Theatre, Musicals and the Stage: Life skills

Life skills centre stage with high school performance

Staging a school drama production may seem a daunting task, but according to Warren Flanagan of Northmead Creative and Performing Arts High School it’s a task well-worth the benefits to students, teachers, and the wider school community. School News caught up with Mr Flanagan to demystify the process and help equip teachers for taking on a student cast.

SB: What are the legal considerations for putting on musicals? Copyright for songs and plays and what about if students write the play?

WF: In many cases, you have to apply for the rights to use creative content. Necessary rights vary in cost depending on the musical or play. Hal Leonard Australia provides all information on rates and fees, rehearsal material and orchestral material.

If students write their own material they have to make sure their work is original and does not plagiarise other works, this also includes using iconic characters or branding such as Mickey Mouse as you have to seek approval for the use. However, you can create adaptations from stories, for example creating a modern adaptation of a Shakespearean play as plays by Shakespeare, Wilde and many other pre-twentieth century plays can be performed freely without obtaining a licence. You don’t need a licence if your production will be performed only for students and staff as part of your usual school activities, within school hours and no outside guests will be present. You do need a licence if the production will be public. That means anyone who is not a current student or staff member at the school will be present (whether or not they have to pay for a ticket) or the performance will take place outside of normal school hours. Almost every song, musical or play which is performed in public are subject to the payment of royalties and this includes excerpts, except in cases where copyright in not required because the period of protection has expired (70 years after the artist’s death). You can use songs in your devised play, however you still need to seek approval and buy the licencing rights to have the songs played during your production. APRA AMCOS New Zealand provides information on licensing rights for music. However, students can write their own musical score as there are no licensing rights for originality. My advice is to do both (scripted and devised) for experience as you learn new things along the way. Producing a play or musical is never the same as there are always challenges to face. The remarkable thing about producing a student devised work is the satisfaction of witnessing a student’s creative production coming to life on stage. The Ministry of Education provides guidelines for schools: www.tki.org. nz/Copyright-in-schools/Guidelinesfor-schools.

Warren Flanagan

SB: How does costume provision work these days – not so many stay at home parents to sew on sequins and ruffles?

WF: Sourcing costumes from Op shops, and sites like eBay are the best, as you find things that save you time. Get in contact with local theatre groups and schools that may have a costume wardrobe they are willing to lend, rent, or in some cases, donate. Seek, ask and you shall receive.

Advertise within your school community for a group to help out with costuming. You’ll be surprised how many parents or grand-parents will be interested to attend, bringing an array of creative skills.

SB: What sorts of AV equipment is required for a school to put on quality performances? Is it just a PA? What about lighting?

WF: For a quality performance, I would seek out equipment to mic the stage properly for effective audio projection. This may require an assessment of the performance space and venue making sure the audio equipment would satisfy the acoustics and there is a clear balance for the performers as well as the audience. Hiring equipment for audio can be costly, however some companies are willing to negotiate to give you the best. I believe lighting is very important as it creates the ambience and atmosphere with in a production. Once again lighting hire companies are willing to help, patching in lights with special effects, and will even demonstrate how to operate and cue lights into the lighting desk.

World-class kit makes school performance the main event

Jamie Cashmore of Edwards Sound Lighting and AV says there is no one-size-fits-all solution for school theatre audiovisual requirements. With variables including space dimensions, audience size, types of performances, and budget; he says expert advice is vital.

provided at no cost – if you can supply a scale drawing of the venue we can really help,” Mr Cashmore notes.

He says school theatre is becoming more ‘professional’, with increased performance skill from children and greater access to world-class equipment that rivals the set-up at the local theatre.

“Schools can buy the base equipment (permanently installed speaker system) and rent peripherals or one-off required pieces of kit,” he explains. He says when a school partners with Edwards, they benefit from 50 years in business, talented staff; and access to partner companies (and installers) all over Australasia, who are dedicated to providing the right solution every time, and backing it up.

“For spare parts, repairs, expanding on the original purchase, or simply support; we are there.”

Visual projections are a great way to utilise the stage to add to a set creating depth or even a minimalist effect.

Overall you can hire an operator for lighting and sound. Try and provide students with the opportunity to learn new skills in production elements such as lighting and audio systems.

SB: What are the benefits for students derived from participating in performancebased activities at school?

WF: Whether a student seeks a career in the industry or not, the benefits gained are life skills. Drama teaches students to explore universal concepts and develop skills such as improvisation. It develops confidence in students and a self-belief in knowing how to present themselves to others. Performing provides students with this skill and it prepares them for similar scenarios like job interviews, presenting and auditions, which are all improvised situations; unscripted. Back stage roles can be offered to less extroverted students, however, these students need to be effective communicators, as they are the spine of the performance, which provides the support required for the show to run smoothly.

SB: Should all students give performance a go or are some students just not suited?

WF: Only if they enjoy it. However, I do believe every student should give performance a go because they’ll discover something about themselves. Even if they didn’t do well, they can learn to laugh at themselves and develop resilience. It’s all about experience.

SB: What are the biggest issues you face with directing/ producing live performance with children or teenagers?

WF: The biggest issue is commitment and dedication to the production. Rehearsals take up a lot of time and some students are unaware of the time needed to produce a production. I’ve had to recast due to lack of commitment.

SB: What else should teachers consider before producing live performance projects at school?

WF: Teachers should know their students well and effectively communicate with parents about the expectations of the performance and rehearsal process. Keep your principal well-informed about all processes and developing ideas. Simple ideas can turn into a big mess with students who don’t communicate to their parents effectively. Use every form of communication. Email, notices, verbal, meetings etc.

SB: Can you tell us about a recent performance you have produced with your students?

WF: In 2016, we produced William Golding’s Lord of the Flies. I had a drama company numbering 42; 20 boys and 22 girls. The dilemma was to find a play that would suit a large cast. As difficult as it was, Lord of the Flies came to mind as it is studied within our junior English curriculum. I decided to split the cast along gender lines and stage two productions, which served to create inclusivity, regardless of gender. The challenging, yet rewarding part was the process of adapting the play to the female cast. The female cast went into a writing process to rework the script from a female perspective. The workshopping process was derived from the question: ‘Would girls act differently on the island? This led our female students into a study of human behaviour and defining differences between boys and girls and exploring how they would approach confronting issues. Characters names were changed and even characteristics had to adopt a female flair. My female students loved this process of reworking a script and so did the school audience. The male students’ performance was remarkable and full of violence and suspense. Devoted fans of the play supported the male version, as it was true to the script, which made our female cast concerned that their version would not do the story justice, though this expectation was far from correct. The audience found the violence performed by the girls far more confronting. My female students wanted to express that bullying and violence amongst girls is just as savage as boys, but society is used to seeing males fight, while females fighting seeming to be more confronting and awful to witness. My students workshopped the fight choreography, learning stage combat, which they enjoyed. The production received praise from the staff and students who felt that our adaptations of the play brought a new creative and confronting light to William Golding’s concept of displaying human ugliness. We adopted a new title for our productions, calling them: Kill the Beast- an adaptation of William Golding’s Lord of the Flies. By Suzy Barry, Industry Reporter

Strong customised staging solutions for a stellar event

Lloyd Sutton of Stronglite Staging says schools are producing more technically intricate shows: “With professional assistance from an experienced company, schools are achieving exceptional results.”

He says set requirements vary: “Depending on the show and venue, multiple levels requiring access may be required. Steps, windows, bridges or ramps can all be created via a safe structure, designed to suit the particular needs of the show.”

He says this is where experience is vital “to achieve a safe, successful, stellar event”.

With many years of experience in TV, theatre and event production, Mr Sutton says Stronglite Staging has everything from grandstands/ audience seating and catwalks to flat, stable and exceptionally strong stages, up to the most demanding Kapa Haka event.

“In this time of heightened health and safety regulations, it is important that schools work with a company that provides professional, top quality equipment and has the experience and technical ability required to assess the school’s requirements and provide the best solution for their event,” he concluded.

“In the supporting role” THE STAGE IS SET!

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