This page (Page
#4) has creative ideas
for directing a fun, successful play or musical. Check
out these examples used in ArtReach popular titles: A
Thousand Cranes, Amelia Earhart, Alice
in Wonderland, Cinderella, Alice
in Wonderland, Wizard of Oz, Emperor's
New Clothes, Reluctant Dragon.
Don’t forget, a Teachers Guide will come with your School Play
Package and contain many other ideas and inspirations!
Director
shares his experience with
ArtReach's "A
Thousand Cranes"
Little
pieces of HOPE.
By
April Labine-Katko, Springfield MO
Tim
Piland is ready to stand in the back of the room again and watch his
audience choke back the tears.
After
the first performance of "1000 Cranes" he has come to
expect the reaction - it is virtually impossible to avoid it and he
admits that even he still finds himself weeping when he sees his
actors perform.
"It
was so neat standing in the back of the room every night and
watching grown men wiping tears from their eyes because of this
play," Piland said. "The actors are perfect; they are
the most perfect actors of any production I've seen in Springfield. I
had people sending me emails saying it was the most moving thing
they've ever seen."
"His
audience chokes back the tears."
ArtReach's A
Thousand Cranes - Beaverton Civic Theatre, Beaverton OR
And
the story is so moving because it's true; it was true then when the
atomic bomb decimated Hiroshima in 1945 and it's true now because
humankind has learned so little from the painful lesson.
When
Piland fist came across Sadako Sasaki and her paper cranes, he
didn't know the impact it would have on him and the people with whom
he shares her story. He was in New York City and had recently
gone to the World Trade Center memorial. While visiting the
museum, he encountered a pedestal on which was placed a mysterious box.
"And
that box was a tiny paper crane about the size of my pinky finger
nail," Piland said. "It's red with a picture of a
little Japanese girl and I thought, what is this? Well, it's
one of Sadako's original paper cranes and she folded it from the red
cellophane wrapper from her medicine bottles. I looked up and
there were a thousand paper cranes on the ceiling. And that's
where I learned of her story."
In
Sadako's story, she survives the impact of that atomic bomb, but the
leukemia she develops 10 years later would ultimately claim her life
by age 12. It would claim Sadako's young body, but it would
never claim her hope.
"The
ancestors will give them the help that they seek."
ArtReach's A
Thousand Cranes - Beaverton Civic Theatre, Beaverton OR
"She's
reminded of the story that if a sick person folds a thousand paper
origami cranes, the spirits of the ancestors will give them the help
that they seek," Piland explains. "Well, she made it
to I believe it was 644 paper cranes before she passed away."
But
Sadako's hope still lived on in the people who cared about her.
They completed the task of folding a thousand cranes.
"She
was buried with the thousand paper cranes," Piland said.
"And since then, she has become a symbol of hope, peace and love
all over the world."
After
Piland decided to direct the play, he hosted folding parties to
achieve the goal of the thousand paper cranes he needed for the
production. His favorite one the bunch is one made from a baked
bean ad.
"When
see these paper cranes they're literally made our of everything and
that was really very important to me," Piland said. "A
lot of people involved in the show would say they wanted to go out
and buy origami paper. I said, please don't because she made
these cranes out of garbage, anything she could get her hands
on. I said I wanted ours to be made ours of found objects too."
"People
are
saying
it was the most moving thing they've ever seen."
ArtReach's A
Thousand Cranes - Beaverton Civic Theatre, Beaverton OR
Once
during an interview, Piland was asked how folding cranes could have
really given Sadako any hope; she must have known that such a simple
act could make no difference.
"I
said, well there you're wrong," Piland said. "There you're
wrong because children are smarter than what we give them credit
for. Children actually believe that miracles can happen.
And that's what Sadako's story is really all about."
Sadako
folded her cranes in faith. It was not unlike the faith that
the people involved with "1000 Cranes" brought with them to
the project. Piland praises his actors, Jessica Kelderhouse,
Jones Chang and newcomer Allyson Ly.
"I
was not prepared for how they would embrace the roles, how it would
change them, how it would mean so much to them," Piland
said. "The first three weeks of rehearsal, we couldn't get
through without people crying because it is so moving."
And
to infuse the performance with even more raw emotion, local musician
David Greathouse - who Piland calls a true Renaissance man - wrote
the original song, "Still Falling"
"It
talks about how the bomb is still falling," Piland said.
"We're still killing people. People are still killed or poisoned
by their own governments to this day &ldots; The play is beautiful
and the play is moving but it wouldn't be the same without David's
song. The audience is bawling at the end of the ply and I come
up and speak for a couple of minutes to let them compose themselves
and then I ruin the all over again when David comes up to sing."
"Director
is very proud of what his team has accomplished.
ArtReach's A
Thousand Cranes - Beaverton Civic Theatre, Beaverton OR
Piland
is very proud of what his team has accomplished. It is the first
full production put together by his company, Harvest Moon
Productions, and his cast and crew actually left with some money in
their pockets - very rare indeed in the arts world.
"I
was tickled to death that I could pay my actors," Piland
said. "It was so neat to see the looks on their faces when
they were like, you're giving me money? I said yes and the more
butts you put in the seats, the more money I put in your hands."
The
cast also donated a portion of their earnings to charity.
Piland said he wants to be able to continue to move his audiences
with moral, heartfelt pieces - stories they aren't likely to see on
any other stage in Springfield. And after this next batch of
performances, he knows audiences will be taking Sadako's message home
with them. Piland certainly takes it home with him every night.
"I
love the story," Piland said. "I will remember
Sadako for the rest of my life. I never met her but she means
so much to me&ldots; I want to be like Sadako. Those
stories make you want to be a better human being."
See
"1000 Cranes" written by Kathryn Schultz Miller. St.
Paul Methodist Church. Pay what you will. Harvest Moon
Productions on Facebook. Seating is limited.
Choosing
An Award-Winning Play for Competition
Amelia Earhart
Wins Awards for High Schools
When choosing a play for your
Middle School or High School students to perform, look no further
than ArtReach’s One Act Plays and Touring Plays. Most of
these scripts can be performed by young adults with a cast size of 3
to 15 or more. One of our top award-winning plays is AMELIA
EARHART.
"We
had a HUGE win with Amelia Earhart at our theatre competition!
We won All-Star Cast, Best Set, Best Technical Production, Best
Ensemble, Best Supporting Actress and Best Actress! We will be
competing for the State!"
Jesse Tilton, Spain Park High
School Theatre, Hoover AL
"Drama
that makes
the most of young performers."
Amelia
Earhart, Oak Grove High School, Hattiesburg, MS
AMELIA
EARHART follows the heroine from her early attempts to make
history through to her tragic final flight. It's an
entertaining and surprisingly balanced look back on a period in
history where our country seemed obsessed with proving themselves as Americans.
This one act play is a
fast-paced drama that demands the most of your young adult performers
and gives them a great opportunity to show off their thespian
talents. Every year we hear from schools that have placed high
or even won first place in their drama competitions. Best of
all, ArtReach places no restrictions on your right to cut or edit the
script to fit the time constraints of your particular contest.
Your production of AMELIA EARHART
is sure to be a high-flying success!
ArtReach’s
Alice
in Wonderland
is flexible for student casts of all sizes
Why Teachers
Love ArtReach’s Alice in Wonderland
ALICE
IN WONDERLAND is one of ArtReach’s most popular scripts
with lots of performances happening all over the globe! This
script for kids to perform stands out because it is easy to adapt the
script to the size of your cast and the ages of the young performers.
The School
Play Version of the script works well for large groups of about
24. There are lots of small roles for young students such as
Dormouse, March Hare and the Queens Gardeners. If you
have young readers who may have trouble with memorizing lines, it is
quite all right to cast them as the Storytellers and allow them to
hold the script and read their parts on stage. Older kids who
really want to dive in will love the Cheshire Cat, the Mad Hatter
and, of course, the Queen of Hearts. If you’d like to
allow up to 5 girls to play Alice, each girls will enjoy her special
moment on stage. And don’t forget, there’s no reason
why Alice must be a girl. Try casting a boy by simply changing
the name to Alex!
"The
script works well for large groups of students."
Five Alices --
Everyone Has Fun! Dramaworks Theatre Company, Budapest
The Medium
Cast Version is great for a small sized cast of about 15.
This script is essentially the same as the School Play Version but
lines have been lengthened, giving each performer more to memorize
and more business to do. Storytellers become much more
important in this version, allowing kids to really use their
imaginations as they find ways to set the stage for each scene.
Because lines are longer, we often recommend this for Middle School
students who are not as intimidated by long speeches.
Almost every role in the play
may be played by either gender. And don’t forget that you
may add lines, jokes, songs and scenes! It is quite all right
to make any changes to the script to make it the perfect vehicle for
your kids’ special performance.
Staging
Suggestions for Lively Children's Theatre
Tips for
Directing ArtReach's Cinderella
and other ArtReach School Plays
Performance
Space: If the play is to take place in a
classroom, move all the desks to the back of the room. If this does
not allow sufficient space for the performance, push them against 3
sides and let the center of the room be part of the playing area
(with the audience, if any, seated around). For a bigger audience, a
larger room would be appropriate. The gym or cafeteria will probably
give you more space than needed. In that case use just half of the
room and arrange audience chairs in a horseshoe shape around the
playing area.
"Raid
the music room! Create a percussion stand."
Gretna Kids Playhouse Summer
Theatre Workshop, Gretna, LA
Percussion
Instruments: Raid the music room! Gather as many
simple percussion instruments as you can find (chimes, xylophones
kazoos, whistles, rhythm sticks, jingle bells, etc.) Create a
"percussion stand" by arranging the instruments on a table
or a narrow ledge.
Some instruments will need to
be held up to be played (triangle, chimes, gong). The music room
might have a stand for these instruments. If not, you could build a
simple one (think "large cardboard box") or simply have the
children hold those up when they are played. CHORUS members (usually
identified by different colors) could be seated around the percussion
stand. They can act as narrators and orchestra in the tradition of a
Greek Chorus. (Occasionally, CHORUS members are given short on-stage
tasks to do.) Your percussion stand can be placed in the corner of
the playing area.
"Show
character's traits through acting rather than costume."
Gretna Kids Playhouse Summer
Theatre Workshop, Gretna, LA
Costumes:
There is a Japanese theatrical tradition of dressing
actors all in black and using masks or costume pieces to indicate
character. What a great idea! Have your young performers wear all
black or dark blue - or dark purple, green, have them choose! They
then add costume pieces such as hats, crowns and capes to identify
their characters. Keep it simple. Remember it's more important
(and more fun!) for your students to convey their character's
personality through acting rather than costume. CHORUS members can
wear different color tee-shirts to match their color-name or they can
bring a piece of clothing from home (ball cap, scarf, a towel used as
a cape) that is their color.
Costume
Rack: In one corner will be a hat stand, or
several hat stands. Any object with clothes hooks will allow you to
hang costume pieces (see below) that will be put on by the children
as they assume their roles. Some props, such as the Fairy Godmother's
magic wand, may be kept at their chairs where they are sitting.
How
About Allen in Wonderland?
What if genders
are reversed? Will Alice
in Wonderland be just as exciting?
Alice
in Wonderland is such a meaningful part of our childhood
literature that stays with us long after we reach adulthood.
Often we protect our childhood memories by demanding that our first
images of a story stay purified by our first imaginings and memories.
"Most
parts can be played by a girl
or a boy."
Greenbrier Valley Theatre,
GVTeens Program, Lewisburg, WV
Yet the most ingrained images
that we love and revere were at the start quite new and original,
ignoring stereotypes. Today’s kids do not have the same
ideas of what a boy character and a girl character should
"want”. And "wanting” is the very thing
that brings a child’s story to life. Aladdin
wants to be respected like a King; Cinderella
wants to be the kind of girl who would meet a prince at the
ball. Change the race, age, and gender of the protagonist
and you may find what a different story seems to be. The
new hero of our story may want nothing more than a small variation of
the original wanted object.
Alice, the girl who wanders
into and tries to understand Wonderland, may very well be a boy or a
girl. The absurdity (and thrill!) of Wonderland will be the
same to a child, regardless of gender. It is the same for
drama. Your job as casting director is simply to bring the
desires of the protagonist to life. Everything Alice wants can
easily be what Allen wants. Therefore, when you cast a play,
look for the actor who shows the most interest in the adventure.
Alice or Allen, the story will reveal itself with the greatest fun
and intensity if the actor who plays the lead part is the actor who
shows the most interested in the outcome.
Think
Outside the Wizard!
Can you imagine
a world without The Wizard of Oz?
When L. Frank Baum sat down in
1990 to write American’s first fairy tale, he had to make the
whole thing up! Out of nowhere came his unique image of
characters that are so familiar to us now that they are part of our
everyday life.
Have your students imagine
that they are L. Frank Baum sitting down to a blank piece of
paper. Have them pretend that they have never seen the movie or
a play of The Wizard of Oz.
Have them draw an image of each character that is very different
from those we remember so well. In order to get them thinking
outside the box have them place these characters in a different
culture or climate. What if Dorothy was living in China?
What if the scarecrow lived in the Arctic? What if the Wicked
Witch had been born on a ranch in Texas?
"Imagine
you are L Frank Baum."
Corinth Theatre Arts, MS -
Tampa Creative Camp, FL
Creative scripts give kids
lots of ideas! Here the Tin Man has a most unusual take on the
costume! The Wizard of Oz! Great for Camps and Workshops!
Every now and then
ArtReach’s receives photos of production that have taken a very
different turn from the designs we have seen in the books or
movies. Add a dash of creativity to your production by
making it look different than any other Wizard of Oz your audience
has seen. What a great way to get kids using the arts to look
at the world with new eyes!
Taking
the Show on the Road
Why Not Perform
Your ArtReach Play for Other Schools?
Hit the road, Jack! Most
ArtReach Plays are ideal for touring to local schools! A little
planning ahead can make it easy to share your wonderful production
with hundreds of kids.
Almost everyone agrees that
the arts are a vital part of a student’s education, but these
days schools are finding it more and more difficult to bus kids to
performing arts events. Less funding for the arts and the
rising cost of transportation mean kids miss out on field trips to
the theatre. But where there’s a will there’s a
way! ArtReach has always been first in providing plays that can
be performed in schools, on stages or in a large room.
All of ArtReach’s touring
plays have been written for maximum imagination and minimum stuff to
fill your van. Each touring play features small casts such as
Emperor’s New Clothes, Sword in the Stone and Blue Horses
requiring mostly 2, 3 or 4 performers. Middle Schools and High
Schools will find ArtReach’s Expanded Cast versions, such as
Amelia Earhart, Alice in Wonderland and Aladdin, are ideal for casts
of about 10-15 performers. Even the School Plays can be
performed for kids in nearby schools!
