Choosing a play is obviously a critical step in theatre. A producer and a director must have a great passion for the play because they will spend a great amount of time with it. My rule of thumb for producing a high school play is that for every minute of running time, you must schedule 1 hour of rehearsal time. Beyond this there is time needed for sets, props, sound, light and costume design and building, which you can add. So an one act play that runs an hour can easily need 60 to 100 hours of rehearsal and pre-production time. Therefore, the play that you choose must be something you are willing to spend a lot of time with.
When I am choosing a play, I will read the synopsis of play in catalogues and either order a copy of plays that I think I like from the publisher or try to borrow a copy from a library. More and more, publishing companies are providing digital scipts for preview for a discounted price. Once I have my stack of scripts, I read them asking myself some basic but vital questions:
- Do you like this script? - As a director and producer, I like to do scripts that are ghost stories. I think it is beneficial for me to be known as a director or producer of particular genre. So while I read a script I ask myself this question of do I like it. Does it fit me artistically?
- How would I make this script come to life? This is a big picture kind of question. Below is a my diagram for a production. It shows how at the center of every production is the script. From that script a director must ask "How would I make this script come to life in terms of acting, costumes, lighting, sets, etc?"
- Can we afford to make this script come to life? - Putting on any production is costly. You have only a limited budget with any production. You should know that right from the start and live with in it. If you don't think you have enough money for all the components of the production, then you should reconsider if that particular script is something you want.
- Do you the actors you need? - In my experience, drama clubs have a limited number of students who want to be actors. Moreover, this is further limited by male and female roles. Do you have enough people to fill the roles for the play.
- Do you have the skills and resources to put on this play? - You could want and have the money for a Phantom of the Opera set but do you have people who can build sets? Do you have the stage space to put this play on?
