Tips for Summer Play Thespians

Sparkler dramaKTO gets depressed when she finishes a play. We get depressed when we finish a burrito. —SparkNotes editors

Now is the time when spring plays end and rehearsals for summer shows begin. This post is for peeps who are novices. If you are not a novice, just read along and see if any of this helps you. Here's my stage-by-stage guideline (no pun intended) for the yung'ins:

AUDITIONS:
Will be difficult. You will discover who is  likely to get a lead role and who will be an extra. But have no fear: You only have to worry about YOU. Do your best. Directors look for individuality and personality in your performance. Put a spin on everything you do in front of those guys. This applies to acting in a "straight" (a.k.a. a play with no singing or dancing) and being in a play with singing, dancing, or all three (musicals!). If you have a time conflict with show nights, I beg of you: Don't audition. Nothing is worse than giving the directors a shot of what you CAN do, and then not doing it. Your reputation might be ruined if you pull this! In the words of Mistress Quickly from The Merry Wives of Windsor by Shakespeare: "FIE UPON YOU!"

REHEARSALS:
You made it in! Good for you!

...now focus.

As soon as you go to that first rehearsal, you have to be prepared. Be ready for memorization, blocking, and lots more. If you have some extra free time during rehearsals, help your fellow thespians memorize lines, music, rehearse music, whatever. Focused and organized actors = happy directors (and trust me, you wanna make them so happy they are seeing rainbows).

You will make a lot of friends during this practice time, but don't let that stop you from getting things done.

TECH WEEK:
WILL KILL YOU!  Your patience will be tested, you will be crabby, miserable, and bored out of your mind. To help break the negative mindset of T.W., bring in some homework and do it offstage. If you have coloring books, PLEASE bring them in.

You will also see the mysterious creatures called "techies." Respect the techies or you will fail...epically. Techies create the aesthetically pleasing aspects of the show (lights, costume, makeup, set, sound, advertising, etc...). And directors are techies, too, so be nice.

Get plenty of sleep and keep your energy up. Running things over and over and over will exhaust you. So eat plenty, drink lots of water, and get tons of sleep. (I unfortunately DIDN'T eat enough one day and almost fainted...I was being watched ver closely for the rest of the show, hehe.)

SHOW:
This is demanding! You need to be energized, vigilant, and stretched (you'll move a lot more than you think in a show...).

Try using exercises like "What's Fred Schneider Doing?," tongue twisters, the BEND AND SNAP (Legally Blonde, people...), yoga, Singing in the Rain, pep talks, and diction exercises (there are so many of these that I can't list them all...look up some on Google). Be vocally warmed up by singing songs on key and doing scales.

If someone messes up a line, improv is key. Make up a line to keep the story flowing. Work a little humor in if you can.

AFTER SHOW:
It is inevitable, you will hit a PSD (Post Show Depression). One you realize you are not around the people you have just spent the past 3 months with for about 10-30 hours a week, you realize you MISS THEM. Keep in touch with these people because they will never forget you. I was in a show 3 years ago and I still talk to some of the people that were in it. People you were in a show with = lifetime friends.

THE CAST PARTY:
WOOOOHHOOOO! There is no alcohol involved in this shindig, just some good old-fashioned fun. You will probably play a lot of games including Red Rover, Just Dance, and all the other games that were banned from the elementary playground. Sometimes awards will be given out, too! At my school, every member of the cast gets a special award on a paper plate (because we're broke). I got The Shuffletastic Award for having the fastest speed walk in set changes.

I hope these pieces of advice have convinced you that drama is a lot more than just overly-loud people doing weird things; it's about having fun and getting a good result out of your hard work!

How do you prepare for theater season?

Related Post: A Guide to Auditioning for the School Musical