double casting Archives

An Amazing Play That Most Theater Teachers Never Produce

There’s an amazing play written by Playwight Aurand Harris that most theater teachers never produce. It’s name? Orphan Train. Busy theater teachers/directors have no time to consider plays other than those from their past successes. They simply don’t have the brain space left to do so. That’s where I come in.

The Orphan Train published by Dramatic Publishing.

An Amazing Play That Most Theater Teachers Never Produce

Synopsis

The play tells the story of nine orphans on an “orphan train” that left New York City on May 28, 1914. The train travels to Midwestern towns in search of homes, any homes, anywhere for the orphaned and unwanted children. There’s Mary, Evie, spunky Pegeen, Annie and Little Lucy, a quiet one.

Other orphans include Frank (who later becomes Frankie, a small girl), Raymond, Lucky and Danny the song-and-dance boy. And there are the men and women hoping for children. The lonesome whistle wails as the train chugs between encounters of anxiety, laughter, wistfulness, rejection and acceptance. Eight stories unfold, each a memorable surprise. Cast size: 6m., 7w., 6 boys, 6 girls, or 11 (1m., 1w., 3 boys, 6 girls) with doubling.

An Amazing Play That Most Theater Teachers Never Produce

Probably the first reason a teacher/director might not consider The Orphan Train is the size of the cast–13. There is a way around this issue. Have you ever double cast a production? Although it appears as extra work for you, long term it is a Godsend. Usually, one of the two actors double cast in a role will always be in attendance so you can progress through your rehearsal calendar as planned. Also, if you are short on males, a female can portray one of the male characters. Or vice versa.

If you’d like more information about double casting, check out: Double Casting a Show? Here’s Advice

or help with directing– Ten Important Elements to Consider When Directing a Youth Theater Production.

Technical Requirements of The Orphan Train

I directed The Orphan Train with middle school students. One reason I selected it is that there is no need for a set. We legged several platforms and placed them together making different levels. Stage pieces consisted of black boxes and several wooden chairs.

The necessary stage properties are minimal as I recall. That’s another plus to selecting this production for your season.

Costume Design for The Orphan Train

Usually, I designed the costumes for my middle school plays partly because I have an intense interest in costume design. However, I took a chance with this play and did something completely different–I asked the students to find their own costumes. My budget paid for those students who could not afford it.

My color palette for the production was black and white hopefully denoting a black and white photograph. To this end, I asked the students to bring in costume pieces for their character of either black, white or even gray. I guessed that most of the students could find what they needed quite easily and I was correct. It worked great! When they created a tableaux at the end of the show, they looked like a vintage photograph.

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(We used this photo as a template for our show tee shirts! )

Light Design for The Orphan Train

I was fortunate. My principal at the time was very supportive of the arts (in fact, all of the principals I worked for were supportive of the arts), and purchased lighting equipment for us. Lighting the show was fairly simple–I used the stage lights (on little dimmers if you can imagine) and then our light board, trees and several ellipsoidal and fresnel.

Sound Design for The Orphan Train

My husband and I are avid music lovers. We listen to all types of music. Consequently, we knew of music which would be perfect for pre-show, intermission and post show. We used period music such as Popular Roaring 1920s Music from the Year 1926. The sound of trains was another thing we used between scenes–steam engines puffing, rolling around, train whistles, etc.

Historical Significance of The Orphan Train

When I began researching the play, I found this entry in Wikipedia.com, “The Orphan Train Movement was a supervised welfare program that transported children from crowded Eastern cities of the United States to foster homes located largely in rural areas of the Midwest. The orphan trains operated between 1854 and 1929, relocating from about 200,000 children.

The co-founders of the Orphan Train movement claimed that these children were orphaned, abandoned, abused, or homeless, but this was not always true. They were mostly the children of new immigrants and the children of the poor and destitute families living in these cities. Criticisms of the program include ineffective screening of caretakers, insufficient follow-ups on placements, and that many children were used as strictly slave farm labor.

Charitable Institutions Aid to Orphans

Three charitable institutions, Children’s Village (founded 1851 by 24 philanthropists ), the Children’s Aid Society (established 1853 by Charles Loring Brace) and later, New York Foundling Hospital, endeavored to help these children. The institutions were supported by wealthy donors and operated by professional staff. The three institutions developed a program that placed homeless, orphaned, and abandoned city children, who numbered an estimated 30,000 in New York City alone in the 1850s, in foster homes throughout the country.

The children were transported to their new homes on trains that were labeled “orphan trains” or “baby trains”. This relocation of children ended in 1930 due to decreased need for farm labor in the Midwest. The phrase “orphan train” was first used in 1854 to describe the transportation of children from their home area via the railroad. However, the term “Orphan Train” was not widely used until long after the Orphan Train program had ended.

Interviewing An Orphan

We lived in Missouri at the time in which I directed the play. We’d heard there were several people still alive who rode the Orphan train many years prior. With a little extra work, a parent volunteer found one of the children (now adult) who was an orphan and traveled by Orphan Train.

This lovely lady came and spoke to our cast about what it was like to ride the train. Although that was many years ago, I recall she said that the family she ended up with were not very nice to her but she grew up with them.

You always want a story like this to have a happy ending, don’t you? However, it’s important that our students see life as it can be sometimes, especially in a case such as this one.

An Amazing Play That Most Theater Teachers Never Produce

Maybe you found this blog because you are interested in integrating drama into your core class. I found a terrific site with plenty of information and teaching suggestions–The Orphan Train. Start here to build your unit around The Orphan Train.

Additionally, you could purchase a class set of this play to use as a read aloud. (Make sure you check it out before you purchase for your entire class–you don’t just want to take my word for it. I remember there are several swear words which you may want to switch out with others not as flowery.)

Use the script to study set or costume design. This particular lesson would be helpful to you if you study costume design accompanying the play. Or use this unit to study set design to accompany the play.

Have I convinced you to check out The Orphan Train play? If hope so. If you have any questions about directing this play or any other questions, please feel free to email me. I receive emails every week from teachers needing a veteran teacher to give them advice. That’s what I’m here for. Want a FREE lesson great for middle grade students? Go here: Lin Manuel Miranda

Double Casting a Show? Here’s Advice

Are you double casting a show? Here’s advice. This is a subject near and dear to my heart.

Willy Wonka, Jr.

I have gobs of experience on this subject having directed mostly successful musicals and plays with adults and children for over thirty-eight years. Trust me when I say, you too can double cast a production and come out of the experience as a sane human being. I really think that double casting youth theater productions is the way to go.

Here’s some advice:

1. You should alert those auditioning that you are considering double casting. That doesn’t mean you are required to double cast, however. You are merely thinking about it. Actors don’t like to be surprised. They spend so much time thinking about the outcome of their audition, it is only polite to warn them. Some people won’t be involved in your production if they don’t know in advance that you are double casting.

2. After you have double cast the show, I strongly suggest you label the casts. This year, I am double casting three roles in Fiddler on the Roof, Jr. (Chava, Hodel and Tzeitel). In one of the schools in which I teach, we have so many talented young women, my co-teacher and I thought it was the best way to go this year.

We labeled them cast “A” and “B”–not the most creative labeling we could come up with, but you get the idea. (And as I rethink this, probably refraining from using A and B would be a good idea since in education “A” means excellent.) Frankly, I enjoy labeling the cast with some word from the title of the musical such as “Guys” and “Dolls” or “Alice” and “White Rabbit”, etc. You get the idea.

3. Double casting keeps the egos out of the way, in my opinion. If you divide the strength of the cast between both, you are more likely to have a terrific outcome. I have seen many a talented student who lacks confidence who feels bolstered by the students around him with more experience and so forth. Sometimes that’s all the one who is a little more unsure needs–the other students’ confidence rubs off on him.

4. I don’t worry whether the two actors are the same size when it comes to costuming them. I think that’s costume designer’s problem and no one should be denied a part because she isn’t the same size as another person cast in the role. Some of us just can’t help that we are short or very tall. 🙂

5. Usually, I have the double cast actors observe each other’s rehearsals. Even if I have to review blocking solely for the second cast, that’s my choice. When I stage a musical number, the actors learn the parts at the same time, side by side. The same thing goes for vocal rehearsals. If all goes well, the two actors can rehearse with each other, checking their blocking, going over lines, etc.

6. Usually, we have four performances. I give each cast one performance which will probably have a smaller audience (such as a Thursday night or Saturday afternoon).

7. When the flu season approaches, having a double cast alleviates much of the stress of absenteeism. You know that someone will be there to rehearse. I also make it clear to the students I expect them to work as a team and help each other whether it means running lines with one another or getting all the director’s notes if one person is absent. Again, this keeps the egos at bay.

Sometimes rehearsals get tricky what with two casts, two sets of notes, two sets of problem solving but I promise you it’s worth it. Several times in my career, I have been double cast myself! And look–I’m here to share my experiences with you.

Do you like free resources? Pick up my free guide and ten page lesson here

Or maybe you are wanting to teach how to Create Your Own Musical?