JAN
19

Virtual Theatre Secrets

By Deborah M. Sansone 

Deborah Sansone lives in southern Connecticut with her husband and two teenage sons.  She is founder of two elementary school drama club programs and has been teaching theatre, writing, and directing for more than a decade.  In the last six months, Deborah has produced two Virtual Theatre shows, including one written herself. 

After teaching drama for the past decade for an after-school elementary program, last year I launched a second program in a neighboring school.  I was up to my eyeballs in everything drama when everything closed in March!  Since I have a hard time sitting still, I enrolled in an online playwriting class, and that’s where I heard about Virtual Theatre!

I’ve got to say, I was not impressed watching my first virtual show, which was just a traditional play performed online.  I wondered if it would be better if the play was written specifically for the virtual world.  I searched Pioneer Drama, and sure enough, I found they have over 40 virtual scripts written specifically for online production!  Our first show was so successful in June that I was inspired to write an original show, which we performed in November.

With two virtual productions (so far!)  under my belt, here’s my advice on directing and producing Virtual Theatre:

Choose a show specifically written as Virtual Theatre.  Virtual Theatre is intended to be rehearsed and performed virtually, and most virtual shows are written so that there’s a reason the actors are not together.  These shows also have limited props and/or costume requirements.  With the virtual format firmly in place, you can get creative with backgrounds, entrances, musical cues, and camera angles.

Organize and plan ahead.  Virtual theatre requires the same amount of preparation as a live show.  You need a practice schedule, a format with which to communicate, weekly communications, scripts, etc.  I used our drama club website to share important information.  We also used jotform.com (free!)  to have the actors share information through forms.

I scheduled two one-hour practices a week after school since that would have been our regular schedule.  Make sure you schedule extra practices for run-throughs and dress rehearsals!  I also found that some one-on-one practices really make a difference.  I scheduled a half-hour for each actor to meet with me at some point during the schedule.  This gave me space to help them with their role in private and without others listening in.

Set up auditions.  We sent script samples to the actors, who then signed up for a half-hour slot on Zoom to audition.  In addition, I sent auditioning students a costume guide to see if they had something in their home that would work for the show or if they were willing to order costume pieces if needed.  I cast our show that night, sent emails to the kids, and we started rehearsals a day later!

Manage rehearsals — and make them fun!  If you are using Zoom, you can schedule all of your rehearsals at one time, set reminders, and even record them!  I limited practices to an hour because “Zoom exhaustion” is real!  I logged on 15 minutes early to each rehearsal and told students to join me early if they wanted or needed to chat.  As a “reward,” I also gave special responsibilities to the first actor to log on.  I greeted each actor by name and asked them a question about their day, their pets, their homework, etc.  And I always started the practice with an opening game.

A favorite game was something I call “Um!”  Once everyone logged on, one of the actors took attendance, then I asked the students go find an object in their home that they would try to sell to the rest of the group.  They were to speak for as long as they could about the object, but there was on catch:  they couldn’t say the word, “um.”  If we heard them say it, they were out, and it was someone else’s turn.

I always closed practice with a “compliment” game.  This was by far one of their favorite things to do.  I had them chat or IM everything good that one of the actors did that day and had another actor read the compliments out loud.  Sometimes I gave them a secret admirer and they each had to say something positive about that person at the end of rehearsal.

Teaching — and learning — technology.  In addition to directing the play, you will need to spend some of your rehearsals learning and teaching technology.  Remember, not all of your actors will have the same device.  Some will be on iPads, some on computers.  Some devices may be too old or outdated for virtual backgrounds.  So, every practice, I spent time working on the “dos and don’ts” of Virtual Theatre, including muting mics, turning cameras on and off, virtual “entrances” and “exits,” chatting, using digital backgrounds, and more.

The importance of improv.  There are going to be glitches and technological problems with a virtual show, so creative problem-solving is a must.  One option is to have an actor reading along and if another actor is on mute, for instance, the reader can read their line for them.  However, I chose to give the actors the ability to make mistakes as part of the show.  This meant that the actor who spoke last would stay on the screen until the next actor arrived.  And if the new actor was unwittingly muted, the existing actor might improvise:  “Cat got your tongue?”  or “Excuse me, your mic seems to be malfunctioning.”  The audience thought it was all part of the show!

Background, costumes, and stage management.  It may be a virtual show, but it’s still a show!  And details matter.  It helps to have a “stage manager,” so I was sure to designate one.  This student communicated with actors “in the wings” using the chat function on Zoom.

I also made sure actors were in the right space for the moment, or we used a fitting virtual background.  Mostly, I had the students make their own backgrounds or decorate their own space.  I was also able to ship them props that really improved the “set” and the show.

Keep raising funds.  You can still raise funds for your program with Virtual Theatre.  We took donations for our first show and charged $10 per family for our second show, which covered the additional royalty fee to also include a video of the show for each family.  This was easy since Zoom records it for you!  We had a virtual program guide and let families and friends add “Love Lines” for a small donation.  (NOTE:  Pioneer Drama partners with BookTix.com for easy and low-cost online ticketing solutions for your live, streamed, or pre-recorded performances.)

Promote your show.  It’s a virtual show, but your actors want a live audience!  We used a lot of virtual promotion for the show, including social media sites like Facebook and Instagram, as well as email campaigns and promotions through our website, local newspapers, etc.  You can see your audience numbers on Zoom, and it was exciting to know so many were watching!  As an added benefit of Virtual Theatre, your audience is not limited to local folks!

Have fun.  In the end, the kids enjoyed the experience and were sad the show was over.  Many of the actors from the first show returned for the second!  In an odd way, I almost enjoyed my time with the kids more because there were fewer distractions and we were “face-to-face” for so much of the production.  I am planning a third show as we speak.

I can’t wait to get back on a real stage, but Virtual Theatre is a lot of fun.