Tag Archives: High School Drama Club

Producing any show can be a ton of work and can be incredibly time consuming. When that production is a school play, it can be even more difficult when most of those who are involved are adolescents and the help you receive is limited. There’s still much you can do! 

If this is the first time you are putting on a school production, don’t panic! There are a ton of school productions that turn out to be successful. You just have to find what works for you, and your group of kids. We have gathered some tips to help you ensure a successful school production.

Tips For Your School Production

Have you chosen a production to work on, yet? When deciding on the show, consider your current assets such as the stage you have access to and your budget. You will also have to consider the time frame, the ages of your actors, and the audience you will have the performance for.

Choosing the Right Production

If the production you are thinking about using is popular throughout multiple generations but happens to contain some controversial aspects, consider looking at all available versions of it and choose the one that would work best, or communicate the production with the principle of the school. Note that productions that may work for one school audience may not be as accepted by others.

Creating a Calendar

Once you have chosen on the right production, create a detailed production calendar that not only includes rehearsal dates but also the contact information for everyone involved in the production. Share a copy of the calendar with everyone involved in the production, as well. Most importantly, stay in constant communication with everyone about any changes or new information that may rise. If you are working with a much younger age group, make sure to stay in constant communication with their parents about rehearsals and such, as well.

When it comes to holding auditions, remember that theater is inclusive. Allow for any student who wants to participate in the production to do so, if not through acting roles, then through more technical roles such as backstage work, stage prop creation, selling tickets, and so on.

Choosing Roles & Assuring Equal Attention in Rehearsal

Once you have decided on each student’s role in the production, and rehearsals have begun, assure that you are giving all actors equal attention. It is easy to “lose track” and place most of your focus on the lead characters, but in order to have a successful production, small roles should be just as strong as lead roles.

Producing a show on your own can be incredibly difficult, so don’t be afraid to work with others. Accept the help when offered and, seek for help when needed. Remember that any help can be beneficial.

No Show Or Production is Perfect!

In the end, make sure you have chosen a production you enjoy since most of your time and efforts will be placed on it for months to come. Also, remember that even the most rehearsed productions are not guaranteed a perfect, mistake-free show!

While meeting people in college and reminiscing on the high school era of our lives, musical productions played by our high school drama clubs are always a piece of those memories that come into conversation.

When conversing about it, you may have noticed that your roommate’s high school, towns or even states away also performed the same production done by your own high school.

The truth is that there are many plays known to be popular in high school drama productions. The Educational Theatre Association recently released their survey of the most produced plays in U.S. high schools. We thought it would be fun to take a look at the top 10 musicals here.

1. The Addams Family
After the book series of The Adams Family was released, the T.V. series began production in the early 1960s.

2. Shrek the Musical
This musical is based off of DreamWorks 2001 Animation film Shrek.

3. Legally Blonde
This musical is famously known for its hit 2001 film and original novel. The Broadway musical was first previewed in 2007.

4. Cinderella
This musical is based out of the retold story by Charles Perrault’s tale Cendrillon from the 17th century. The Broadway musical was based off of Douglas Carter Beane’s Cinderella book.

5. Little Shop of Horrors
Based on the 1960s cult horror film, this musical was written by Howard Ashman with music by Alan Menken in 2003

6. Anything Goes
According to an article written by NPR, this musical has been ranked in the top most popular high school musicals since the 1970s, ranking as number 9 in the 1990s

7. Guys and Dolls
This musical was first previewed on Broadway in 1950 and has won various Tony Awards in the following years.

8. You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown
Like Anything Goes, this musical has ranked in the top high school musicals since 1970s where it ranked as number three and number eight in 2010s.

9. The Wizard of Oz
This musical has had various adaptations from L. Frank Baum and has ranked in top high school musicals since 1960s except for the 2000s where it was not used in high school productions.

10. Hairspray
This one was first previewed in Broadway in 2002 and had won various Tony awards the following year.

This makes it fun to connect with theater lovers alike. When you discuss the plays you’ve done, your experiences, and share your knowledge, it can be a moment that truly brings people together, bonding over their love for the stage. Discussing theater with other thespians can allow you to learn something new about a director or author, or bring your attention to a specific technique in which you want to enhance on the stage.

When it comes to high school musicals, some schools are limited on what they’re school system allows them to present. Other high school drama clubs may not have a huge budget to order full scripts for everyone. It’s interesting to see the types of shows presented by schools across the US.

If you have questions about shows that would work well with your school and your budget, check out our website. We list awesome backdrops to use for certain show suggestions. Rent a backdrop from Charles H. Stewart and dramatically enhance your production.

(Sources: playbill.com, NPR.com)