Putting on a Play: How to Create a Fantastic School Show

Last Updated on January 20, 2022 by Joshua Isibor

Unless you’re an experienced drama teacher, you might feel overwhelmed at the prospect of running a school theatre production. Yet, the show will not only allow students to enjoy a fun extracurricular activity, but it could transform their confidence and creativity.

As you will want the play or musical to run without a hitch, it is an intelligent idea to familiarize yourself with some theatre basics. Read the below advice on how to create a fantastic school show.

1.Understand Your Barriers

Before you select a play, choose your cast, and create costumes, you must sit down with senior school staff to discuss the budget, timeline, and any restrictions. For example, some texts might be banned due to profanities, negative plotlines, or adult content. It will prevent problems with teachers or parents down the road.

2.Pick the Perfect Show

Once you have a firm understanding of the shows to avoid, you can pick the perfect production. You’ll first need to decide if you want to recreate a well-known musical or play, or you could develop your own. Of course, consider the performers’ age group to create an age-appropriate show. For example, Rent isn’t a smart choice for an elementary school, but Cinderella might be ideal.

3.Organize a Team

It doesn’t matter if you’re a parent or teacher running a school play; you must seek assistance to ensure it runs smoothly from beginning to end. Put together a creative team to help with direction, set design, costumes, lighting, props, sound, hair, and makeup, plus more. It will ensure you’re not stretched too thin behind the scenes, and you will create a show that will blow an audience away.

4.Cast Your Characters

When you have assembled your production team, turn your attention toward casting your characters. Advertise auditions by:

• Hanging posters
• Handing out flyers
• Making school announcements

Make the correct choice for a role by asking students to perform a monologue or provide a short scene from the show. If you’re running a school musical, students must sing a song of their choice at the audition to land a role.

5.Create Your Costumes

After characters are cast, you’ll need to get started on the costumes. You must have a firm understanding of the text to create outfits the characters would wear. The internet could inspire a character’s clothing. For example, Cinderella is known for wearing a beautiful blue ballgown.

Also, don’t forget to invest in quality FX special effects makeup to bring your characters to life on stage. For example, you could buy a wound kit, scar effects gel, fake blood gel, or sunburn spray to create a realistic-looking injury. The FX products will absorb the audience in the fictional world.

6.Pick a Performance Date and Time

Once you have secured your cast and started creating costumes, it’s time to select a date and time for one or more shows. First, you’ll need to talk to students to confirm their availability, as the last thing you will want is for your leading lady or man to be unavailable for the play or musical. Next, you must run the date and time past a school administrator to confirm a stage’s availability and approve the show’s date, time, and audience capacity.

ALSO, READ SIGNS YOU ARE TRUSTING TOO MUCH