Design

Set Design: Junior Drama plays are written to flow seamlessly between scenes without the need for cumbersome scene transitions. Rather than constructing an elaborate set, rely on simple props and the configuration of your ensemble to create each setting and move the story from one location to the next.

If you have the capacity to add backdrops or curtains they can help to create the scene. These backdrops should be able to change as smoothly and quickly as your onstage transition. Poly "silk" (also called China silk) is a soft but durable material that looks good under theatrical lighting and can be used to create features of any scene. It is inexpensive (it's not really silk!) and can be found at most fabric stores or craft websites.

Props: Props can influence the way an actor says a line, sings a song, or moves in a scene. Therefore it's important to provide your actors with props early in the rehearsal process. However, the props you use for your performance may not be ready, or may be too delicate to survive the rigors of rehearsal. The solution to this quandary is to create a set of rehearsal props. These props are close approximations of the final props, but don't need to be painted or adorned. For example, a witch's broom that must look handmade can be substituted with an ordinary broom for rehearsals. Likewise, a dowel rod can stand in for a sword, and a small stool can play the part of a honey pot. Ask your props master or stage manager to provide you with rehearsal props once you start blocking the show.

Here are a few tips about rehearsal props to share with your actors:

1. Remind the actors when they have props in given scenes.

2. Allow the actors time to rehearse with an approximation of their final prop.

3. Ensure your actors develop good theater habits by always checking their props prior to using them, and returning the prop to its proper storage.

Lighting: If your performance space has absolutely no theatrical lighting, and you have little or no budget for a lighting rental package, here are some suggestions:

• If you are in a classroom or a multipurpose room, try to delineate your theater space from the audience space. Most rooms allow for certain lights to be turned on while others remain off. Find a configuration in which the audience lighting is darker than the stage.

• A spotlight can serve a multitude of purposes and usually requires nothing more than a power outlet and an operator. If your school doesn't have a spotlight, ask around. Often another school or community theater will loan their spotlights.

• If you have no control over the lights whatsoever, have no worries. The show can be performed under full room lights.

• If your budget allows for renting a lighting package, secure the services of a reputable lighting company with experience in theatrical lighting and a lighting designer/operator who will install or supervise the installation of the system in your performance venue. A minimal rental package would include:

• A light board to control cues (sometimes this is a computer with a lighting program)

• Twelve lights (eight general wash lights, three lights for specials, one pattern projector)

• Appropriate cables

• Gels and gel frames

• Appropriate dimmer packs

• Spotlight and a platform for the spotlight and the operator

• Portable stands (if your theater has no lighting positions)

Your first goal is to light the stage as evenly as possible so everyone can be seen. Depending on the size of your stage, eight lighting fixtures should do the job. Your lighting designer should add color gels to provide you with a daytime look and a nighttime look.

If you are using twelve lights, ask for three lighting specials: center stage, stage right and stage left. Use these specials to isolate actors during solos, duets or other appropriate moments. Use the final lighting fixture to project a pattern, like a forest, upon the stage. Finally, incorporate the spotlight at times when you want someone to be featured or even as a special effect.

Sound: If your performance space has no built-in sound system and your budget does not allow for a rental package, try this approach:

• Secure a CD player and at least one powered speaker (has a built-in amplifier to ensure loud and clear sound).

• Connect the player to the speaker with appropriate cables and place the speaker upstage center, behind the performers.

• Place the CD player (or remote control) with the sound operator in the house, which allows him to hear what the audience does and adjust volume as needed. (Try the area directly in front of the stage but not blocking the view of the audience, where the conductor of a live orchestra would be.)

In this basic sound configuration, the actors' voices will be supported by the musical accompaniment but not overwhelmed. Encourage your sound operator to actively control the volume. In musicals you can increase the volume during songs featuring the chorus or when the music drives the energy on stage, such as during dance breaks. Lower the volume during solos or duets and when dialogue is spoken over the music.

Final Thought

After your careful preparation and attention to all aspects of rehearsals, you're ready to share your show with those who make it complete —your audience! Pile extra heaps of praise on all company members, thank everyone profusely, and tell them to relax and have fun. They know the show inside and out — now it's time to celebrate.

Break A Leg!

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