Preproduction

Finding a script

a) As a director, you need to decide what type (classic stage, theatre in the round, one-act, or full-length) and what genre (drama, comedy, melodrama, etc.) of theatre you want to direct.

b) If you already have a producing group in mind, you can check their website for scripts

i. Some websites that have general search engines for scripts are:

http://www.stageplays.com/ and http://www.playscripts.com

c) Once a script is found it needs to be approved. This can be done by to a board meeting and allowing the GCT board to approve the script.

Production Team

a) Often shows have a team consisting of many chiefs but depending upon the play a small team may be more than sufficient. Sometimes one person may take on multiple jobs.

b) Areas that need to be considered for a production are:

i. Stage Manager and/or an Assistant Director

ii. Publicity

iii. Set Designer and/or Builder

iv. Makeup

v. Lights

vi. Sound

vii. Prop Master

viii. Production Manager

Directors are in charge of the vision of the show, managing the production team, and running rehearsals. For new directors, or directors working with a new team, weekly meetings for the whole production team are recommended. These meetings will help keep the Directors vision of the play production on track and make sure that the Chiefs are getting what they need for the play. Directors should read a play several times before meeting with the production team to start and create the feel and look of the play that they in vision. Remember that the production team is there to assist rather than just telling the Director how the play should look. When choosing a production team, the director should choose people who have knowledge in each area but are also have a working relationship with the Director. A budget needs to be written, with the help of the Production Manager, and approved with the GCT board prior to auditions being held. The Director needs to attend monthly board meetings beginning three months prior to the production. All volunteer hours including construction and acting hours needs to be tracked and presented to the GCT board at the end of the production.

Assistant Director makes sure that the directors directions are being followed, help keep the director organized, and often times are responsible for the various paper work that go with a show. An Assistant Director needs to also be able to step into the directors shoes if the director is unable to run a rehearsal or production meeting. Some directors encourage their Assistant Directors to help with the blocking, acting, and character building of the actors. This is a good way to help train new directors to make sure the GCT directors pool is full.

Stage Managers are in charge of knowing all the blocking, lighting and sound cues, and make sure actors dont miss their cues. During a show, the Stage Manager is in charge of the actors back stage. Often times in many location, the Stage Manager has the ability to be on a headset with the Director and is able to give out any orders that the Director want the actors to know immediately, such as speak louder. It is not uncommon that Stage Manager and Assistant Director are the same person.

Publicity Chief is the person responsible to getting the word out on a play. This can be done by many ways: posters, newspaper, radio, table tents, post cards, emails, weebly site, Facebook, etc. A publicity Chief may find or discover other ways of advertising the show and bring these ideas to the director. For more information on advertising see the publicity section.

Set Designers often times is the same person who will supervise the building of a set. Always plan on having several people help in the construction of the set. The designer is in charge of taking any ideas the director may have and their own ideas and creating a set. The set may be designed by using sketches, Google Sketch-up, creating a model, etc. The Set Builder is not and should not be the sole builder on the set but rather act as chief builder and supervisor of the construction. When building materials are needed to be purchased, a requisition should be given to the Director that can then be given to the GCT Board to purchase the items. Often time materials can be found in storage, donated, or purchased at a reduced cost.

Makeup Designer is in charge of designing the look of each character, finding makeup artists to assist in the makeup application, finding the makeup needed for the designs. Often times, the Makeup Designer may find specific wigs, makeup, and prosthetics that are needed for the show. The Designer should give the procuring information to the Director who then sends requisitions to the GCT Board to purchase these items.

Lighting designer is in charge of taking the feel the Director wants for a show and using the lights to accomplish reinforce the mood. The Lighting Designer also needs to make sure each actor is properly lit in each of the acting areas. For more information see the lighting section of the manual. The Lighting Designer should be at the rehearsals a few weeks prior to the show, this allows them to see the acting areas being used and to begin setting the lights for the show. Set lights will of course be affected if the rehearsal space is not the same place as the show location. Lighting needs and customizability depend of the performance space.

Sound Designer is responsible for finding the sound effects and music either specified in the script or requested by the Director. There are several websites that sound effects can be found for free. Some sounds may even need to be created or edited by the Sound Designer. Often times more than one sound effect for a specific cue may need to be found and the Director will approve of which sound is wanted. A good website for free sound effects is https://www.freesound.org/. An account will need to be made for this site. Freesound.org is an easy to use site and easy to setup. If music is used in a production, check with the GCT board on the legal use of said music.

Prop Master is in charge of making sure the props needed for the show are found, created, and available for the actors. The Prop Master must get together with the Storage Facilitator to see if GCT already has props available for the show before buying any new materials. All props that are being used need to be checked out with the Storage Facilitator before being removed from the GCT storage. Before each show, the Prop Master makes sure each prop is placed on the set or back stage where the actor knows to find it. Often times, the back stage area will have two tables one on either side of the stage. It is good to have the tables sectioned out for each actor to find the props easily in the dark. If props are needed to be bought or made, the Prop Master needs to give a requisition to the Director that can then be given to the GCT board to purchase the items. The sooner actors can use props, the better. After the production is done all props need to be checked back in with the Storage Facilitator.

Costumer is responsible for finding and/or making the costumes needed for the production. The costumer needs to take the set look, time period, and budget into consideration when designing the costumes. The costumer should first look at what GCT already has available and may even want to consider renting costumes if the look is very unique to what may be used in future productions. For sanitary reasons and storage issues, actors should be asked to provide their own shoes for a show. The Director may request that the Costumer clean the costumes after the show. All costumes and material purchased by G.C.T need to be placed in the storage area after the show. Costumers will need to get a hold of the current G.C.T. storage manager to check back in and categorize new items.

Production Manager is also known as the Producer. As this is a GCT production, the GCT Board is the Production Manager. The Board will specify an individual to act as Production Manager. The Production Manager is responsible of finding a place for rehearsals and the show itself, procuring the rights for the show, and scripts. All items that are to be purchased for the production need to be approved by the GCT Board. The rights for the play may be filled out by a Director but will need to be in GCTs name. The Production Manager will need to attend monthly board meetings beginning three months prior to the production.

Auditions

a. Before hosting auditions, Directors need to do the following:

i. Read the scripts multiple times to know what type of actor that is being looked for

ii. Choosing a location for auditions, this is best done at the same place as rehearsals

iii. Print out audition forms (Use the sample form or Directors may make their own)

1. Sheets should have contact info (phone, texting, email, mailing address), past shows, and calendar showing rehearsal dates that the auditioners can write conflicts

iv. Make copies of sections of the script that the Director wants to have read at auditions

v. There are many tools for advertising for auditions; this can be done either by the Publicity Manager or the Production Manager. It is the Directors responsibility to have this information out in time for the public to see the notice. If the Director wants the GCT Board to handle this, a typed up advertisement needs to be provided as well as they way the Director would like the GCT Board to advertise. Examples of this are postcard, Facebook, weebly site, newspaper, posters, radio, and TV. The GCT Board needs to be notified at least one month prior to auditions how and when the auditions will be held.