| So you're school has decided to do a musical. | | | | etc. Find as many different people within your |
| Musicals can be very exciting and rewarding | | | | school as possible to fill these roles. |
| experiences for both staff and student alike. It's a | | | | The people you will need, at a minimum: |
| great way to teach the arts to students, and to | | | | Director |
| bring together visual arts, music, drama and dance | | | | Music Director |
| in a unique way. | | | | Producer |
| The success of a high school musical will depend | | | | Stage Manager |
| mainly on your good planning of the event. You | | | | Props & Scenery Coordinator |
| need to start early. The following is a musical | | | | Choreographer |
| timeline for putting a typical high school musical | | | | Lighting & Sound Director |
| together: | | | | Costume Coordinator |
| (Months/Weeks/Days Before Show): | | | | Publicity Coordinator |
| 12 Months: | | | | 2) Know your venue. Do not plan a musical |
| -Create production team (producer, stage | | | | without knowing where you will be performing it. |
| manager musical director) | | | | 3) Auditions: |
| -Contact rental company. | | | | -Be good to your students when they come in |
| -Estimate of price. | | | | for their audition. Remember that many students |
| -Hire a director; negotiate price. | | | | are doing the first audition of their lives, and are |
| -Meet with school admin. | | | | probably terrified. Set them at ease - be |
| -Obtain performance venue. | | | | lighthearted and friendly, not austere and |
| 6 Months: | | | | demanding. |
| -Production meeting - Chose the show. | | | | -Encourage students to sing out with a full voice |
| -Contact rental company, obtain rights. | | | | at the audition. |
| -Arrange to obtain piano/vocal score right away. | | | | -Congratulate them after auditioning, and always |
| -Reserve performance venue. | | | | find something positive to say to them about |
| 5 Months: | | | | how they performed. |
| -Announce auditions. | | | | 4) Onstage: |
| -Hire rehearsal pianist for auditions and rehearsals. | | | | -Begin rehearsing chorus early in the process. |
| -Choose audition music and make available. | | | | There is a need to get the main characters' part |
| 4 and a Half Months: | | | | of the show worked out early of course, but you |
| -Hold auditions/call-backs. | | | | will benefit from the excitement generated by |
| -Choose main characters. | | | | rehearsing chorus early. Chorus numbers tend to |
| -Post cast list. | | | | be energetic and exciting, and much momentum |
| -Advertise within school for backstage crew | | | | can be lost by ignoring chorus at the beginning of |
| (building sets, paining scenery, assembling props). | | | | the rehearsal run. Chorus members are very |
| 4 Months: | | | | important. They are your "townspeople", your |
| -Read through script with entire cast. | | | | various unnamed characters that give vital |
| -Props crew: Begin constructing sets. | | | | atmosphere to a show. Tell chorus members to |
| -Begin onstage and music (singing) rehearsals. | | | | invent a character name, and to develop a short |
| 3 Months: | | | | one or two-paragraph biography. This will help to |
| -Form the following committees: Constume/Make | | | | eliminate that "onstage furniture" look that so |
| up, Publicity/Ticket sales, Lighting/Sound. | | | | many high school students have. |
| -Contact extra musicians for pit. | | | | -All singers should sing in their character's voice. If |
| 9 Weeks: | | | | the character speaks with a southern drawl, he |
| -Hold pit orchestra auditions. | | | | she should sing with a southern drawl. |
| 8 Weeks: | | | | -Chorus should sing with eyebrows raised and |
| -Begin advertising campaign. | | | | backs straight. |
| -Cast should now have costumes. | | | | -A musical theatre voice is a big voice with |
| -Post pit orchestra member list. | | | | distinctive character, not a choir voice. Invite a |
| 7 Weeks: | | | | singing professional to a rehearsal to teach young |
| -Begin pit rehearsals | | | | singers how to safely project their voice. |
| -Optional production meeting (communication | | | | 5) Miscellaneous Onstage/backstage |
| between production team and all committees) | | | | -Teach students to never touch props or scenery |
| 4 Weeks: | | | | unless specifically instructed to do so. This applies |
| -Production meeting - Plan final week of | | | | even to props that are used by that character. |
| rehearsals, stage use by various teams. | | | | Unless it is show time or rehearsal time, props |
| -Acquire necessary permission to excuse students | | | | should be placed and moved only by backstage |
| from class for any schedule conflicts. | | | | crew. |
| -Invite area schools to preview show. | | | | -Onstage characters must be taught to be mindful |
| 2 Weeks: | | | | and respectful of backstage crew. Backstage |
| -Rehearsal with pit and cast (Sing through). | | | | crew have an important job to do during runs of |
| -Pit rehearsal(s) of dance music with dancers. | | | | a show. The precise timing of scene changes |
| -Run-thru of show with onstage cast/ piano. | | | | requires actors to stay out of the way. |
| 1 Week: | | | | -Actors must never appear in house in costume |
| -Props and scenery complete and ready for use. | | | | or make-up. During the show's intermission, no |
| -Run of scene changes with stage crew. | | | | actors should be meeting public, family or friends. |
| -Complete run of show with pit orchestra and | | | | -Backstage during a show must be very quiet. |
| cast. | | | | Actors waiting in wings to make an entrance |
| 5 Days: | | | | must stay well off to the side to prevent being |
| -Final pit rehearsal to iron out problem spots. | | | | seen until entering the stage. |
| -Cue-to-cue: work out lighting cues. | | | | -Be sure to tell students to thank any |
| 4 Days: | | | | professionals you have invited to perform in your |
| -Technical run of show with sound, all props, light | | | | pit orchestra, or who are involved in other |
| cues, scene changes. | | | | aspects of the show. Point out to the students |
| 3 Days: | | | | how lucky they are to have people donating their |
| -Complete run of show with orchestra. Give notes | | | | time and efforts to their show. |
| after run. | | | | A musical will provide lifelong memories for you |
| 2 Days (or day before show): | | | | and your students. And it will provide a unique |
| -DRESS REHEARSAL | | | | opportunity to bring together various aspects of |
| (Give one day before public run as a day off, to | | | | the fine arts in your school. You will also find that |
| rest the cast.) | | | | musicals will engage people in an artistic endeavor |
| General Advice for Doing Good School Musicals: | | | | who might not normally involve themselves in the |
| Administrative: | | | | arts. |
| 1) Delegate! Don't try to be the onstage director, | | | | Enjoy the experience! |
| musical director, producer, chief bottle-washer, | | | | |