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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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