PRODUCING A PLAY.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXIV, Issue 925, 21 November 1933, Page 13

PRODUCING A PLAY.

Some Useful Advice for Amateurs. LONDON’ DIRECTOR’S OPINIONS. With the present vogue for playacting many amateurs desirous of producing a play, but not knowing how to set about it, will welcome the following advice which appears in an article in “ The Queen,” written by a wrellknown London producer: In producing'a play (he writes) “ the choice of the plaj” is one of the main considerations: the settings and costumes are still another consideration ; and, lastly, there is the producing to consider, for a good play poorly produced has lost at least half its power. It is like a ship without helmsman. Briefly stated, the essentials that make for a good production are: Unity of performance; a brisk tempo —no lagging in taking up cues; and a sense of climax, developed and sustained. All of this is not so easy as it sounds, and many are the inquiries beginning: “ What is the first thing to do in rehearsing a play? . . . “ How long should rehearsals take? ”... “If people are inexperienced, how much should they attempt? The Director. One very clever director plans all the scenes by taking a cardboard shoe-box, setting it like the stage, with tiny cardboard furniture, and using the white pawns from a set of chessman for the actual players, with a touch of bright colour to individualise each one. This is a splendid way of making all the action of a play logical and clear. For scenes must be logical. People should not cross the stage, or do this or that unless they have a reason. It is always advisable for an amateur director to make a prompt book. One helpful way is to paste the play in a large copy-book with a 2in margin, and on this margain write all the stage directions, or “ business.” This method shows exactly where all the characters are, and what they are doing while they are speaking their lines. Usually it is wisest for amateurs to give programmes of one-act plays, or a two-act play, or a short three-act play. Only genuinely experienced and gifted amateurs should attempt long and complicated plays. If possible, should endeavour to give plays which are new to a district in which they are acted. There should be but one director:

“ Too many cooks spoil the broth.” Where the merits of the amateur players are not personally known to the director, perhaps the most certain method of selecting “ Who’s who ” in any cast is the time-honoured one of “ trying cut ” by reading the lines to see which player is best adapted to a particular role. This will have to be done as quickly as possible, before actual rehearsals begin. The entire cast of the play should feel that “ the play’s the thing ” and that they are working together for the good of the whole. the players must be imbued with a feeling of responsibility. They must be prompt at rehearsals. Players who have to rehearse in a temporary hall or room should choose one of the same size as the stage on which the ultimate performance should be given, otherwise confusion may result. Leave nothing to chance. See that the lights are in working order, and that the scenery can be properly shifted a week before the dress rehearsal is due. Long waits between the acts are the bane of amateur performances, and can be avoided. Rehearsals.

With the exception of the dress rehearsal no amateur rehearsal should ever last more than two hours. Attention flags; the players grow weary. An hour and a half’s rehearsing for a long play, and an hour for a one-act play are usual. In staging a long play, amateurs should avoid the frequent mistake of spending too much time in perfecting the first act. Many artists of the theatre believe rehearsals should be in ratio to the number of acts. One rehearsal for the first, tWo for the second, three for the third, and four for the fourth, so that the play will have a smooth finish and leave a good impression. There are two methods of rehearsing a play, and these may roughly be termed the study method and the etching-it-in method. Let us consider them both. In the study method the assembled cast reads the play aloud; studies it: through general discussion gets its inner kernel, its of life. Next, the parts are thoroughly memorised, and then action begins. This is a much slower method than the etching-it-in mfethod, but it unquestionably does more for the players. Producing a long play by this method takes from six wefclts to two months. The second method of producing is to etch in the play as quickly as possible, with the players learning their lines as they go. In this way the whole play is rapidly outlined and swung into shape. Positions on the stage, exits, entrances, etc., come first, and memorising runs parallel. With simplicity as the keynote of

what is frequently termed “ the new stage art,” the intricacies of an elaborate production have been reduced to a minimum. This simplification, this elimination of all detail save that which is absolutely necessary, has become an art in itself, depending not on any freak ideas, but in actual practical scenecraft.