We look for assistance in the following:

• Help with publicity for the current show
• Help with gathering ads for the program
• Help organizing get-togethers and arranging for food
• Canteen coordination and assistance during the shows
• Props - co-ordinator or assistants
• Ticket sales assistance - both before the shows and during the shows.
• Lobby assistants - take tickets, hand out programs, usher to seats.
• Set building
• Set painters (under the direction of our Set Decorator)
• Costumes - co-ordinator and/or sewing of costumes (we have a large cast!)
• Make-up
• Backstage crew
• Curtain puller

The Greely Players – Behind the scenes of a Production

Musical theatre is a well-rounded art form: it is comprised of vocal music, instrumental music, dance, design, artwork and acting. What the audience sees is the sparkling end product: the skin and vibrant outer garments of the finished musical theatre production. What they don’t see are the bones and muscle underneath that give the production structure and shape.

A lot of work goes into a staging a show; much of it done by people who do not take a bow at the end of the evening’s performance. In community theatre, all the workers are volunteers, people who donate their time because they love being part of that wonderful end product. Here are some of the important positions that help bring our shows to life.

The Producer

The producer is like a theatrical party-planner. He or she must find the people to do the hundreds of tasks necessary before opening night, and they must make sure that all of these people have the things they need to do their jobs. Because everyone is volunteering, they have to ensure the production team is not overburdened. Producers must do all this in the hope that enough people will attend their big event, and enjoy themselves while they’re there.

The producer’s work starts at least a year prior to the show date. The scripts and scores are ordered and a delivery date set. The show budget must be established, based on how many tickets we expect to sell. The Greely Community Centre must be booked for auditions, rehearsals and for the show.

The producer begins to assemble the production team. This includes the Music Director (leader of the orchestra), Vocal Director, Rehearsal Pianist, Artistic Director, Set Designer, Choreographer, Costume Coordinator, Head of Props, Make-up, Hair, Sound and Lighting, and Stage Manager. Meetings have to be arranged with the team members in order to work out the challenges of mounting the show. It is truly a collaborative effort, but the producer keeps everything moving as smoothly as possible.

Lots of helping hands needed

Once the show is cast and the rehearsals begin, the producer can focus on making sure the production team has the resources and manpower they need to do their jobs. Building and painting sets and sewing costumes takes many willing hands and many hours of labour.

The list of required people is quite extensive; they are needed to: promote and publicize the show, create the show programme, obtain ads for the programme, look after Front of House (the audience seating service), ticket sales and canteen sales. If a cast of 40 seems large, the production team is even larger.

If all these people do their work well, the result is an evening of magic for the audience. The production crew knows that some of the final applause is meant for them too.

Artistic Director

The director has overall responsibility for the artistic side of the production from the time the play is chosen to the time it opens. He or she will study the script in detail and will have the vision of how the play will be presented. The director develops the overall concept for interpretation, style and staging of the production. At auditions he or she will select a cast in conjunction with the vocal director and other production team members, work with the producer on production requirements, set up the rehearsal schedule, and conduct rehearsals.

Directing a community theatre production means you have to be able to take ordinary people and encourage them to become someone completely different – and remain in character for the whole show. This means focus, focus, focus. Often it’s the little details that make a show memorable – and that’s how a director can make their individual mark on a production.

Vocal Director

The Vocal Director is a vital part of the Production team. He or she is responsible for teaching the cast members all vocal numbers and rehearsing them so that they are well prepared for when the orchestra arrives to accompany them. Often the initial rehearsals are solely focused on learning the vocal parts. If there is four-part harmony in the chorus numbers, each part has to be taught individually. Sometimes this process seems tedious, but when all the parts are sung together the result can be glorious!

During auditions, the Vocal Director gives expert advice to the Director indicating whether a potential cast member could handle a particular song, and if their voice has enough volume to carry to the back of the room. We normally do not use individual microphones, so volume is important.

Music Director

One of the most important positions to fill for a musical theatre production is the Music Director, or orchestra leader. A live orchestra gives an immeasurably rich sound to the whole event, and the Music Director has the specialized skills to be able to conduct the instrumentalists and the singers.

The conductor is the only member of the production team who can give direction to the actors during the show. Usually this means cuing the singers to start the songs and keeping the pace of the song for the vocalists.

The Music Director’s job begins before the scores arrive. They must determine what instrumentalists are needed for the show and then recruit them. They must set a convenient time and place to rehearse.

Often the scores are quite old, and sometimes the parts don’t agree with each other. (In bar 65, do you have an E sharp or an E natural?!) Sometimes dance music must be trimmed and still allow for a seamless transition to the next musical number. Occasionally parts have to be transposed (or rewritten) into a different key. Luckily, most musicians have been trained to do this, and the music director can concentrate on how he wants the end product to sound.

Once the orchestra is comfortable with the whole score, they have a combined rehearsal with the singers. At this point everything falls apart. The orchestra has to adjust to the pace of the vocalists, and the actors can’t believe how different the music sounds from what they’ve rehearsed with the piano.

After one or two more combined rehearsals however, the cast and orchestra quickly become comfortable with each other and opening night should have things perfectly knitted together.

Choreographer

Unless actors are moving on stage in time with the music, a musical show would be somewhat boring to watch. There is nothing so thrilling as to see a large ensemble of cast members sing and move as a cohesive whole to great music. The choreographer must take into account the greatly varied dancing skills of the actors, and come up with choreography that will hold the audience’s attention. The other challenge is to teach that movement to the actors and repeat the choreography enough times so the movement becomes an integral part of the song.

Sound and Lighting

Sets

The set designer, set builder and set artist comprise the creative team who take a plain, bare stage, and transform it into a magical place. Sometimes this means developing a set showing a different era, and sometimes it means creating the look of a foreign country. The designer must read the script and come up with a visual concept that matches the ideas of the play’s director. They work with the director to define the visual appearance of the production (including the basic colour scheme) and the need for acting areas on stage.

The set builder(s) must execute that vision and the set painters bring it to life. This has to be done with the limitations dictated by budget and venue. The Greely Community Centre has no theatre wings or overhead space to hoist a drop curtain. The whole stage must be constructed from scratch each year. This creates difficulties, but can also offer creative staging possibilities.

Costumes

Often actors don’t truly become their character until you put them in the proper clothes. How can you really become King Arthur until you’re wearing the fur-trimmed cape and crown?

The job of conceiving the proper look for those clothes belongs to the costume designer. In professional theatre companies, the costume designer creates a unique look for each production and they retain the creative rights to their designs.

In community theatre, the creative instinct has to be just as strong, but the trick is to be able to look at inexpensive “found” articles of clothing and turn them into something wonderful for the stage.

The costume design team starts three months before the show making a list of cast members, and, in conjunction with the director, decides on the look of the costumes and determines how many changes of clothing each character will need. The task might appear to be quite daunting if each of the 40 cast members needs two changes. In practice, with many helping hands, it is quite manageable.

With measurements from the cast in hand, the costume crew goes rummaging through the costume room to see what can be made over. What they can’t find there can be covered by a shopping expedition to Value Village or The Salvation Army. Occasionally we will have to rent specialty items.

A call goes out for people who sew. Theatre costumes do not require an advanced knowledge of sewing from the helpers – just enough ability with a needle and thread to attach trim and buttons, or sew hems.

Make-up and Hair

What happens when you take an actor and put them on stage under bright lights? They look like they’re half-dead. It’s the make-up that makes them look normal, but that stage or “pancake” make-up appears very unnatural when viewed up close.

Doing make-up is like being an artist, because you are working with brushes and sponges to blend colour. It just so happens that the canvasses are unique, individual, and live! If an actor needs to look tired, grey touches are added to the face and bags under the eyes. If a woman is required to look young, extra long false eyelashes are added face colours are kept bright and clear.

Sometimes the hairstyles are elaborate for the women and hairpieces and hot rollers are needed, sometimes hairstyles can be kept simple. Moustaches might be needed for the men.

We always welcome volunteers for make-up and hair, since the whole cast need to be “processed” within and hour and a half before the show starts. This is always a fun place to help out, since the cast are pumped before the show and everyone is in good spirits.

Properties

Props, or properties, are the bits and pieces actually handled by actors. The Properties person's job is to establish, in conjunction with the director, what properties are needed, and to obtain them. The Greely Players has a small inventory of props and set decor items, some acquired for specific plays, some donated by members or people in the community. If props cannot be obtained, they must be made.

The properties crew must ensure the stage is set prior to each performance, and make sure all off-stage props and actors' personal props are ready. Often, a table will be placed just off-stage with all the properties laid out on it, each piece always in its assigned position ready for it to be picked up and used.

Stage Manager

During rehearsals, the Stage Manager will be following the script, marking up cues for actors, for lights and sound, and for special effects. Depending on the size of the cast and on how the director and stage manager work together, the Stage Manager may keep rehearsal notes and ensure actors are at their entrances. They are in charge of running the show from opening night onwards.

Stage Crew

Depending on the production, the size of the Stage Crew varies. If the production warrants it, the team needs to be prepared to place and remove large set pieces, furniture, and properties, and operate backstage equipment such as a fog generator. They develop a system to ensure a smooth transition for set changes and teamwork here is essential.

Front of House Manager and crew

This person arranges that for every performance, there will be people to

• greet the audience at the door
• take tickets at the door
• hand out programs
• act as ushers where needed

Working at front of house is a good way to meet other people!

Canteen Manager and crew

The Refreshments people work in conjunction with the Front of House staff to provide coffee, tea, soft drinks, and snacks to the audience before the show starts, and in the intermission.