Edith Weiss is the author of several published children’s plays, including six with Pioneer Drama Service. A lot of Edith’s writing time goes into her stand-up comedy routine, which has taken her all over the country and on three overseas military tours. Besides writing, she also acts and directs in both children’s and adult theatre.
Top Ten Tips for Taking Your Show on the Road
by Edith Weiss
In theater, anything can go wrong, and when it goes wrong on the road, you can be really stuck. I've been there. So, let’s make like good Boy Scouts and be prepared!
Tip #1: It’s wise to pick a show that doesn’t require a lot of props, furniture, costume changes or set dressing. If you need a couple of chairs, call ahead and see if they have any you can use.
Tip #2: If you have to bring a set so the actors have somewhere to go when offstage, make it as lightweight as possible. We used plastic PVC pipe that was easily hooked together to form the frame of a backdrop and draped a cloth over it. The size you will need depends on the show, the number of actors and the number of props.
Tip #3: If there’s no stage and you’re performing on the floor, bring tape to mark off the stage. Before the show, tell the audience not to cross the taped line. If you don’t, the kids sitting on the floor will inevitably move closer and closer to the playing area until your actors feel pinned to the back wall. Also, the audience could get stepped on. That’s not what we mean by “Touching Lives Through Theatre.”
Tip #4: Have your actors arrive in makeup to save time. Plan to arrive at your destination “airport early” — at least 45 minutes before curtain. You’ll need that time to assess the staging area, where your actors will be when not onstage, where to store props and where the outlets are placed if you need sound. I don’t advise bringing lights; you want only the minimum stuff to haul around. If the audience is at the same level as your actors (sitting on the floor), you might have to re-block scenes where the action has characters kneeling or lying down onstage. A lot of the audience will miss that if you don’t.
Tip #5: Have each actor responsible for bringing and setting his or her own props. They should each have a list of the props and costume pieces they need. Have them do a prop check before you leave your home theater, and again on arrival at the new location. If more than one actor handles a prop, the last one to use it is responsible after the show for giving it to the first actor, who uses it at the top of the show. None of the actors should touch another actor’s props.
Tip #6: Have the actors get into costume early. I think it’s okay if they walk around in costume — this can attract an audience. Or, if you’re in a school, it creates excitement.
Tip #7: Replace the zippers in the costumes with Velcro. It’s quicker to get in and out of, and it can’t get stuck. You don’t want Cinderella going to the ball in her rags, the young actress desperately clutching a fancy shawl, trying to hide her tattered dress. (Yes, this actually happened in a show I toured! The zipper on the ball dress wouldn’t come unstuck, and a real live Fairy Godmother was nowhere to be found. We might have gotten away with it if it hadn’t started an onstage round of giggles that lasted the whole ball scene!)
Tip #8: Bring a kit with safety pins, bobby pins, needle and thread for emergency repairs. Keep it backstage.
Tip #9: If you’re playing in a gymnasium and there are hundreds of kids in the audience, those bodies will soak up the sound like parched sponges. Remind your actors to project. Talk to the back of the room! They might feel like they’re shouting, but it’s better than not being heard.
Tip #10: Ask your host if there’s time for a receiving line done in costume as the audience files out. This is a big boost for the actors, and it’s exciting for the audience.
Now, hit the road and touch more lives through theatre!
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