Return to main Advice page

Dear John

How do I produce a spectacular show with complete amateurs?

First published 7th December 2006

Question:
Having worked in professional theatre for a long time, I have been asked to produce our local Christmas show. They expect something special but how do I achieve that with people who are enthusiastic but have very little stage experience?

Answer:
Most performers are aware of the dreaded 'party piece' Catch 22, when at a social gathering you are pressed into doing your stuff even though the doctors, mechanics or IT professionals present aren't called upon to perform open heart surgery, strip down a double decker bus or knock up a website for everyone in the room. Assuming you can't avoid being put on the spot you are then faced with the dilemma of either a) giving it your full professional all, thereby making it impossible for any one else to follow you and probably coming across as a show-off even if you aren't or b) giving it your full professional all only to find that the build up beforehand by well-meaning friends and hosts would have rendered it impossible for Chaplin, Caruso or Madonna to live up to expectations. This week's question is one which crops on lots of occasions from school concerts to charity fundraisers but the festive season seems like a particularly ripe time for both professional and serious amateur showfolk to find themselves trying to marshal willing but inexperienced talent of all ages to produce a quality result. Here are two creative professionals who also have community experience to advise.

What the experts say:

Russ Bravo

Russ Bravo is a professional journalist, as well as a musician and a freelance comedy writer who has worked for Joe Pasquale, Tim Vine and for ITV's The Sketch Show. He has also been involved in clowning and performance work with youth groups.

"I think that the key thing when you are working with young people, community groups, or indeed anyone who has not had the benefit of sustained performing experience, is to involve as many people as possible rather than concentrating on just a few stars.

"This isn't just from the point of view of making it fun for all - a more practical reason is that someone who may be very strong in rehearsal may not be able to sustain energy if you give them too pivotal a role in the overall production, whereas if you break your production into a few scenes involving a couple of different groups, you can be confident that at least some of it will work, some of the time.

"The practical approach also extends to mics and props. The louder the better for the former, as no matter how well a young beginner may perform, projection is usually more of an issue. Keep props to a minimum.

"Funny business is only funny when it works and for some people just being on stage is unfamiliar enough without having to worry about manipulation and split-second timing for your great visual gags.

"If you do need to explain comedy business to young people, make sure you use references they understand. There is no use asking for Laurel and Hardy type slapstick if they are more used to the Chuckle Brothers or even Jackass."

Denise Davidson

Denise Davidson is involved in music teaching at primary school level, alongside her own music career, which has ranged from playing Tracy Chapman on Stars in Their Eyes to singing in her own right with several choirs and groups, in styles ranging from Gospel to Latin. She is particularly interested in both music and sound therapy work with children and adults.

"The most important thing when working with children who are not necessarily stage school trained - and this applies whether the 'kids' are six years old or over 60 - is to bear in mind from the outset that they are in general doing this because they want to. However, they may not want to at the exact moment in time you need them to be fully focused on the show.

"It might be that whatever else is going on in their lives, from stuff at school to issues at work or with family, is uppermost in their minds, and while part of being a performer is being able to either get beyond those distractions or use them in your work, this is a skill that comes from stage training and experience just as much as projection or singing does.

"Rather than trying to impose performance discipline on them, you need to exercise your own discipline.

"If you can be resolutely positive and precise, giving them proper times and dates for rehearsals, explaining clearly what you require of them and treating them professionally, you will usually find that your own sense of purpose starts to pull them along, which is much easier for all concerned than pushing too hard.

"Lastly, have a sense of humour about the show. It is not the be-all and end-all of their careers, or of yours either, and in a funny way, keeping it all in perspective may well create the team spirit that produces a result which surprises everyone."

John sums up

Having often used this space to encourage beginners to give their all to every show they get involved in no matter what level - since you can never tell what big things even the smallest gig may lead to - it does no harm to also include the caution that trying too hard can often detract from a basically promising performance. This applies not just to the beginners young and old that you may find yourself working with but to you in your role of director, producer or even cast member. To be honest if it is genuinely a community production and you the professional have cast yourself or even allowed yourself to be cast in all those roles at the same time, you are probably already trying too hard already. The feeling of having something to prove almost always gets in the way of doing your best work rather than helping you focus on what you are doing. If you can be relaxed and confident enough to take a back seat, while at the same time being on hand to pass on the tips and tricks you do know to everyone else involved, you'll usually find the event goes much more smoothly for everyone. If it goes wrong, well, you tried your best, and if it goes well, give the credit to the community rather than yourself. This is not just false modesty - it means, with hope, they'll find someone else to run the show next year!

* Russ Bravo may be contacted at russbravo@lineone.net

* Denise Davidson is on dorisa69@hotmail.com

* Feedback/queries are welcome to dearjohn@thestage.co.uk

Click here to go back to the Dear John homepage.