A DRAMA PRODUCTION TO-DO LIST example
ORGANIZING A DRAMA PRODUCTION
EXAMPLE EXCEL HEADER FOR SCHEDULING TO-DO LIST
FIND A SCRIPT & MUSIC
- get approval if needed
- get rights if needed
- create a director’s script (if production is complicated and it would be helpful to you) (SEE BELOW for EXAMPLE EXCEL HEADER for DIRECTOR’S SCRIPT, and explanations)
CHOOSE DATE/S FOR THE SHOW & FOR PRACTICES
- for long dramas, allow for about one to three months of practicing (one or more days a week), plus one to two tech. rehearsal nights, and one to two dress rehearsal nights right before the performance/s.
- the larger and more complicated the production, the more practice is needed.
- determine exactly when you will have practices, tech. rehearsals, dress rehearsals and performance/s, so people will know all of the dates and times they need to commit to.
- make a schedule with dates and times, print off a few copies, and/or have this ready to email to all of those interested in being involved
SECURE YOUR LOCATION FOR PRACTICES & PERFORMANCE/S
- a theater with seating (at least for rehearsals and performances)
- a gym or very large room for dancing (if required)
- one or two large rooms for practicing, with piano/s (if required)
CHECK OUT NECESSARY DETAILS OF LOCATION
- does lighting equipment come with venue?
- does sound equipment come with venue?
PUT SOMEONE IN CHARGE OF LIGHTING
- do you need more lights/boards/etc. than provided?
PUT SOMEONE IN CHARGE OF SOUND
- do you need more microphones/boards/etc.? (Every stage is different. Some need a microphone per person, others may only need a few area microphones, while others might not need any.)
- do you need a piano (or other instruments)? Do these come with the venue or do you have to arrange for that? If you are using pre-recorded music, then check on the equipment needed for that.
SELECT DIRECTOR & ASSISTANT DIRECTORS
- artistic director (for acting as well as to be over the entire show)
- dance director (if required)
- one to two music directors (if required)
- pianist and other musicians (unless you are only using music recordings, or not having any music at all)
BUY AND/OR PRINT MUSIC
- get any necessary rights if required, for instance, if you are using other music or accompaniments than the sheet music provided
- give to pianists so they can practice and prepare
- print off extra copies for all of the appropriate directors
- or if you are using recorded music and/or other accompaniments, make sure everyone who needs these have copies or access
- if using recorded music, make sure you have enough equipment or ways to play this (for practices and performances)
FIND SET, PROPS, SLIDES & COSTUME PEOPLE
- artistic director needs to establish what kind of set to create, so the set designer can get started on that
- make lists of everything needed (be it set/s, props, slides, special effects, costumes)
- if these lists are long and complicated, use something like shared google doc spreadsheets to keep track of ideas and progress (this will alleviate the need for too many meetings)
- start planning, working on, getting, or making these things right away
- SEE EXAMPLE EXCEL HEADERS BELOW for COSTUMES, and PROPS & MUSIC
DETERMINE IF THERE WILL BE A FEE & FOR HOW MUCH
- even if there isn’t any fee, you may still want to have tickets that people get, so that you do not run out of seating, and you do not exceed fire code regulations
- you may want to charge just enough to cover the expenses (unless this is also a fund raiser for something specific)
- if you are making a profit, then you will have to check if there are any extra charges for the use of the script/s and music (if you are using one of my scripts, you can contact me at churchskits@yahoo.com, and I will want to know:
*** which drama/s, skit/s you are all using
*** what kind of show
*** how many times it will run
*** approximately how many paying people per show
*** and how much will the tickets be?
FIGURE OUT AUDITION PORTIONS OF SCRIPT & MUSIC TO USE
- print off a few script copies (and music sheets) for the artistic director, audition judges, and a copy for those auditioning (on which you can circle or highlight the portions that actors should read (or sing), handing it to them only at the time of their audition)
- you could also email actors/singers a few different script or song portions for them to work on ahead of time
MAKE A CAST LIST
- list all character roles with a space beside it to write down the name of the person or people who get those part/s
- get an idea of which roles could be combined, just in case you have too few actors
- once cast list is finished, print enough copies for all directors (judges)
- have lined paper and pens ready for the judges to make notes
- SEE BELOW FOR EXAMPLE EXCEL HEADER FOR CAST LIST
HAVE AN OPEN CALL OR SIGNUP SHEET FOR AUDITIONS
- set date/s and time/s when actors/singers can come in (either first come first audition, or have blocks of scheduled times; and decide whether auditions are in front of everyone, or in a private room. I’ve done both. Both are scary!)
- have a schedule with all the dates and times of practices, rehearsals and performances, printed and posted somewhere, so actors can make sure they are able to fully commit
- artistic director and judges should all have a cast list, as well as lined paper and pens
- unless you had actors pre-sign-up, have an attendant with a signup sheet where actors clearly print their name, email address and phone number (artistic director could also be managing this)
- as actor/singer steps up, have them say their name, and if applicable which role they are trying out for
- judges write down name, sex, approximate age, and maybe the desired role
- have actor/singer deliver the appropriate lines, and/or sing a song portion
- judges quickly make marks beside their names. EXAMPLE: “A” or “AA” if they did well or very well with acting, “S” or “SS” for singing, etc. ALSO jot down other notes, like which role/s they think the actor would be better suited for
- and continue on until you have seen and heard everyone
ASSIGN THE ROLES AS SOON AS POSSIBLE
- using the cast list, artistic director should start with the main roles, one at a time, asking who would be best suited for each role, then move on to the supporting roles, etc.
- judges can ex-out the names as they are assigned a part.
- some juggling of role assignments might be necessary, so just be careful that you don’t have a really good actor slip through the cracks
- as soon as all roles are assigned, you can send an email with the list to all actors.
HOLD A DIRECTORS’ MEETING
- go over the directing and practicing strategy, and cover any questions about the script contents
START LOOKING FOR OTHER VOLUNTEERS
- you’ll need prop & stage managers, hair & makeup artists, ushers, etc.
FOR FIRST PRACTICE SESSION/ORIENTATION/SCRIPT READ-THROUGH
- have script copies for all of the actors
- either at the beginning or end of the read-through, have all actors measured by the costume people (if this is required)
- make sure costume person has an assistant to write down or type in all measurements, and have an organized plan of attack (maybe have all the women line up first, in order of lead roles, to supporting roles, to cast members, and then the men)
DIVE INTO THE FUN OF PRACTICES!
- if some areas require extra work at some point, set aside other times to work one-on-one, or work with smaller groups to iron out dialogue, blocking or singing details (see acting and directing tips)
ADVERTISE & SELL OR GIVE AWAY TICKETS
(This could all be done online; FOR EXAMPLE, through your church’s portal)
EXAMPLE OF HEADERS
EXAMPLE HEADER FOR DIRECTOR’S SCRIPT
- which helps you see everything that is happening in one given moment
- make sure that you give proper legal credit for the script
- depending on how you print out excels, you may not need the first column, but it helps you let your technical people know exactly where you are starting at, and if you want, it can help out the actors. I’ve even put simple choreography notes in the action column to correlate with the song lyrics. At times, I have added a column after “WHO”, with “WHAT” (talk or sing). Obviously, because of the column amount, most of these excels will be printed out as landscape orientations.
EXAMPLE EXCEL HEADER FOR SCHEDULING TO-DO LIST
|
DATE
|
DATE
|
DONE |
ACTION
ITEM (for drama production) |
PERSON
RESPONSIBLE |
NOTES
/ IDEAS |
(And then, the following suggested schedule items can be copy-pasted into your “ACTION ITEM” column. Stop before the other excel header examples.)
ALL OF THE TO-DOs...
FIND A SCRIPT & MUSIC
- get approval if needed
- get rights if needed
- create a director’s script (if production is complicated and it would be helpful to you) (SEE BELOW for EXAMPLE EXCEL HEADER for DIRECTOR’S SCRIPT, and explanations)
CHOOSE DATE/S FOR THE SHOW & FOR PRACTICES
- for long dramas, allow for about one to three months of practicing (one or more days a week), plus one to two tech. rehearsal nights, and one to two dress rehearsal nights right before the performance/s.
- the larger and more complicated the production, the more practice is needed.
- determine exactly when you will have practices, tech. rehearsals, dress rehearsals and performance/s, so people will know all of the dates and times they need to commit to.
- make a schedule with dates and times, print off a few copies, and/or have this ready to email to all of those interested in being involved
SECURE YOUR LOCATION FOR PRACTICES & PERFORMANCE/S
- a theater with seating (at least for rehearsals and performances)
- a gym or very large room for dancing (if required)
- one or two large rooms for practicing, with piano/s (if required)
CHECK OUT NECESSARY DETAILS OF LOCATION
- does lighting equipment come with venue?
- does sound equipment come with venue?
PUT SOMEONE IN CHARGE OF LIGHTING
- do you need more lights/boards/etc. than provided?
PUT SOMEONE IN CHARGE OF SOUND
- do you need more microphones/boards/etc.? (Every stage is different. Some need a microphone per person, others may only need a few area microphones, while others might not need any.)
- do you need a piano (or other instruments)? Do these come with the venue or do you have to arrange for that? If you are using pre-recorded music, then check on the equipment needed for that.
SELECT DIRECTOR & ASSISTANT DIRECTORS
- artistic director (for acting as well as to be over the entire show)
- dance director (if required)
- one to two music directors (if required)
- pianist and other musicians (unless you are only using music recordings, or not having any music at all)
BUY AND/OR PRINT MUSIC
- get any necessary rights if required, for instance, if you are using other music or accompaniments than the sheet music provided
- give to pianists so they can practice and prepare
- print off extra copies for all of the appropriate directors
- or if you are using recorded music and/or other accompaniments, make sure everyone who needs these have copies or access
- if using recorded music, make sure you have enough equipment or ways to play this (for practices and performances)
FIND SET, PROPS, SLIDES & COSTUME PEOPLE
- artistic director needs to establish what kind of set to create, so the set designer can get started on that
- make lists of everything needed (be it set/s, props, slides, special effects, costumes)
- if these lists are long and complicated, use something like shared google doc spreadsheets to keep track of ideas and progress (this will alleviate the need for too many meetings)
- start planning, working on, getting, or making these things right away
- SEE EXAMPLE EXCEL HEADERS BELOW for COSTUMES, and PROPS & MUSIC
DETERMINE IF THERE WILL BE A FEE & FOR HOW MUCH
- even if there isn’t any fee, you may still want to have tickets that people get, so that you do not run out of seating, and you do not exceed fire code regulations
- you may want to charge just enough to cover the expenses (unless this is also a fund raiser for something specific)
- if you are making a profit, then you will have to check if there are any extra charges for the use of the script/s and music (if you are using one of my scripts, you can contact me at churchskits@yahoo.com, and I will want to know:
*** which drama/s, skit/s you are all using
*** what kind of show
*** how many times it will run
*** approximately how many paying people per show
*** and how much will the tickets be?
FIGURE OUT AUDITION PORTIONS OF SCRIPT & MUSIC TO USE
- print off a few script copies (and music sheets) for the artistic director, audition judges, and a copy for those auditioning (on which you can circle or highlight the portions that actors should read (or sing), handing it to them only at the time of their audition)
- you could also email actors/singers a few different script or song portions for them to work on ahead of time
MAKE A CAST LIST
- list all character roles with a space beside it to write down the name of the person or people who get those part/s
- get an idea of which roles could be combined, just in case you have too few actors
- once cast list is finished, print enough copies for all directors (judges)
- have lined paper and pens ready for the judges to make notes
- SEE BELOW FOR EXAMPLE EXCEL HEADER FOR CAST LIST
HAVE AN OPEN CALL OR SIGNUP SHEET FOR AUDITIONS
- set date/s and time/s when actors/singers can come in (either first come first audition, or have blocks of scheduled times; and decide whether auditions are in front of everyone, or in a private room. I’ve done both. Both are scary!)
- have a schedule with all the dates and times of practices, rehearsals and performances, printed and posted somewhere, so actors can make sure they are able to fully commit
- artistic director and judges should all have a cast list, as well as lined paper and pens
- unless you had actors pre-sign-up, have an attendant with a signup sheet where actors clearly print their name, email address and phone number (artistic director could also be managing this)
- as actor/singer steps up, have them say their name, and if applicable which role they are trying out for
- judges write down name, sex, approximate age, and maybe the desired role
- have actor/singer deliver the appropriate lines, and/or sing a song portion
- judges quickly make marks beside their names. EXAMPLE: “A” or “AA” if they did well or very well with acting, “S” or “SS” for singing, etc. ALSO jot down other notes, like which role/s they think the actor would be better suited for
- and continue on until you have seen and heard everyone
ASSIGN THE ROLES AS SOON AS POSSIBLE
- using the cast list, artistic director should start with the main roles, one at a time, asking who would be best suited for each role, then move on to the supporting roles, etc.
- judges can ex-out the names as they are assigned a part.
- some juggling of role assignments might be necessary, so just be careful that you don’t have a really good actor slip through the cracks
- as soon as all roles are assigned, you can send an email with the list to all actors.
HOLD A DIRECTORS’ MEETING
- go over the directing and practicing strategy, and cover any questions about the script contents
START LOOKING FOR OTHER VOLUNTEERS
- you’ll need prop & stage managers, hair & makeup artists, ushers, etc.
FOR FIRST PRACTICE SESSION/ORIENTATION/SCRIPT READ-THROUGH
- have script copies for all of the actors
- either at the beginning or end of the read-through, have all actors measured by the costume people (if this is required)
- make sure costume person has an assistant to write down or type in all measurements, and have an organized plan of attack (maybe have all the women line up first, in order of lead roles, to supporting roles, to cast members, and then the men)
DIVE INTO THE FUN OF PRACTICES!
- if some areas require extra work at some point, set aside other times to work one-on-one, or work with smaller groups to iron out dialogue, blocking or singing details (see acting and directing tips)
ADVERTISE & SELL OR GIVE AWAY TICKETS
(This could all be done online; FOR EXAMPLE, through your church’s portal)
EXAMPLE OF HEADERS
EXAMPLE HEADER FOR DIRECTOR’S SCRIPT
- which helps you see everything that is happening in one given moment
- make sure that you give proper legal credit for the script
- depending on how you print out excels, you may not need the first column, but it helps you let your technical people know exactly where you are starting at, and if you want, it can help out the actors. I’ve even put simple choreography notes in the action column to correlate with the song lyrics. At times, I have added a column after “WHO”, with “WHAT” (talk or sing). Obviously, because of the column amount, most of these excels will be printed out as landscape orientations.
|
line
# |
WHO |
WORDS
(dialogue or lyrics) |
ACTION |
LIGHTING
& SCREEN |
SOUND |
|
character |
ACTOR'S NAME |
measurement/s
required |
COSTUME
ITEMS |
PERSON responsible |
done |
est'd
cost |
running
TOTAL |
if
borrowed: describe, give name/phone # |
link to buy, or photo
ideas |
HEADER EXAMPLE FOR PROPS & MUSIC SPREADHSEET
|
PROP
& SONG/MUSIC TO BUY or MAKE |
PERSON responsible |
done |
est'd
cost |
running
TOTAL |
link to product |
if
borrowed: describe & give name/phone # |
PHOTOS
/ |
EXAMPLE HEADER FOR CAST LIST on SPREADSHEET or for a CHART
|
PERSON
TO PLAY… |
CHARACTER |
line
count |
DESCRIPTION
and/or |
link for acting & directing tips
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