JAN
7

Tidbits of Advice for School Musical Directors

By Gary Ewer 

The new year has started, which means it’s already time to start planning for the spring musical.  Getting the ball rolling now will save your sanity, and it will also create a lot of energy and excitement in your performing arts program.  Gary Ewer, a composer, arranger, clinician and music teacher from Nova Scotia, shares some helpful tips to help you get started. 

Sure, there are those very talented directors who can mount a show with little assistance...  they’re just that good!  You’re probably one of those, right?  If so, good for you!  If not, however, you’re not alone.  Everyone can benefit from some guidance now and then, so here are some random tidbits of advice to help you get the most out of your next production...  and hopefully still have time to enjoy yourself!

Delegate.  Don’t try to be the onstage director, musical director, producer, chief bottle washer, and more.  The more you can spread out the tasks, the more synergy you create for your program, making it more fun for both you and your cast.  Recruit students, other staff members and volunteer parents to get involved and fill these roles or other similar positions you might need:

• Music Director
• Producer
• Stage Manager
• Props & Scenery Coordinator
• Choreographer
• Lighting & Sound Director
• Costume Coordinator
• Publicity Coordinator

Know your venue.  Know where you will be performing before you select a musical.  Having key details like stage size, available lighting and sound, curtain or not, backstage area, storage, dressing rooms, etc.  helps in the selection of the show, as well as planning the production.

Audition kindly.  Be good to your students when they come in for their audition.  You’ll reap benefits for months to come by starting the entire musical process with a nurturing, supportive environment.

• Remember that some of your students are doing the first audition of their lives and are probably terrified.  Set them at ease by being lighthearted and friendly, not austere and demanding.
• Encourage students to sing out with a full voice at the audition.
• Congratulate them after auditioning and always find something positive to say to them about how they performed.

Value your chorus.  Begin rehearsing chorus early in the process.  Of course, you need to get the show with the main characters worked out early, but you will also benefit from the excitement generated by rehearsing chorus early.

• Chorus numbers tend to be energetic and excited, so take advantage of this momentum by putting their energy into rehearsals right from the start.  You certainly don’t want to squelch their enthusiasm by doing anything to suggest they are not important to the show.  Remember, your actions speak louder than your words, so be careful how you schedule rehearsals, make cast announcements, etc.
• Here’s a way to help your chorus members realize they are very important as the various unnamed characters who give vital atmosphere to a show.  Tell them to invent a character name and develop a short one or two paragraph biography.  By letting them create a true persona, it will help eliminate that “onstage furniture” look that so many inexperienced chorus members have.
• Chorus members should sing in their character’s voice.  If the character speaks with a southern drawl, he/she should sing with a southern drawl.
• Chorus members should sing with eyebrows raised and backs straight.
• A musical theatre voice is a big voice with distinctive character, not a choir voice.  Consider inviting a musical theatre professional to a rehearsal to teach young singers how to safely project their voice.

Create backstage rules.  Backstage problems have a knack for magnifying themselves, eating up an exorbitant amount of time to solve.  Be proactive by creating a set of backstage guidelines or rules that all members of your production must follow.  Here are just a few suggestions to get you started:

• Actors should never touch props or scenery unless specifically instructed to do so.  This applies even to props that are used by that character.  Unless it is the moment of an actual show or rehearsal, props should be placed and moved only by the appropriate backstage crew.
• Actors must be mindful and respectful of the backstage crew and stay out of their way.  They have important jobs to do during runs of a show, and almost always, precise timing is critical.
• Actors must never appear anywhere but onstage in costume and/or makeup.  During the show’s intermission, no actors should be meeting public, family or friends.
• Backstage during a show must be very quiet.  Actors waiting in wings to make an entrance must stay well off to the side to prevent being seen until entering the stage.

Directing a musical creates lifelong memories for you, your cast and your crew.  It’s a magical opportunity to bring together various aspects of the fine arts and more, all working towards a shared goal.  Even people who might not normally involve themselves in the arts, such as electricians or those good at construction or sewing, can suddenly be engaged in an artistic endeavor.  Enjoy the experience!