NOV
1

The Write Stuff:  Building Real, Student-Made Theater

By Margaret F. Johnson 

Margaret F. Johnson has nearly four decades of experience teaching drama, serving as the Montana State Thespian Director from 1972 to 1992 and directing more than 190 productions, from children’s theatre to full musical productions. 

No doubt, many of you — like me — are part of your school’s English department.  And if so, it probably goes without saying that teaching students to write is an integral part of their education.  I strive to include a strong writing element in my drama program, and a great way to accomplish this is with a production based on students’ in-class writings.

The result?  A very rewarding production, not just for the actors, but also their parents, the school, the community, and me.  I’ve done this as a classroom performance to which we invite the parents, but it could easily also be a production for the entire school on your annual play schedule.  I love it because it gives the students an opportunity to take pride in their accomplishments while showcasing the quality of their creativity, ideas, and writing.

Student-made productions require time to pull together, and no doubt, there are any number of ways to create this type of show.  I always make sure to follow these two parameters:

• Keep it tech-free
  To make certain the show can be performed on a stage, in a gym, or even a large classroom, I require that the students write their pieces to not have any special lighting or other technical requirements.  The trick to going tech-free is to remember to entertain your audience by using a variety of presentations and having a strategy to change the audience’s focus when a different performer or group begins.
• Keep it tight
  There needs to be a time limit.  I never want the entire show to be longer than 90 minutes — at the very longest — because an audience can get restless and uninterested.  With this kind of show, remember that you’ll most likely be running it without an intermission since there’s no building action, so even 30 to 45 minutes is fine.  No one piece should be longer than three minutes, unless it involves more than one student.  Only then can the time run a little longer.

So how do I get started?  Here’s the process I’ve developed over the years, though again, there are any number of ways to go about this.

Creating variety

I start the process by having each student write six to eight pieces, approximately two to three minutes long.  Their work needs to include a variety:

• One or more poems.
• At least a couple of scenes that involve two or more people.  An audience can become bored if all the scenes are solos.
• At least one monologue that hopefully includes an emotional arc.
• An original song, dance, or pantomime.  This is hard for many students, but a great way to showcase students with special talents such as singing, playing guitar, dancing, etc.  If music is involved, consider whether it’s possible one of the pieces could be incorporated into an opening number with the whole class participating. 

The selection process

Once your students have written their pieces, have them present all of them in small groups to narrow it down to the favorite two by each student.  Have each of them rewrite their two — yes, rewriting is a must — based on their own experience of performing it as well as the feedback they got from their group members.  Now they can perform them again, this time to the entire class.  When the rewrites are presented to the class, other class members should feel free to give not only positive feedback but also constructive suggestions.

Now comes for the arduous task of selecting which ones will be performed.  Keep in mind you want variety, not only of content but also of tone, performing group size, and type of performance.  Before the whole class selects the final pieces, consider the following:

• It is possible that a student will have two of his or her pieces chosen while another student might not have any.  Be sure you have prepared your students with this possibility before they’ve presented their rewrites.
• Every student should perform in at least one segment, but it doesn’t have to necessarily be his or her own piece.
• Make sure your show is not maudlin.  High school students love to write tearjerkers.  Several serious pieces are certainly necessary, but an audience does not want to be assaulted by high school angst.
• Keep in mind the length of your show while considering the audience reactions and the time for connecting the show together.

Opening and continuity

The opening needs to grab your audience’s attention.  If you do warm-ups, both vocally and physically in your class, start the show with them — it is a great way to immediately involve the audience.  You might even consider beginning with a tongue twister, which is not only fun for the audience but is an excellent warm-up for your students.

Next, select the order of the pieces and how they will be tied together.  Here are three different strategies to help create cohesion and flow between pieces:

• Music.  This gives the show energy and permits time for movement and changing focus.  Each student can select a piece of music to introduce his/her scene — no more than 20-25 seconds.
• Introduction.  Each piece can be introduced by one student then performed by others.
• Script.  Your class might choose to write a script or narration that connects all the pieces together.

Conclusion

Guiding my students to create a completely student-written production is always one of my favorite classroom activities.  Not only do I get to know my students better, but their excitement and eagerness help develop the feeling of family and acceptance within the class.