So, You Want to Put on a Show...

So, you've decided you want to put on a show - let's say an operetta. You've got a group of talented performers and a crew. Now, all you need is...well, a show! So how do you decide what show to do?

The first step is to consider your performance space, your performers, and your time and money. There's no point in trying to do a big extravaganza with a cast of thousands if you have a small theater and budget. Think about what kind of personnel you're likely to have. Will you hold open auditions, or will you be working with an existing company? How big is the pool of performers on which you can draw? Do you want an orchestra, or just a pianist? All of these issues affect your choice of show. Make a list of what resources you expect to have.

Once you know what you have available, it's time to consider the requirements of shows you'd like to do. If you can get hold of a score, read through it. Even a piano/vocal score will help (though you may need to contact the publisher or rights-holder to find out what orchestral parts you'd need). List the characters - their vocal ranges, roughly how big the parts are, whether the actors will need any special skills (stage combat, dance, etc.). This information will be invaluable come audition time, not to mention in choosing a show in the first place. Does the show have a chorus? If so, how big a chorus will you need? Listening to recordings can help you decide that, as well.

The initial narrowing down of options can be made much easier if you have access to synopses and other information about shows. Fortunately for us all, a lot of that information is making its way to the Web. The Aria Database, which I've mentioned before, has a lot of information about specific arias. But when it comes to full shows, the best site I've found thus far is part of the National Operatic & Dramatic Association (UK) web site. It has a list of shows available for amateur performances, and has synopses and lists of characters for many of the shows. It also has a list of shows that are not available for amateurs, so you don't go the wrong way. The lists are a mix of Broadway musicals and operetta, so you have to dig around to find what you want, but it's a very useful site.

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