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Middle School Drama Lessons from a Veteran Drama Teacher

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Middle School Drama Lessons from a Veteran Drama Teacher

Hello!

You may not know me or be familiar with my work.  I’m Deborah Baldwin (but my friends call me Deb.)  I am a recently retired award winning drama teacher of thirty-eight years.  In that time, I directed over 300 plays and musicals with students and adults as well.  I taught every grade level, but the bulk of my time was spent with secondary students.

Here is my resume if you’d like to see it: DeborahBaldwin.net

If you are looking for lessons for high school theater classes, check out Drama Lessons for High School from an Award Winning Drama Teacher or elementary classes at Creative Dramatics Lessons for Elementary Grades by an Award Winning Drama Teacher

My Teaching Style

Drama is a hands-on class. To this end, I’m always on my feet, modeling for my students while teaching them a host of concepts. It is not unusual to hear my classroom in chortles of laughter because humor is an outstanding way to gain a student’s attention. I empower students at an early age.

Although I am always mindful of my learning objectives, I think it’s vital for students to experiment within the confines of my instruction. I encourage students to be independent and creative thinkers. Many less confident or reluctant students benefit from my teaching methods as together we hit the challenges they encounter. I am creative, intense, driven and brave–these are qualities I nurture in all my students and generally receive outstanding results.

Check out my store at Dramamommaspeaks.

Here is my opinion about expectations of middle school My Pet Peeve

Drama Lessons with Easy Prep for the Teacher

If you are looking for drama units, lessons and plays for your students, I can help you.  Here are a few of my lessons for middle grade students:

Drama Curriculum and Units

Drama Lessons for Middle Grades from an Award Winning Drama Teacher

Set Design Units

Set Design, the Rendering

If you need theater lessons for elementary students, check out Creative Dramatics Lessons for Elementary Grades by an Award Winning Drama Teacher

Choice Boards 

Drama Lessons for Middle Grades from an Award Winning Drama Teacher

If you have reluctant students in your class, try choice boards.  They give students an opportunity to learn what they want to know the most about.

Wicked Costume Design Boom Cards

Drama Lessons for Middle Grades from an Award Winning Drama Teacher

Do you ever use Boom cards?  This lesson is great for teaching about the musical Wicked, while also studying costume design near Halloween.

Costume Design with Superheroes

 

Bow Blues Radio Play Unit

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Drama Lessons for Middle Grades from an Award Winning Drama Teacher

Invite a Play Character to dinner

Pick up this bundle with Wicked, Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth Biographies

Also, this Google Classroom version: Wicked, the Broadway Musical (Google Classroom)

You might enjoy this Famous Theater Artist Biography for the Google Classroom:  Sarah Bareilles

Middle School Drama Lessons from a Veteran Drama Teacher

Cynthia Erivo (FREE)

Wicked Broadway Musical

 

Lin Manuel Miranda cover

Famous Theater Artists:  Lin Manuel Miranda Biography (FREE)

Additionally, here is a new readers theater script lesson based on an Inca legend:  The Magic Lake 

Satisfied Customers 

I’m so flattered by reviews such as these:

  • “Absolutely brilliant! Brightened my classroom with purpose!” (Famous Theater Artist Pendants)
  • “What a terrific and thorough study of Sarah Bareilles. My students really enjoyed learning about her. She’s a great role model for having a growth mindset.”
  • “I used this Lin Manuel Mirranda lesson in conjunction with the Hamilton unit, and my students really enjoyed it. Thank you for putting this together!”
  • ” Set Design with School Setting has been a great lesson for my students during digital learning last year. They really enjoyed doing it and I got some great set designs turned in.”
  • “This unit, The Wiz Broadway musical resourcse is highly detailed and contains all of the information I need to support my unit on the Wiz.”
  • “Wow! This resource is filled with activities that can give students an experience outside of the classroom! You can design independent lessons from this unit, where students can explore radio show history and listen to examples. My class is going to perform our radio show over a zoom call. Deborah is great; she responded promptly to my questions and even added resources for me!” (Bow Wow Blues Radio Theater Unit)
  • I used this resource to get my students ready to attend the Come From Away musical as a field trip. Back in September, we had written letters of gratitude to the people of Gander for what they did on 9/11. Long story short and a few interviews in-between, my EL’s got to attend the musical in Houston in early March 2020 with Captain Bass herself! Thank you for this resource. It helped them prepare for what we would see onstage before seeing it in real life. THANK YOU!!

I hope you’ll check out my drama education products.  There are nearly 450 of them ready and waiting for you.

Lastly…

Looking for something free?  There are free lessons here in my blog and in my store.  Here is something for you: Freebies Stuff

If you don’t find what you need, contact me.  Chances are I’d be interested in creating what you are needing.  That’s always fun! I also customize bundles so if that is something you’d be interested in, do email me.

Contact me at dhcbaldwin@gmail.com or DeborahBaldwin.net

Woman behind DramaMommaSpeaks

Three Interactive Ways to Teach The Play Tom Sawyer To Your Students

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Three Interactive Ways to Teach The Play Tom Sawyer To Your Students

Today’s post is Three Interactive Ways to Teach Tom Sawyer To Your Students.  Several years ago, (for thirteen years) I taught sixth graders an introduction to theater class in a middle school. All the sixth graders–almost 500 of them each year. If you’d like to know more about that experience, check out this blog post: How to Make Your Drama Class More Successful

Mark Twain's Purpose for Writing The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

As any drama teacher worth her weight would tell you, it’s important for students to read fiction about kids around their age.  Now, I’m like anyone.  I like pop culture, but I happen to think our students need to still read classics.

In addition, I also like to include interactive instruction if at all possible.  Interactive instruction is when students learn through social interaction. Interactive instruction is just about everything we do in a theater class!

Meet Tim Kelly, Playwright

Three Interactive Ways to Teach The Play Tom Sawyer To Your Students

Thirty-one years ago, I co-developed a play writing contest for youth theater plays.  One of the winners was a prolific playwright, Tim Kelly.

When Tim entered the competition, I was aghast!  I only knew his plays as hokey.  They were silly, kind of awkward parodies of other plays, books, or television shows.

Shortly afterward, Tim discovered writing for middle school students and finally found his home, at least in my opinion.

We produced his play, It’s a Howl! and it was such fun.  I know, I said I didn’t like to do superficial stuff but It’s a Howl! is really clever–sort of Frankenstein meets the Werewolf.

Over several years, Tim and I would talk about other plays he wanted to enter in the contest.  He mentioned his Tom Sawyer script to me as well.

Three Interactive Ways to Teach The Play Tom Sawyer To Your Students

Three Interactive Ways to Teach The Play Tom Sawyer To Your Students

I don’t know why, but he never entered it in the competition.  But I read it and loved it!

Check out a synopsis of it here:   Dramatic Publishing Company

Back to the middle school with the gazillion students…Since seventy-five new students entered my drama classroom every twenty-five days, I had to come up with a variety of lessons for them.

Enter The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Tom Sawyer fit two purposes for me.  One–it was a classic and abbreviated which was perfect especially for the classroom.  Two–it was a story about students around the ages of my students.  Three–it was a wonderful jumping off point for additional lessons about theater (set, costume, props, etc.)

 

Three Interactive Ways to Teach The Play Tom Sawyer To Your Students

Recently, I created two units using Tom Sawyer as my inspiration. Here is the production description:

Mark Twain’s classic novel, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is an excellent story for our middle grade students to study. Here is study guide for a play version of the book. Questions for a read-aloud are included as well as questions to study the play from a theatrical perspective. Playwright, Tim Kelly was a prolific playwright and this script is a perfect example of his body of work. His plays are especially suited for middle grade students.

This product includes:

  • A Letter to the Teacher
  • Short Bio. on Mark Twain
  • Information about the novel, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
  • Procedure
  • Warm Up
  • Teacher’s Script–What I say and How I say it!
  • Discussion Questions from a Theatrical Perspective
  • Discussion Questions for a Class Read-Aloud
  • Theater Vocabulary Words–34 In Total
  • Theater Words Definitions
  • Source Page

Three Interactive Ways to Teach The Play Tom Sawyer To Your Students

Study Set Design 

The second unit concerns set design.

This set design unit (48 page, 10 days) focuses on a play version of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Tim Kelley. This is great interaction! Students learn about the history of set design, famous set designers, develop a critical eye about what makes up an award winning set design, create a ground plan for a room in a school of their choosing and draw a rendering. In addition, the students must work with ratios and measuring. The first two assignments are completed individually, but then the fun begins! The students are paired up to create a model working together towards the goal. There is even room for parents to celebrate the end of the unit with your students.

Note: If a teacher chooses to use this particular set design unit, I would suggest purchasing a class set of Tom Sawyer by Tim Kelley at: https://www.dramaticpublishing.com/tom-sawyer-tr5000.

Included in the unit:

  • An overview of the unit for the teacher
  • Rationale for teaching set design
  • History of set design
  • Set designer’s responsibilities
  • Teacher’s Script–what I say and how I say it!
  • Extensive warm up
  • Procedures for each day (8 to 10) including exit prompts
  • Lecture notes including links
  • Information about the message color conveys
  • Rendering examples
  • Stage curtain sheets for rendering–one vertical, one horizontal
  • Step by step directions for model building including photo examples
  • Cheat sheet for various set pieces
  • Assignment sheet for each step of the design process
  • Grade sheet EDITABLE in a separate file
  • Source Page

Now I have a costume design unit to go with these two as well.  Talk about comprehensive!

Of course, there’s a bundle of the three together.  Check those out at:  Bundle Tom Sawyer Study Guide and Set Design Unit 

Three Interactive Ways to Teach The Play Tom Sawyer To Your Students

Honestly, I don’t know if The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is taught in the classroom anymore.  I could understand the reasons not to teach it.  However, Mr. Kelly’s script is well adapted and deletes any words which might be difficult for our students to accept in this day and age.

Three Interactive Ways to Teach The Play Tom Sawyer To Your Students

I hope you’ll consider ordering a perusal copy of the script. Perhaps you’ll use these two products in your drama classroom or at least study it in the language arts classroom.  It fits the “balanced reading” benchmark, too!

Mr. Twain wrote the book for all of us.   Of course, I think Mark Twain says it the best, “Although my book is intended mainly for the entertainment of boys and girls, part of my plan has been to pleasantly remind adults of what they once were themselves, and what they felt and thought.”

What young adult novels have you studied in play form?  I’d love to hear about them.  Contact me at dhcbaldwin@gmail.com or DeborahBaldwin.net

Woman behind DramaMommaSpeaks

Fairy Tale Lessons for Drama Class

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Fairy Tale Lessons for Drama Class

About fifteen years ago, I taught at Smithton Middle School in Columbia, Missouri.  I thought I’d probably end up teaching in high school, instead I taught in a middle school–a large one at that! It was a great experience.

Fairy Tale Lessons for Drama Class

Every five and a half weeks, seventy-five sixth graders would roll into my class eager (or maybe not) to learn about drama. (If you are doing the math, that’s around 400 students each year!)

I taught them about the components of theatre–storytelling, tableau, movement, chanting, costumes, masks, improvisation, sets, sound effects, etc.

While doing so, many classes focused on fairy tales.

Why fairy tales?

Everyone knows at least one fairy tale–usually they know Cinderella, Red Riding Hood, Snow White, etc.

When you teach the same concept over and over it gets stale.  This is very hard on a creative person like me and over time I was becoming bored.

I HATE to be bored.

So, I got to thinking…………

Hmmm.  What if I used one theme for the entire twenty-five day rotation? I wonder if the students (and I ) would appreciate it?

Aha.

Fairy Tale Lessons for Drama Class

 Fairy tales weren’t as popular fifteen years ago as they are now (thank you Disney.)  But boy, were the kids totally engaged.

Why should you take my word for it?

I did a little research to see what I could find about the reasons the study of fairy tales is useful with our students.

Wow!  There is a lot of information out there—-

Research on the Importance of Fairy Tales

Now I have costume design lessons for grades 3 to 5 as well.  Check them out here:  Bundle Costume Design with Fairy Tale Characters Elementary Grades

And a spanking new Broadway musical unit for Peter Pan!

If you’d like to know about other Dramamommaspeaks products, check out these posts:

The Reasons to Teach Drama Class with Unique Lessons

Creative Dramatics Lesson Plans: Nine Reasons to Teach Radio Theater

Cirque Du Soleil Lesson Plans–a New Twist for Drama Classes

What are your favorite fairy tales?  For some reason I like The Red Shoes fairy tale and The Steadfast Tin Soldier the most. They are both very dramatic. That must be why. 😊

 

 

My Best Selling Teacherspayteachers Products

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My Best Selling Teacherspayteachers Products

If you are unfamiliar with Teacherspayteachers, it is an online marketplace for teachers to sell their lessons and units.  Similar to Etsy, each seller is an independent contractor.  Teacherspayteachers was recently named the #1 online market place for teaching products.  Pretty darn cool, I say.

One of the greatest parts of TpT is teachers selling their best lessons.  That means the buyer gets the best of the best!

I joined TpT about a year and a half ago and I’m very pleased to have found a place to share my thirty-eight years of teaching experience. It’s very humbling to know a teacher has entrusted you to help them and consequently help their students.  Your teaching keeps on going.

I have several most popular products which might be of interest to you.

First, my bundle Set Design Unit and Set Piece Templates. I created this unit approximately twenty years ago and refined it over the years. My middle school students enjoyed technical theatre and many students wanted additional information about it.  Hence, the set design unit was created!

BUNDLE SET DESIGN & TEMPLATES COVER

My Best Selling Teacherspayteachers Products

It’s description is lengthy, so here goes:

Set Design Unit 

In this eight day unit on set design, students learn about the history of set design, famous set designers and develop a critical eye about what makes up an award winning set design. Using fairy tales as their subject and setting, they create a ground plan for a story of their choosing and draw a rendering. In addition, the students must work with ratios and measuring. The first two assignments are completed individually, but then the fun begins! The students are paired up to create a model working together towards the goal. There is even room for parents to celebrate the end of the unit with your students.

Included in the unit:

• An overview of the unit for the teacher
• Rationale for teaching set design
• History of set design
• Set designer’s responsibilities
• Teacher’s Questions
• Warm up for day one
• Procedures for each day (8)
• Lecture notes including links
• Information about the message color conveys
• Ground plan example
• Rendering examples
• Stage curtain sheet for rendering
• Step by step directions for model building including photo examples
• Cheat sheet for various set pieces
• Assignment sheet for each step of the design process
• Exit slip prompts for 4 days
• Grade sheet EDITABLE
• Source Page

Set Design Templates

These Set Design templates are time savers for the busy teacher. They were created to answer the requests for additional templates to accompany the Dramamommaspeaks Set Design unit. These products are part of an Elements of Drama product category and suitable for gifted elementary and middle grade drama class.

My Best Selling Teacherspayteachers Products

Another is Radio Theater I with Free Play, The Invisible Man

This THREE WEEK radio theatre unit teaches the history of radio theatre, Foley engineering, gives students an opportunity to write a commercial, create sound effects and perform in a radio play. Plus students’ reading, writing, listening and speaking skills are strengthened. It’s a one stop shop!

It includes:

  • A lesson on the history of radio theater
  •  Information about Foley engineers
  • Three links to video clips of Foleys
  • Student created sound effect project
  • Five links to radio play performances (some vintage and some recent)
  • A lesson in writing and producing radio commercials
  • Links to four commercials and two acting exercises focused on sound effects
  • A FREE script of my adaptation of H.G. Welles’ The Invisible Man suitable for classroom with NO ROYALTIES for performances, including sound effects and music cues placed in the script
  • Procedure plan to follow throughout the unit
  • Teacher’s script—what I say and how I say it
  • A sound effects quiz
  • A student group example of a radio commercial
  • Trivia about radio theater stars and radio programs
  • Music suggestions with links
  • Floor plan for blocking a radio play and suggestions how to direct it, plus links demonstrating the directing of a radio play

My Best Selling Teacherspayteachers Products

Third is Costume Design with Fairy Tale Characters

Costume Design with Fairy Tales

This two-day lesson on costume design is focused on fairy tale characters and gives the students an opportunity to be costume designers. Suitable for students in grades 4 to 8, the product is broken in to two class periods, although it could be used for a one day exploration of the subject. This is a huge time saver for the busy teacher!

Note: Not only do I provide you with the lessons and information, but I also share the questions I ask students and give you the time allotments for each step of the process.

  • Students will learn about:
  • The History of Costume Design
  • The Rationale for Teaching Costume Design
  • Costumes Notes for Students
  • Procedure
  • Materials List
  • Source & Video link list
  • A Warm-Up—engaging and creative
  • Fairy Tale Character list
  • Two Assignments–one creative and one written
  • Student Examples

My Best Selling Teacherspayteachers Products

Next is Set Design, the Rendering

This two day lesson on set design was created for gifted upper elementary or middle grade students. Students learn about the history of set design, famous set designers, develop a critical eye about what makes up an award winning set design, and draw a rendering of their choosing becoming set designers themselves.

This is a perfect emergency lesson or for a substitute.

Included in the Lesson:

  • Rationale for teaching set design
  • History of set design
  •  Set designer’s responsibilities
  •  Teacher’s questions
  •  Warm up for day one
  • Procedures for two days
  •  Lecture notes including links
  • Rendering examples
  • Stage curtain sheets for rendering–one vertical, one horizontal
  • Assignment sheet (using folk tales as the focus) for both rendering andwritten description
  • Written description examples
  • Lined paper for assignment
  • Source Page

My Best Selling Teacherspayteachers Products

And lastly……Lin Manuel Miranda Famous Artist Biography

Lin Manuel Miranda cover

PART OF A BUNDLE (Ohhhhh, that means there are more!)

Here’s a mini lesson to re-energize your class. This non-fiction biography about the performing artist Lin Manuel Miranda of Hamilton fame, is suitable for middle and high school students and can be used as a stand alone lesson or with other biographies. Each lesson in the Places Please series is tailored to the strengths of that particular artist. Just copy and go!

Need a quick emergency lesson plan? Or one for a substitute?

This Product includes:

  • A Complete Bio about Lin Manuel Miranda
  • A Suggested Lesson, an Exercise in Rapping, Which Complements the Learning
  • Important Dates in His Life
  • Trivia
  • Awards He Has Won
  • Quotes from Miranda
  • Questions and Answer Sheet
  • Source & Links to Movie Examples

This is a unique and product created by an award winning, veteran drama teacher.

Now I’m offering them as a bundle!

There you have it!  What TeacherpayTeacher products have you really enjoyed?  I’d love to hear about my fellow sellers.

Contact me at dhcbaldwin@gmail.com or DeborahBaldwin.net

 

The Reasons Creativity is More Than Being Different

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The Reasons Creativity is More Than Being Different.

“Creativity is more than just being different. Anybody can plan weird; that’s easy. What’s hard is to be as simple as Bach. Making the simple, awesomely simple, that’s creativity” – Charles Mingus

person with body painting
Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Pexels.com

I’ll take Charles Mingus’ lead on this.

Lately, I have been thinking about creativity and how to use it as simply as possible.

I am in a very creative place right now at present.  I wake up thinking about something creative, create all day and go to bed thinking creatively.  In fact, it isn’t all that uncommon for me to wake up thinking about something creative I want to do.

What the heck is going on?

I’m over sixty years old.

In my lifetime, I may be my most creative self EVER. right.now. 

What the heck is going on?

FRAZZLED TEACHER

I think I know.  If you believe your life is led in a path which is best for you, whether you believe in God or some other high power, then you will understand this story.

I taught drama for thirty-eight years.  I directed for most of those years as well–at least 250 plays and musicals with adults and children alike. Need something truly unique? Check out this costume design lesson using Christmas wrapping paper.

Deborah Baldwin teaching

I thought when I retired, I would probably continue directing or teaching in some capacity.  I did a little of both, but you know? My heart wasn’t really in it any more.  Maybe it’s because it takes a lot of energy to do both and I just couldn’t muster it anymore. Because of some unforeseen circumstances, those doors closed to me at the same time I was losing my interest.  I thought I needed to continue with both, because that’s what I had always done–taught and directed.

Then a door which had always been closed to me or actually, I refused to try it, opened.

Guess what?  I am interested in sharing my lessons with other teachers which leads to me where I am at present.  I’m very happy with this decision.

Oh my gosh….I should have done this years ago!

I give credit to my dear husband, Tim, for patiently suggesting to me I create a book of all of my thirty-eight years of teaching drama lessons and units.

Bumbling Bea

I wrote a middle grade book, Bumbling Bea, but it doesn’t get enough traction (because simply there is too much competition no matter how good your book is and marketing it is a bear) and I needed to do something where I had more contact with people.

Instead of creating a book of my lessons,  I started a store at Teacherspayteachers.com

There are reasons creativity is more than just being different.

When you are creative:

  • you are interesting because you have many ideas flowing all at once
  • you are happier because you are in a zone in your mind which relaxes you–you lose track of time and your day-to-day worries
  • creative problem solving is deeply satisfying and concrete

The challenge of creativity is to do something simply and well.  It’s easy to use “hair choreography” to cover up your mistakes or weaknesses. (If you don’t know what that is, it is when a choreographer has the female dancers whip their hair around a lot in lieu of more dance steps.)

Being different may set you apart from other people, but being creative is something of which we have all been endowed.  It is just a matter of where our creative talents lie.

But Charles makes a very valid point.  You were given this creativity so do something amazing with it!  Don’t let it sit in some closet amongst the dirty clothes or down in the basement by the extra cat litter (okay, that’s a metaphoric stretch but you understand what I mean…)

USE YOUR CREATIVITY AND USE IT SIMPLY– NOT ALL GUCKED UP

I was perusing the web to see if I could find some research concerning the importance of creativity to the human psyche and ran upon Adobe.comeducate.com

Here is what they have found out so far:

“What we discovered was extremely illuminating. Three quarters of the educators surveyed believe that students need to develop these skills to protect their futures, as the professions that require creative problem solving are less likely to be impacted by automation. However, it isn’t just job-protection where creative problem solving makes a difference. Almost 90 percent of respondents believe students who excel at creative problem solving will have higher-earning job opportunities in the future, and 85 percent agreed that these same skills are in high demand by today’s employers for senior-level and higher-paying careers.”

These challenges are occurring everywhere in the world, not just in the U.S.  I figure if the German teachers are as frustrated as the Japanese, there is a big problem.

person with body painting
Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Pexels.com

Really, I think my store should be re-branded CreativityforU because that is what I am peddling.

Every single lesson or unit, bundle,  worksheet, assignment, quiz, etc. was developed to use one’s creativity to accomplish it.

Here are some examples:

Set Design and Construction

The Reasons Creativity is More Than Being Different

Set Design Bundle

The Reasons Creativity is More Than Being Different

 

Costume Design with Fairy Tale Characters

Costume Design with Fairy Tales

Tableau–Holiday Theme

The Reasons Creativity is More Than Being Different

 

Radio Theater–

Creativity is More than Being Different

 

Drama Units and Lessons Curriculum

The Reasons Creativity is More Than Being Different

or if you just want to purchase one lesson, check out:  Set Design, the Rendering 

In this world and this day and age, it simply isn’t enough just to be creative.  You have to know how to apply this talent and use it as simply as you can.

Problem is, too many people think they aren’t creative which goes back to how creativity is perceived by the general public and Charles’ quote.

Our teachers know this and strive every day to encourage our students to be creative in everything they do.  That’s quite a heady responsibility if you think about it.

When was the last time you were creative?

I’d love to hear about your adventures with creativity whether it be some recipe you made, how you decorated your home for Christmas or painted a picture.  Everything counts.

Contact me at dhcbaldwin@gmail.com  or DeborahBaldwin.net

Deborah Baldwin

 

Critical Steps in Producing a Play or Musical: Set Design

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Critical Steps in Producing a Play or Musical: Set Design 

Critical Steps in Producing a Play or Musical: Set Design

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let’s talk about critical steps in producing a play or musical, shall we?  I think a powerful, creative, unique set design is vital to a production.  Depending upon the production budget (there’s that word again-it’s going to come up a lot in these blog posts), the set can be as elaborate as possible or simple.

If a director has the freedom to choose what she wants, always keep in mind that old adage, “Less is more”.  Personally, I think a set can distract the audience from the production if one isn’t careful.  On the other hand, a simple set can be distracting as well especially if one’s actors aren’t skilled in creating the atmosphere themselves.  A skilled actor should be able to imagine the setting and demonstrate it through character and movement. As you might expect, I’m partial to one person in particular–my husband who designed sets for me many times.  (He designed the set you see below in the photo of The Diary of Anne Frank.)

Your Director’s Concept

First, you need to know whether a designer has been hired or volunteered to design your set.  If so, then you are generally stuck (and I do mean stuck) with that person.  I’ve worked with good ones, lazy ones, entitled ones and very creative-but-can-not-get-it done ones. 

If you are lucky, the designer will have ideas of his own and share them with you and vice versa. As I mentioned in the previous post, have your concept board handy to share with him.

If you are expected to design your own set, start by researching on the internet.  As you find ideas (probably from other companies’ productions of the show), you might want to make a copy of them.  Note:  I am going to say this one time.  If you are capable enough to direct the show then you are capable enough to come up with your own ideas for the set.  It is just tacky to lift (steal, copy or what have you) someone else’s design.  It isn’t polite, it certainly isn’t unique and it isn’t right.

I expect the designer to create a model of the set for me.  In fact, I require it.  Most humans are visual thinkers and consequently it helps the actors (and everyone involved for that matter) in their visualization of the show. As well, it aids me when I am blocking.  I remember directing Something’s Afoot and its first musical number is chaotic and busy.  Characters are entering and exiting one right after another.  The model helped me to keep straight everyone as I placed little spice bottles with each character’s name in the right places.

Critical Steps in Producing a Play or Musical: Set Design

The Diary of Anne Frank   Fine Arts Guild of the Rockies  2012

Ah, The Set Budget!

Set, costumes and stage properties budgets are the most challenging to estimate. If you are in charge of the budget, you will first need an inventory of the company’s set pieces (flats, platforms, stair units, etc.)   Are you thinking of using a scrim?  Does the company own a scrim?  If not, will they purchase one for you?  Would you rather have a stylistic set? What are using projections? Does the venue have the equipment to do so?

That’s a good idea, especially is there is little  money for the set. Is the production a period piece?  You need to consider that question, too. There’s many more questions to ask yourself, but you get the idea…

Critical Steps in Producing a Play or Musical: Set Design
The Giver Fine Arts Guild of the Rockies 2005

The Designer’s Job

If  I have a designer, it’s there responsibility  to create a line item budget.  Generally, designers (costumes too) ask for a color pallet from me.  It’s fairly easy to share my choices using my concept board which I created before the project began. 

There is something very special in having the pleasure to direct on a great looking set. Everyone feels it.  However, some of my most favorite are simpler ones like The Giver (photographed above).  It was understated, perfectly suited the play’s message and met the budget requirements.

Recently, I directed The Wizard of Oz (my first time ever, I know–better late than never).  It was important to me that we stayed away from the  movie version as much as possible.  For countless hours, my designer and I discussed how to create the set on a very limited budget, build it with inexperienced students all the while giving the audience something to imagine and enjoy.  The tornado and its metaphoric moments within the story was our thrust.

We used bicycle wheels, barbed wire and fence posts to create the witch’s lair. Additionally, it was stark looking which was our goal. 

Critical Steps in Producing a Play or Musical: Set Design

Get Organized

If you take the time to pre-plan every aspect of a production, it will save you time later.  Trust me, I have gone into rehearsals thinking I could be spontaneous and think out details as I rehearsed.  Admitting this to you now, I realized this is a ridiculous thought. I can guarantee you I still have spontaneous moments.  That’s part of my nature.  But everyone working with you will appreciate your forethought and find that people are more confident if they can rely on your somewhat established concept right from the first day of rehearsal.

Drama Resources for Busy Teachers

You may be aware I am a retired drama teacher.  Not only do I create drama education resources for drama, language arts, reading and vocal music teachers,  some teachers of  gifted upper elementary students and middle school purchase them too. .  You can see them on  Teachers Pay Teachers.

Bundle:  Study Guide & Set Design Units for Tom Sawyer play

Bundle:  Set Design with Fairy Tales or Bundle:  Set Design with School Setting

     

If you’d like a FREE lesson for middle school students concerning set design, go to: Set Design the Rendering 

For more advice, check out these posts:

https://dramamommaspeaks.com/2016/11/19/critical-steps-in-producing-a-play-or-musical-costumes/

https://dramamommaspeaks.com/2016/08/17/selecting-a-play-or-musical-casting/

Recently, I watched Phaedra on National Theater at Home and it is exceptional.  But friends, the set is phenomenal!  Check it out here- How we made it:  Phaedra’s Five Sets in One at the National Theatre

I’d love to hear about your experiences directing with unusual sets.  Contact me at dhcbaldwin@gmail.com

Critical Steps in Producing a Play or Musical: Set Design