JUL
14

A Tournament of Plays

By Kerri Glynn 

Kerri started her theatre career as a child actress in local theatre productions, but after running into Meryl Streep as a drama major at Vassar College, she quickly changed her major and decided to pursue teaching instead.  She started by creating a drama program in a middle school before moving to the high school level, where she created a four-year acting program, participated in multiple drama competitions, joined the International Thespian Society, and produced five to seven productions a year.   

A student-directed, one act play competition can create a lasting tradition for your school.  It can also provide an educational opportunity for students, bring in a large enthusiastic audience, and raise some money for your program.  Here’s how it worked for me.

Whether you schedule this for the spring or for the beginning of the school year (which is what we did because the auditorium was available) is up to you.  Our student directors were seniors who submitted applications that included their theater experience, special strengths and skills, and contributions to your drama program.  They also submitted the one-act play they wanted to direct.  In interviews, I asked them how they would handle backstage drama and potential problems — like actors who came late to rehearsal, or leads who failed to learn their lines.  Then I selected the three most qualified and deserving candidates, and we made decisions about their chosen plays.  We made sure the scripts had enough roles to include many students, required only simple sets and costumes, and had appropriate language and themes.  (Our greatest success was one-act plays of the kind that can be found in the Pioneer Drama catalogue.)

To be fair, I found it worked best if the actors did not get to choose the play or director they wanted to work with.  You don’t want casting to be a popularity contest!  In auditions, everyone read the same monologue or scene.  The directors evaluated the actors and called some back to read for specific parts.  After auditions were over, I asked each director to list their first, second, and third choices for each role.  Then we compared notes.  Sometimes I had to step in if two directors wanted the same actor.  I would decide who needed someone the most, then I’d give the “losing” director his second choice.  If you’ve stressed the spirit of teamwork and collaboration, you’ll find that your students can be surprisingly cooperative.

Each director was responsible for finding their own rehearsal space.  Some were lucky enough to find a teacher willing to let them use an empty classroom.  Others rehearsed in school hallways, common areas, or living rooms.  As the show date neared, they signed up for rehearsal in the theater.  In the final week we devoted one day to each play’s technical and dress rehearsal and Thursday we ran the whole show, including the award presentation.  Sets were minimal, we used what we had:  stools (borrowed from the science rooms), benches, doorframes, platforms, and odds and ends of furniture.  Putting effort into coordinating sets and costumes can make this kind of low budget theater look pretty good.  Color is important.  What color is the curtain behind them?  Do the costumes clash or blend with the set and each other?  Simplicity was the key.  The emphasis was supposed to be on the direction anyway.

If your school has art and industrial arts classes, those students can design and print posters, programs and tickets.  I think you’ll find that their teachers (most of them, at least) will be happy to have students work on these types of “real” projects.  Just give them credit in the program!  We also asked English teachers to give extra credit to students who attended because drama is part of most English curricula.  We gave each of these teachers a free ticket to thank them for their support.

As for judges, I usually asked one faculty member, one drama club alumnae, and one theater person from outside the school, perhaps from a community theater or local college.  I stressed that they should look at the play selection, the professionalism of the actors, and the way they worked with each other on stage.  The judges sat separately during the performances and took notes — meeting each other for the first time only after the curtain fell.  A quick decision is desirable since the audience is waiting for the result.  Did I ever throw my two cents in?  Only if I had a compelling reason to do so.

When the decision was made, the entire cast lines up on stage for their curtain call.  We have a plaque that has been passed down from director to director for over 50 years.  The winning director accepts the award (which they get to keep for one year), the casts applaud graciously, everyone cheers, and the curtain closes.  We practice that at the dress rehearsal!

In terms of our costs for a tournament like this, the school pays for the royalties and scripts (no photocopies!), set materials, paper for programs and posters, and flowers for each director.  This competition is so popular and well-attended that we always make enough money to cover our costs AND fund the next show.  This tradition has gone on for over 50 years, and it shows no sign of closing!