There are a lot of different cogs that make
up the machine that is a theatre production, and all of them need to be well oiled
right from the start. It’s not an easy job but seeing a play you’ve produced be
performed live to an appreciative audience is a reward that you’ll never
forget. Here are our top tips for making yours a success:
Choose A Play You Enjoy
If you are going to be producing or directing
the production, you are going to need to really like the play that you’re
putting on. After all, you’re going to be seeing an awful lot of it. Whether it’s
a musical script, some classic Shakespeare, or a brand-new play by an up and
coming writer, you really need to believe in the message that you are bringing
to the stage. If you are enthusiastic about it, the rest of the people around
you will be too. If you already have a group of actors, make sure that the play
you choose suits their tastes and style as well. It’s important that they love
it just as much as you do.
Get a Team Together
Putting on a truly great theatre production
is no small feat, and you are going to need a large team of creative people behind
you to have a chance of being successful. Depending on your budget for the
play, will decide whether the majority of these people are hired, or if they
are volunteers. If you need volunteers, look to your local universities for
those interested in costume design and lighting. Even if you can pay them
something, their wages will still work out less than those with more
experience.
Pre-Production
The pre-production stage is vitally
important for any theatre production. This is where you set out your vision for
how you want the play to look. It is the time to discuss lighting, effects, and
set design as well as costume. Knowing at this stage what is and isn’t going to
be feasible will help you to get everyone involved on the same page. This will include
a number of meetings as a group, but you might also need individual meetings
with certain members of the team to go through how they see themselves working
and any extra ideas that they can bring to the table.
Find a Venue
While you might already have a space sorted
for your initial rehearsals, you are going to need somewhere for your play to
actually be performed. This is a decision that your team needs to be involved
in, as different venues will affect how they are able to work. It’s best to
choose somewhere that isn’t too far from the rehearsal venue and it will need
to be free for a few weeks before the opening night. This is so you can get
everything ready and have full dress rehearsals in the actual space that you’ll
be in on the night. Luckily, there are a wide rage of theatre production venues
for hire in London, so you shouldn’t have any difficulty in picking one out.
Host Auditions
Here comes the tough bit, choosing your
cast! In order to get the talent that you’re looking for, you’ll need to post
your call-outs well in advance so that those that want to try out have time to
prepare. You’ll also need to be specific in what you want to see at an audition.
How long of a scene will you want, are you accepting a monologue as an audition,
is singing a requirement? All of these questions need to be answered in your
notice and you’ll need to promote your auditions far and wide. Make sure that
you have a comfortable and relaxed venue to hold all of the auditions in to put
everyone at ease, and make sure there is a strict time-limit on everyone’s
performance!
Rehearsals
Once you’ve chosen your cast, the next step
is getting them all on board with your vision for the play. In your first
meeting, lay out everything that has been decided in pre-production and have
some ice-breakers and warm ups to help the cast get to know each other if they
don’t already. When it comes to rehearsals, you need to have them regularly on a
strict schedule that everyone knows about. They also need to start on time, and
most importantly – end on time. Your cast won’t appreciate being held late
unexpectedly. By having a strict schedule, you’ll have no problems getting
everything perfect.
Sell Some Tickets
With the rush of rehearsals, actually
selling tickets for the event can be overlooked. This is another reason why you’ll
need extra hands to help out. Advertising and marketing are absolutely key, so
having adverts not only online but as printed flyers and in your local
newspaper will really help you to get the word out and get tickets sold. Having
the teaser video of the cast in rehearsal will really spark people’s interest
so this is a great thing to incorporate if you can. Getting a good poster designed
is crucial as this will be the most that your audience will have to go on
before the big night. Another good idea is to have early bird tickets for sale
to encourage people to buy early and secure their seats. This will help to give
you some breathing room knowing that you’ll definitely have an audience in attendance.
While putting on a theatre production is
hard work, it is also massively rewarding. When you have a good team around you,
then trust that they are doing their jobs correctly and marketing and selling
tickets. Before you know it, opening night will be here, yet there’s no point
in worrying, enjoy it! Going into an event like this with a positive attitude
will make a massive difference to the people around you, so make sure you
savour the moment.
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