Aaron
V. Johnson
Mentor:
Mr. Mark Miles
Summary:
For
my senior capstone I co-directed and managed the stage design for a play
written by Julia Boyer.
Abstract:
My
role comprised of rehearsing with Julia and the cast of the play, blacking out
the windows in the drama studio, moving the stages from the school cafeteria to
the third floor drama studio, hanging up curtains, and managing the stage
lighting. My responsibilities differed from Julia’s as I worked behind the
scenes while she managed the actors and the props. Originally, Julia and I
planned to sell tickets to the play, titled Office 309, but in the end
chose to make the three performances free to the SLA community during two
Friday lunch periods and one final performance after school on the same day.
Annotated Bibliography:
"How
To Direct a Play." Squidoo. Home Entertainment and Theater, 2010.
Web. 1 Feb 2012
This
website gives helpful insight on how to direct one’s first play. Helpful ideas
include finding the cast as soon as possible, hiring a crew of at least three
people, depending on how large the set is, and creating a production concept.
The most important piece of information I received from this website is the
importance of a production concept. To do so, the director or writer needs to
think of a piece of artwork or writing piece that ties to the core of the
entire play and explain it to the cast and crew. This artwork or writing piece
should make everyone understand the ideas behind the play and what types of
feelings to create during the production.
"Martenson
Edward." Theater Management. Yale School of Drama, 2010. Web.
This
website incorporates the idea of audience involvement with the characters’
points of view. It gives the example of giving a brief survey to the audience
in advance, before completion of the writing of the play so the writing is
relatable and draws people in.
Chaikelson,
Steven. "Theater Management and Production Concentration." . Columbia
University: School of the Arts , 24 September 2010. Web.
This
website talks about process goals needed during the production of a musical or
play. A key concept that is mentioned several times in the document is the
importance of collaboration. The writers explain that collaboration is
important because directing a play takes an ample amount of time and the work
should be split in half to avoid stress. Also, more than one opinion tends to
be helpful when working on a play or musical because theoretically “Two heads
work better than one.”
Brookes,
Fran. "The Production Manager." Theater Education. Education Theater
Association, 27 December 2009. Web
The
article, “The Production Manager” is a detailed step by step process on
everything from set crews, characters, to guidelines for directors and writers
of play productions. The article also tells the story of two people who work
together to make scripts and produce them in front of a live audience. One of
the writers also works as the manager while the second doubles as the stage
manager. Together they have created an amazing duo that produces up to six
plays a year. The two are interviewed by Fran Brookes where they talk about
their strengths and weaknesses while working together.
"Behind
The Scenes: Production Management." . Shakespeare Production Management,
January 2012. Web.
This source
is a brief explanation and step by step guide book on how to produce the
greatest theater production possible. The first step is to hire and work with
people you trust and can rely on. The second step is to find a space that is
cost effective and that will also gain valuable customers and audience members.
The third and final step is to create something concrete that you are proud of
and want to share with the world.
