funding your theater troupe

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Theater is an expensive art. There is an old theater adage that in theater, you might "get lucky and make a killing, but you may not be able to make a living".

A first step in determining how to fund your theater troupe is to determine what your costs are likely to be.

Some likely costs:

1. costumes and make up- Depending on the show, these may be built, bought (for cheap at Salvation Army or Goodwill- or you may shop at real retail if you have the budget), or borrowed/rented.
   
2. fees, honoraria, stipends- You may consider paying the director, tech director, or various specialists for workshops in dance, design, music, or stage combat.
   
3. food- I've been working in youth theater for many years. EVERYTHING goes much more smoothly with adequate hydration and snacks every couple of hours. This works for adult groups too. These needs may be addressed by donated items or requesting folks to bring their own; however, I am listing food because I believe it to be an essential ingredient to successful theater!
   
4. insurance- At the very least, you should consider having liability insurance.
   
5. office supplies- Paper and pencils and pens, oh my! The thousand and one things needed to keep your organization organized must to come from somewhere.
   
6. postage- More and more communications are digital; however, there are still uses for the post office in mailing checks for reimbursement, sending packages, mailing promotional materials.
   
7. printing- Printing will be needed for programs, scripts, enrollment forms, posters, promotional materials.
   
8. props- "Properties" such as canes, cards, guns and roses may be acquired in much the same ways as costumes.
   
9. rental- You will need to plan for rental of rehearsal space, of performance space, of tech equipment such as lighting or microphones, of instruments- you name it. However, the big one is space: unless you are fortunate enough to have a relationship with a site suitable for rehearsal and/or performance, this is a big expense.
   
10. repairs- You will need to plan for the repair of the items you have in inventory, or (gulp) the ones you borrow that get damaged.
    
11. royalties- Theater artists should support other theater artists! If you are using a script written by a modern playwright, or a script translated recently, you will need to pay royalty fees to the holder of the copyright/publisher of the script. One of the many benefits of Shakespeare- and Shaw and Wilde as well- is that the scripts are in the public domain, and thus royalty free.
    
12. scripts- The physical scripts themselves may need to be purchased. This is a separate cost from the royalty costs.
    
13. sets- These can be inexpensive using backdrop curtains or existing sets on your site and borrowed furniture- or elaborate and expensive - or anywhere in between.
    
14. technology- Depending on your play and your concept, this may include laptops, light projectors, dimmer boards for lights, mixing boards for sound. Again these may be borrowed or rented. A website is fast becoming a necessity for virtually* any organization.
    
15. video- Often friends or family of the cast will volunteer; however, having a quality video is often well worth the price of having a professional do your recording.

In my theater troupes, we have found ways to minimize every one of those costs.

1. Costumes have been supplied by parents for individual actors, or costumes have been supplied by the actors themselves. Costumes have been borrowed from other theater troupes at low/no cost. While the plus side is that the costume budget is low, the negative side is that the design unity will inevitably suffer.
2. For years I was not paid for any of my work, nor was anyone else. While this use of a "labor of love" keeps costs down, it can also lead to burn out of your best- and also to the difficulty of "firing" those whose work is not the best in quality or in timeliness.
3. Food costs can be kept down by asking each family to take turns donating snacks or to have members bring their own.
4. I don't advocate skimping on insurance. This is for everyone's protection.
5. Office supplies are often donated by members/participants.
6. Postage costs have decreased as more and more communication has become electronic.
7. Printing costs can be brought down by printing fewer items. Sometimes, materials can be distributed as PDF files and each individual user can print their own.
8. Props are borrowed whenever possible. It was a game for my husband to try to spot how many items from our home were onstage. On one occasion, as the set opened to the interior of Scrooge's home, my husband turned to me and said, "Wow! We have a wall clock at home just like that one!" Without missing a beat, I said, "No we don't- not right now, anyway!"
9. Rental costs are hard to keep down. Our troupes have borrowed members' basements for rehearsal, rehearsed outdoors in public parks, and negotiated percentage-of-profit or percentage-of-fees payments to some of the theater spaces we have used.
   
10. Repairs can only be minimized by being very careful with the materials that you use.
11. Our troupes have favored the plays of Shakespeare because they are brilliant- and also because they are royalty free, since the works are now public domain. When using the work of a living translator for Sophocles' Antigone, we were able to find a translation online that the translator made available royalty-free- so long as you acknowledged the work and let the translator know where your performance was.
12. Scripts have been distributed as PDF attachments in email, for individual printing.
13. Set costs can be minimized by creative use of design- deliberately choosing minimalist or easily borrowed/adapted sets.
14. Technology costs have been minimized by having crew members use their own laptops, and/or borrowing from the theater spaces we are using. Volunteers for website design and maintenance can be lovely, but you are not retaining ownership and control of your site.
    
15. Videos have often been made by friends and family, with distribution costs borne by individual purchasers (Hey! Give me a blank tape and I'll make you a copy!). However, in more recent years, MYT was fortunate to connect with Double Vision, a team of videographers who taped the shows and sold the DVDs to the cast members, at no/low cost to MYT. The quality of these videos has been far superior to the volunteers from previous seasons.

So- those are some of the tips for reducing costs. However, reducing costs doesn't make them disappear! The problem of funding remains.

Funding sources can include:

1. admission- This is the easiest source of funds. Most people are used to paying admission fees to performances. Depending on where you are performing, or the requirements of any grants you may have received, you may need to call these funds "suggested donations".
2. advertisements- Selling ads in your program is another way to garner funds for your production.
   
3. donations- One of the best reasons for actually incorporating and seeking status as a 501(c)3 organization is that you can offer tax benefits to those who give you donations. As a 501(c)3, you can also give tax credit for donations of tangible goods, such as furniture or costumes. We have also asked for donations for our refreshments table at show time- each family contributing items, which the troupe then sells to the audience members at intermission, often for a "suggested donation" price.
   
4. fees- The instituting of cast or show fees for participants was a difficult choice for me to make. However, when one considers the fees paid by student dancers or musicians for their performances and/or concerts, it does make sense. The fees collected not only go towards the costs of costumes and props for the production at hand, but also go towards the cost of insurance and other indirect costs.
   
5. grants- Grants can be challenging to write, and the pool of grant money for the arts is drying up these days. Nevertheless, funds are available for the arts and the long hours of research and writing can pay off big time for specific projects or even for your organization.
   
6. sales- Sales of refreshments, tee shirts, videos and other merchandise can offset the costs of- and sometimes even net a small profit from- the merchandising of memories.
   
7. sponsors- Finding an angel who supports your mission, or a corporate sponsor who wants to be associated with your organization can bring in big bucks. A good relationship with a sponsor can bring in money for years, and provide good will and exposure to the company that supports you.

Over the twenty years and more that I have been involved in youth theater, I've enjoyed the benefits- and the headaches- of grants and of sponsors only a few times. Using all the other funding sources, our troupes have operated in the black for every realized production in our seasons.

* pun originally unintended, now definitely intended!

A fun production- for YOU?

Award-winning playwright (and my daughter) Beth Kander has a special offer:

All right, social media machine: prove your value! I just got a letter from a publishing company that they are interested in publishing "See Jane Quit"... IF it gets another 1-2 regional theater productions first. Who can help make that happen? I'll allow a *rights-free production* in exchange for the guarantee of a newspaper review/some publicity. This should not be impossible. Please help make my dreams come true! :D

****************

Interested? Email Beth at beth_kander@yahoo.com

Early days of MYT

Early days of MYT or, how to found and fund your own theater troupe.

I'd founded a 4-H club- a drama club- 8 years earlier.

In the 4-H drama club, we produced Shakespeare. We piloted a Creative Drama Curriculum. We visited a TV studio. We went to plays in Detroit and at Meadowbrook. In the 8 years, we had produced 11 full length plays, including 8 Shakespearean plays. We had created two touring shows. We had field trips to Stratford, Ontario for the Shakespeare Festival.

And some of the teens wanted more.

In founding Michigan Youth Theater, we drew from what we had learned from Class Act as a drama club. We drew from what we had learned from 4-H about organization and creating forms. And we did something completely new, in forming a corporation and applying for 501c3 status.

From Class Act, we had scripts for traveling shows. We had forms created for auditions. We had workable plans for scheduling rehearsals.

From 4-H, we adapted forms for media release, medical release and for collecting insurance information, and forms for registering and creating a database. We searched and found a liability insurance provider similar to that used by 4-H.

Incorporating was a relatively simple process. The government provides helpful websites for those wishing to submit articles of incorporation-- at least in Michigan. You can even find helpful hints of one kind or another or still another.

Applying to become a 501c3 non-profit was a bit more daunting. That required a bit more effort. I'll detail that in a later post.

beginnings: a class act

My friend Lisa B- and there are a lot of Lisas in my story- asked how I got started with my youth theater troupes. How did I fund them?

So, it's as a good a place as any to begin to answer Lisa's questions, and start to outline the journey I have had with youth theater.

I had joined a 4-H club for home educators. This was a general 4-H club. Each of the project leaders- and I was now one- was to lead a project during the year. I created and directed a skit, based on my skill set.

It was fun, low key, well received.

Another 4-H club was doing an adaptation of Midsummer Night's Dream- could I come and give some advice? So I did.

And I thought: I love Shakespeare! Why haven't I done Shakespeare with my kids?

So I founded a 4-H club, Class Act Drama, to introduce kids ages 5-19 to theater arts. I founded this club in 1992.

The advantages to starting this troupe as a 4-H club were several. Because 4-H is an established youth organization, we started out with some name recognition, and connections to a larger organization and its resources. As a 4-H club, we had access to group insurance for $1 / member, for liability purposes.

Also, the structures and forms of the organization gave us a place to start for internal structures. Later, when I founded the independent group Michigan Youth Theater, I borrowed heavily from the 4-H forms for media release, for medical/insurance info and release, for set up for database info.

For this organization, we charged minimal dues- $5/child*- which covered the insurance costs, and paper, copying and so on. We were able to get free rehearsal spaces, in part thanks to the 4-H label.

When it came to our first production, Taming of the Shrew in spring of 1993, each of the families chipped in for each of their kids' costumes. We found a theater that would let us use their stage- on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday- for $100.

I put up the $100, figuring I might never see it again.

However, I was paid back. This, and every production that has been seen through to performance, ended in the black.

Our funding came from: volunteering and donations from participant families; "well-wisher ads" in the program; admission donations for the performance; donations for the refreshments.

Well-wisher ads are greetings from parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, or friends- one-liners in the program such as "Gloria, you will always be our star!- love, Gramma and Gramps"- for $5. These ads- and later, actual ads from businesses- have always covered the cost of the program, and then some.

Refreshments were donated by the participant families, so any money collected for them was profit for the troupe.

Class Act Drama went on to produce several plays, present workshops, visit television studios and more.

As Class Act grew, I learned more and more about how to run a successful theater troupe. We also developed a core group of young theater artists and their families who were ready to try for the next level of theater excellence.

So we decided to found a new troupe, independent of 4-H, for older youth who wanted a more intense, professional level experience. We created Michigan Youth Theater.

*For Class Act, and for Michigan Youth Theater, I established from the outset that an inability to pay would never be an impediment for participation. Family discounts and scholarships were set up for each organization.

Shakespeare

Many years ago I directed a production of Twelfth Night with actors aged 7 to 17. After the show, an audience member- someone I knew well- asked in all seriousness how long it had taken me to "translate" the script.

He understood everything being said so well that he assumed I had changed the script.

I hadn't changed the script. The actors, Shakespeare and I had all done our jobs well enough that the audience entered into the world we created together and understood the characters, action and dialogue.

The audience enjoyed the show. They forgot it was Shakespeare. They forgot it was youth. They just had fun watching the comedy.

That's how it should be. Shakespeare is a theatrical genius; just do the *show*, and the audience will have a blast.

And wonder later how long it took you to translate the script from Shakespearean to understandable.

paper trails, to you...

My last show with my youth theater troupe closed this weekend. Our Comedy of Errors was set in the Wild West, with cowboy-themed sound track. Roy Rogers was singing "Happy Trails, to you..." at every performance.

Hence the title.

I am retiring from this phase of my life- over 20 years of leading youth in exploring theater. I am going through the files, some to save as a part of my life history, and some to give back to the organization for their archives, and some paper goes to the recycling bin.

There is a lot of paper involved in over 20 years of volunteering with youth. In 1990, I became a trained 4-H leader. In 1992, I founded a 4-H club to explore drama. In 2000, I founded a teen theater troupe.

Back in the day, digital archives were not a possibility. So there are multiple, multiple copies of many, many workshop outlines, promo pieces, schedules, programs...

A lot of paper.

It is an opportunity to reflect and recognize the amazing journey.

If you were there in the early years, you may be receiving some snail mail.

I'll share the hard copies of our shared memories with you.

Paper trails, to you...

giving notes; or, how I exercise my drive to be a standup comedian

I actually enjoy giving director's notes to the cast.

During much of the rehearsal period, as a director, you are breaking the play down into scenes, into moments. I am very vocal during this period, jumping to my feet YES! or ACK! Stop! Do it again- think about where you just were! What do you want?

Later on, however, we have to put it all back together, establish continuity, rhythm, pace, the long arcs of the characters and of the play itself. We can't stop. We run through, all the way through the scene, the act, finally the entire play.

While I, like most directors, take notes.

Sometimes, because the hour is late and actors (and I) have to go home, I type up the notes and email them to the actors after I've returned home. I don't like to do this because A) actors may not understand a specific note, B) actors may not read the notes and C) I like to give notes.

I like to give notes. I do. I make eye contact. I make jokes. I exaggerate, exhort, and expound. I prance and I posture, I prod and I praise.*

From time to time, I may have to shush the actors who are starting side conversations. After all, for many years, the actors with whom I have worked have been teens.

Still, all in all, I have fun giving notes, and the actors have fun receiving the notes.

Here are some of the key ingredients for good note-giving:

• Make eye contact. Make sure the actors are listening.
• EVERY actor should receive a comment. Each actor should know that they are important, and that their work is (literally) noted.
• Use humor. I use a lot of humor at my own expense... I tease and challenge them to be bigger, bolder, more energized than this "old lady"
• Catch them doing something right; be specific about when it happened, and what it was. Comments like "you're great" or "good job" might feel good for a moment, but they don't tell the actor where they are succeeding or how to build on that success. A comment like: "I could really see you focus on the other character on your line 'Not now, darling''" tells the actor what is working and when.
• Be specific about what you want the actor to change. Comments such as "That's no good" or "I didn't like that" again do not give the actor any useful information. A comment like "When you enter in scene two, try rushing straight to the couch- remember what just happened to the character before you entered" gives the actor useful information about what needs work in the scene, and a suggestion for a new approach.
• I try to give both the "director's reason" and the "actor's reason" for a direction. For instance, in the above example, I might remind the actor that the actor's reason- the character's reason- for rushing in is that the character is escaping from an uncomfortable encounter in the other room; while I will admit that my "director's reason" for asking you to rush in and cross to the couch is that the scene needs more energy, and I need you out of the doorway!
• Be a believer. Believe in the play, believe in your actors, believe in theater magic. Keep cheering, keep watching, noting, and sharing what you see. Eventually, it all comes together- how? It's a mystery!

*In fact, over the years many parents have confessed they stayed at rehearsals for the entertainment value of watching me give notes!

beginnings and endings

As the current chapter in my theater life draws to a close, and new chapters are waiting to be written (literally- written!) I reflect back on some of the beginnings.

Although I fell in love with theater earlier, my first on-stage experience didn't happen until I was a freshman in high school when I landed the lead role in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes". Incredible casting, since at that point I was not blonde, voluptuous or preferred- but to be fair, my romantic lead was nothing like a gentleman, either.

It was an odd beginning for the woman and theater artist I have become: "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" is a fluffy little comedy about sex appeal being the way to get a man; about a woman's assets being her- well, physical, not spiritual or mental, attributes.

One of the girls in the cast, a senior, tried to teach me how to walk with a wiggle in my non-existent hips.

The theater department found a blond wig for me.

I was costumed in red satin "flapper style" dresses, though I had nothing whatever to flap.

For the woman I am now- a believer in the complexity and depth of all human beings, a devotee of Shakespeare and others who explore the infinite variety and diversity of the human experience- it was, to say the least, an incongruous place to start.


But.

I made them laugh, and I was hooked.

Rain or shine!

When working in the theater in the great outdoors, one needs a plan B. Actually, when working in the theater, one needs a plan B.

Sometimes, in fact, one needs a plan B, C, D...

But when working - all summer long- on a production that only has 4 performances on one weekend, one MUST have a plan in case of rain.

Usually, having a plan in case of rain is enough to keep the rain away.

This year, with a new venue, we had lots of rain through the rehearsal period. And discovered that much of the venue had a tendency to flood.

Not good, especially since we need to string lots of extension cords to power our rented lights and sound equipment.

AND this time, it actually rained. On our last performance day, which included a matinee and an evening performance.

And we used plan D.

Plan B was to move the audience on to the (covered) band shell and reverse the set. Looking at the set, we decided, unless it was Noah's downpour, the work of reversing the set really wasn't worth the time it took.

Plan C was to move the portable awning/gazebo tent that we had erected (to protect the sound equipment from the hot, hot sun) to the center seating area, seat audience there with a few umbrellas to the side. We would move the vulnerable sound equipment on to the stage and trust the audience to ignore the sound crew (a la the Wizard of Oz "pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!")

Well, that didn't work because the awning, when center, blocked virtually all sight lines.

So we used plan D: put sound crew on stage, left the awning/gazebo on the side and allowed audience to sit under it, and issued umbrellas to those few audience members without them.

And it worked.

opening night(s)

Last night was our first opening night! It went well!

And tonight, since we have two casts, is our SECOND opening night!

Twice the energy! Twice the fun!

Ensemble

My job is essentially over. For the director, opening night is the closing of the work.

I still have a few things to do- in this particular production, I am giving a curtain speech to set up the audience- but in the main, what I can do, I have done.

And there is still so much more being done.

I am reminded, as I watch the emails fly back and forth among the cast and crew, of what a truly collaborative art theater is.

There are those coming early to set up tech, coming a bit later to set up concessions, others are bringing long staplers to put the programs together.

Some are bringing signs; some are bringing repaired props or costumes.

We are just a few hours from opening.

From theater magic!

Hell week- the ultimate rehearsal

Yesterday, of course, was the *penultimate* rehearsal(s). The first half of my 12 hour day was sweltering, like a sauna- or more like a steam bath.

Progress, definite progress. I now have a sound track I can live with, and most problems are addressed. There are always the last minute items- shortening a skirt, finding some black socks, one last improvement to props- but the tech end is just about in place.

Except for lights. We aren't sure about lights.

Because the SECOND half of my 12 hour day? It rained. I huddled under an umbrella, sitting in the shower, in essence, taking my notes.

Tonight- the ultimate rehearsal(s)! And tomorrow- opening night! The end- the reward- for all the work.

I think the most essential ingredient of all in theater is: the audience.

lonely

Sometimes I feel so lonely. Everyone has their own friend or friends, to chat with and sit with, for company, conversation, companionship.

I used to have that.

I wonder when that changed? I know some of the why: my age-mates/stage-mates have moved on to other things.

Still, I am lonely.

Hell week- continued...

So day 2- Friday- went much like day 1- It was hot and sticky and so was I and not in a good way.

Saturday I had "off"- although dh K and I had several social engagements and shopping to get through- and we managed.

Sunday - from noon, the hot part of the day, on!- was our set-building marathon.

I have to say, it was pretty awesome. From bare cement to 3 painted façades and several accent/ masking units in 5 hours in the hot sun- amazing.

One of the aspects I love about the set-building day is the camaraderie of all the families working together. We see dads and siblings on set-building day that we haven't met before. Also, everyone is involved. Everyone, especially this time, had something to do: lift something, clean something, cut something, paint something.

It is "many hands make light work" at its finest. It is *satisfying*, too, to see tangible results of your work- unlike many of the other of the director's tasks.

So, that was a long, satisfying day.

Yesterday, Monday, was the first dress rehearsal, and we brought in the sound equipment. We brought in the lighting, too, but didn't have time to deal with that on Monday. Maybe tonight.

There are issues that we discovered with the set that we must address: the enormously wide stage has huge areas that need masking to hide the backstage areas. Everything needs stabilizing due to the wind.

And my sound designer apparently attended entirely different meetings- with me- than I did! Because the sound design is NOT Western at all. The farts I asked for and the chimes I asked for are not there. We will see if it is amended today; if not, it will be a long night tonight or an early morning tomorrow for me - with or without the sound designer.

Oh! And, daily I've been getting sunburns, despite increasingly desperate efforts to stay out of the sun. No worries today, though: it's supposed to rain!

Of course it is!

I'm ready for theatre magic to kick in, whenever...

Hell week: day 1

We open one week from yesterday.

Yesterday was the start of hell week for me.

It's Comedy of Errors- sometimes literally!- Shakespeare in the Park, with teen theater troupe. TWO complete casts: one traditionally cast, one all female- except for Dr. Pinch, who is a guy in drag.

The last week of July. A heat wave.

Yesterday was the first day the actors were not allowed to call for line.

Oh, how I dread that long, painful day in the rehearsal process. Doubly dreadful this time, two run throughs, one for each cast.

And, to add to the delight, a storm.

I arrived at the amphitheater to find the storage rooms had flooded. The cement space in front of the stage (we plan to use it for seating) was flooded- three or more inches deep in places.

Joy.

NOT.

We unloaded additional collected props, set up for rehearsal, pulled out what had been soaked to dry.

I set up my director's chair and opened my notebook- and my umbrella.

And, as predicted, it was awful.

But... I actually laughed out loud - at the *play*- in a few places.

There is hope!

tech week

I am about to enter hell.

Tech week is called "hell week" by many, many theater folk. It's when in bringing it all together, it all falls apart- and, with luck, prayer, hard work and theater magic, it all comes together.

On Sunday, teens and adult mentors are gathering for a one-day marathon creating our set. The challenge this year is a new bandshell amphitheater - yea!- with a CEMENT FLOOR- boo! Fortunately, our design concept is Western cardboard cut out facade with bright primary colors and Southwestern rose and tan and taupe for neutrals- so it actually fits in with our concept if the audience can see braces and supports.

At least, I will tell everyone that it's an artistic choice!

Monday we bring in the rented lights and the rented microphones. We bring in the costumes and the props. We add the sound track.

Tuesday we add make up and hair.

Wednesday: final dress tech rehearsal. As close to show conditions as possible.

Thursday: OPENING #1!

Friday: OPENING #2!

(Oh, did I forget to mention that on each of those days I am doing everything TWICE? Once for each of two casts?)

Double hell.

thanks, Anthony and Karen

You made me laugh. There is hope.

costumes and designs and props oh my!

Looking forward to a fun day on Monday of props and costumes to try on and play with as we sort things out for the costume parade.

I hate this play

Even though I have directed and produced and performed enough plays to know that this happens almost every time, I still don't like this place where I have explained and explored and expounded and the actors still don't get it and it will never be funny and Shakespeare is STUPID and doesn't know how to write.

Past experience reminds me that it will get better, in fact it will most likely get great but right at this moment I hate this play and I don't want to go to rehearsal.

I would really rather stay home and read trashy novels and eat cookies.

But, instead, I am going to get up, get going, and do battle with teens and Shakespeare once more.

It doesn't help that yesterday I saw one of "my" kids who has opted not to do this last show with me, and this reminded me of several other absences of those I had thought/hoped would join me for this last adventure of this phase of my life.

Why do theatre?

I believe that theatre has the power to transform lives. It certainly transformed my life. Theatre's power comes from its immediacy and its vital human connection. There is intimacy and relevancy in sharing the human story through theatre.

In my research as I teach and learn, I found this wonderful video that captures much of what I believe theatre can do. The video can be found at http://www.ted.com/talks/patsy_rodenburg_why_i_do_theater.html

How I write plays

There are many different ways to write plays, and sometimes I think I’ve tried them all. Some of the ways that I have started plays are adapting classics to modern relevance; writing parodies of current fads; and taking real people, relationships or events and adapting and fictionalizing them. I have also tried “now for something completely different” and gone for something original and outside my experience.

In The Faust Project, I led a group of teens in exploring Christopher Marlowe’s Dr. Faustus and Goethe’s Faust. The Faust legend is the story of a man who sells his soul to the devil for all knowledge and power. Our group analyzed the plot and characters of the two plays, then researched what we thought would be forbidden knowledge today. Then we wrote a play with similar characters and plot but set in today’s world.

In creating the interactive play Julia, I took the plot and characters from Julius Caesar, and adapted those characters into the modern day in an urban teen girl gang. In Shakespeare’s play, Brutus is led by Cassius to betray his friend Julius Caesar, for Caesar, in becoming emperor, has challenged the very meaning of the Roman republic. Brutus is torn by conflicting loyalties: loyalty to friends, loyalty to Rome (his country/community), loyalty to his own ideals. In Julia, Julius Caesar became Julia Sierra, who is capturing media attention and trying to bring her gang “legit”, threatening the relationships and community of their world. Brutus became Ruth, Cassius became Cassie.

In each of the above cases, I took an established play, borrowed the plot and the characters to fit the needs of the new play I was creating. It is important to note that I didn’t just take a play and change the names; the characters changed to fit the new setting and the new conflicts in the new play.

I had lots of fun in writing Nightlight: Vampires Afraid of the Dork, a parody of the Twilight series. Again, using the characters and storyline from an established work, I twisted and tweaked for humorous effect- real groaners, I am not kidding. For instance, Bella Swan became Smella Duck, and her father, Charlie the police chief, carried donuts and Dunkin Donuts coffee with him everywhere. Jacob Black, member of the tribe, became Jacob Schwartz, who commented that he was not related to Sitting Bull, although they were both Sioux (pronounced “Sue”), Sitting Bull was a member of the Hunkpapa Lakota Sioux, while Jacob was a member of the Yo Mama, She Gotta Sue.

CHEESY. Yes, but it got a laugh. In writing a parody, you are making fun of what you are satirizing by exaggerating and twisting out of shape.

Another great source, because you know it so well, is your own life and relationships. Ruth and Naomi is a play I am writing that started with examining the relationship that I had with my mother-in-law (of blessed memory). Our relationship started out as a difficult one; we came from very different backgrounds, and I was marrying her youngest son, her baby. Over time, we came to have a great relationship built on mutual respect. The beginning, however, was undoubtedly rocky. And I thought: what if? What if a mother-daughter-in-law relationship had that same rocky start- but the son/husband died? And what if the women were still tied together by an unborn child? So my play Ruth and Naomi got its start.

The play Ruth and Naomi also uses another technique: your own take on Biblical or mythical tales. In the Book of Ruth in the Bible, Ruth loves her mother-in-law so much that Ruth leaves her own homeland to follow Naomi. In my play Ruth and Naomi, the two women dislike and distrust one another, but each has an investment that keeps them bound together even after the death of the man they shared.

Finally, there are the works that are completely original. In my play Hootchy Kootchy Coo, a group of strippers discover that one of their troupe is pregnant. She is determined to keep the baby, but she really needs the job. The unlikely group become friends as they band together to hide the pregnancy and “cover” her stripping acts until the baby comes and transforms them all. In this play, I am interested in exploring the concept of women as sexy and women as mothers: two roles that in our society seem opposed and irreconcilable.

An idea can come from anywhere. It might be a childhood story, a family incident, a scrap of conversation overheard at a coffee shop. In your mind, a story begins. Write it down. Challenge your characters with obstacles to overcome in achieving their heart’s desires. Soon, you will have a play!

the value of the director

Sometimes I have my doubts as to my value as a director; or indeed, the value of a director at all. Sometimes, doesn't it just seem that a good script and a good cast could do it on their own?

WELL-

1. Choosing an excellent script and casting it well are two of the director's most important tasks- sooo even if it seems they direct themselves, in fact the "click" that happens is due to the director.

2. When the director doesn't fulfill the tasks of directing- reading, interpreting, communicating the script to the many and varied artists-of-the-theater actors, designers, promoters- the entire fabric falls apart.

This was well demonstrated to me recently by one of the student teams doing the group project in my intro class. The director did not have a grasp of the play, and therefore all the different projects of scene design, costume design, poster design were disjointed, unconnected, lacked relevance and significance to character, plot or mood.

Once again, bad art illuminates the almost invisible *good* art of directing.

An Introduction to Theatre

I've been teaching Intro to Theatre for some time now. Recent events have me musing on what the purpose of such a class might be.

One important purpose is to develop new audiences.

Theatre has so much to compete with for entertainment in today's world. Television - now cable, high definition, 3-D! Movies- in theatres, on DVDs, STREAMING!

Not too mention sporting events of all types. And video games! And social networking!

What chance does theatre have? Without a live audience, there is no theatre.

And that is what we must capitalize on: theatre is live- intimate - in person. The physical, sensual presence of the live actor engaging with the energy of the live audience is something that technology cannot replicate.

Introduction to theatre- when it includes a requirement to GO and SEE SOME SHOWS- is an opportunity to bring this live experience to those who may never have tried it otherwise.

And once there- good theatre will do the rest.

the legacy

Michigan Youth Theatre: The Vision




Over the past decade, we have created something truly special. Michigan Youth Theater is about more than art: it is about acceptance. It is about collaboration. It is about love for our partners and the dramatic work we collectively create. MYT is a unique place where teens, during their most tumultuous years, can come together to create, share, and flourish in this atmosphere of love and acceptance. As founder of MYT, it has always been my belief that this is the artistic environment that fosters the greatest and highest art. This is a safe place where difficult issues can be explored, respectfully, without judgment or fear of rejection. We welcome everyone, regardless of race, socioeconomic status, gender, sexual orientation, religion, nationality. Anyone who is respectful and accepting of others will be respected and accepted by us.





This is the MYT Vision. This is our creed. If we do not adhere to these founding principles, MYT will no longer exist.





Lisa Hodge Kander

Artistic Director, 2000-2011

Founder, Michigan Youth Theater