReach’s School Play Package you have the rights to make any
changes to the script in order to make it a perfect fit for your
kids. If you want to involve every child you can easily do
it! Each script gives you suggestions for adding more
parts. Think herds of Munchkins, Lost Boys, Mermaids, Pirates,
Mice – you get the idea.
But don’t forget that
each School Play has been carefully crafted to give each cast member
his or her own special moment in the spotlight. So we suggest
you give each new added character a name and a bit of action and/or
at least one line. This doesn’t have to be much, mind
you. Just one second in the spotlight.
Use your imagination noodle
and create something unique. For instance, in A
Snow White Christmas you might have added characters actually
become the snow and dance, as the Snowflakes sing. The naughty
Boys & Girls in the Land of Toys in Pinocchio
might have a moment of mischief, playing a game of catch and annoying
Pinocchio with their ball. The added Mice in Cinderella
may play a quick and funny game of hide and seek with
Cinderella. You get the point – don’t just add
characters that stand around – add something unique and fun to
the story, making sure everyone in the cast feels that they are fully
a part of their School’s special performance.
Have you thought of a unique
way to add characters to ArtReach’s School Plays? By all
means, let us know and we’ll pass your ideas along!
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