6. Cast the play

The next step is to decide who will be each character. Listen to the choices each person has, but you must have an actor for each role. If someone doesn’t volunteer for a role, it’s time to compromise again. Someone may have to give up a role they would prefer, but we are going to improvise the dialogue, make it up as we go along. This way everyone can do a good job and everyone can have as many or few lines to say as he or she wants. Remember that there are other plays for us to do. Everyone will get a chance to perform in a role special for them.

7. Get costumes and props
Now that the play is cast, it is time to figure out how to make this play happen. Decide:

• Where in your school can you do the scenes?

  We used the library, which had a nice reading corner. We also used the Arts and Science Lab that had some empty space. We used the hallways and the cafeteria and the kindergarten classroom that was empty in the afternoon. We went outside – to the playground with the jungle gym, to the sitting area with trees and a bench, to door areas where we could enter and exit. We went anywhere that it was kind of quiet and looked somewhat like what we needed.

• Where can you get the set props?

  We used gym mats to give us a plain background. We brought some fabric from home to hang on the gym mats. It suggested a fancy house. We used signs to the tell audience where we were. For example we put up “Cable Car” on a metal fence to suggest this was a streetcar. We used tables and chairs. We used just about anything that we could carry that would help us set the stage.
  

• Where can you get the hand props?

  We used what we could from our classroom, but we brought stuff from home like the canned goods, suitcases, canes.

• Where can you find the costumes?

  Since this was long ago, we tried to look as if we weren’t kids in school today.
  

• The boys wore long pants. We tried to get everyone long sleeved shirts (not tee shirts!) and jackets. Some moms had jackets that the boys could wear. Shoes were a problem, but we often had to do with tennis shoes. We picked up a couple of hats and used sticky Velcro in the headband to make them smaller.
• The girls wore long skirts. A few girls had them, but we got some moms to sew up a couple of skirts with elastic bands. They used cheap cotton fabric. We shared them. We also tried to find long sleeved shirts for the girls. Some of the girls put on shawls to suggest that it was cold or that they were going outside. We didn’t worry too much about shoes since the skirts kind of hid their feet.
  

Set a date to bring all the stuff to school. Perhaps you can find a box for each scene and put the props and costumes in them to keep it all organized.

8. Warmup, rehearse and videotape
So the day is here to videotape your play!

• Set up your playing space with the set and hand props.
• Reread the scenario. Think about the beginning, each incident and the ending as a different scene. You’ll videotape each one separately. This way you can decide where you want to put the video camera for each one. You can decide if you want a close up or a long shot.
• Next get ready for your performance with a warmup.
  Actors always warm up their bodies and voices so they are ready to do their very best and to concentrate, think just about the drama. Click on warmup to find our version of a warmup. Your teacher or another student can talk you through the exercises.
• Get into your costumes.
• Now you’re ready to practice the first scene.
  • Remind yourself about who is in the scene and what they do.
  • Improvise the scene; make it up as you go along. Say what you think your character would say. Do what your character would do.
  • Now try it one more time making certain that the camera can see what you are doing and can hear what you are saying. You have to talk with a loud “outside” voice or the microphone won’t pick up what you say. VOLUME was the biggest problem we had. Let the cameraperson help you.
  • When you videotape the scene be certain to concentrate on who you are and what you and the other characters are doing. Listen to the other characters. Watch what they are doing. Answer them. Move to help them. As long as you think just about what you’re doing in the scene, you’ll be just fine!

For more about acting click here.

• Listen to the person who is videotaping your scene. He or she may take a picture just of the setting to let the audience know where you are. The cameraman will let you know when to begin your scene and when it is over.