Information for Teachers, Parents, After-School Programs-or anyone else who might want to put on a play with kids

First question might be-why plays? The answer is that people have been putting plays on for 3,000 years. We put ourselves in someone else's shoes for a little while, and realize that while we are all different, in many ways we are much the same.

The second reason is that plays are a lot of fun! You get to dress up and pretend to be someone else, and that's pretty neat.

The third reason is that plays make history more interesting. Everyone loves a story!

So, what about sets? Are they expensive to build? Well, they can be. Some Broadway shows have tremendously complicated sets that take craftsmen days to build. Then there is a play like Our Town that has no set at all, just a ladder sitting on stage. For plays done after school or in the classroom, sets are almost impossible, so it's best to act out the story without trying to construct an elaborate background. A rocking chair can suggest a room in a home. A table and chair may represent the tent of a general. Someone should be in charge of getting the items used to set the scene.

Are props important? Props are the items that the actors use on stage, and include things like papers that characters write on, or a pen used to write an important message. If possible the props should be close to the authentic thing used during the period of the play. Props are important, and someone needs to be in charge of getting them and being sure they are returned.

How about costumes? Now, costumes are interesting. There are wonderful books that tell what kinds of clothes people wore during history. Research into clothes adds another dimension to a play. Simple copies of Colonial dresses can be made fairly easily. Ordinary women wore simple cotton dresses, so a long-sleeved blouse and a long skirt will work. Rich women wore more elaborate clothes that would be more difficult to represent, perhaps a ruffled blouse and a decorative pin at the collar. Men wore black pants, but no blue jeans (they hadn't been invented yet), and some men wore buckskins. Band uniforms are wonderful to use for soldiers..stick to red for the British, blue for the Patriots. However, not all patriots had uniforms, so they had to wear their ordinary clothes. It's a good idea to have a person in charge of costumes, especially if the play is going to be done more than one time. That person will hang up the clothes and make sure everything is there.

How do we find sound effects? Your school library, or your public library has a collection of sound effects on CD that include "battle sounds." A portable CD player and a capable sound person will add a lot to your play. Remember, you can always tape the sound effects onto a cassette if no portable CD player is available.

Music can add to the atmosphere. Many of Britain's songs were made American when the colonists changed their lyrics (which was a major insult to the British). One example is "America" which is based on "God Save the King." Another song everyone knows is "Yankee Doodle," which can be played before your play starts.

Do we have to act? A big part of doing a play is acting. You pretend to be happy or sad or worried, and it makes the play more interesting. It also helps the actor to understand the character better. An actor needs to speak loudly so everyone can hear him/her and try to face the audience when speaking.

Do we have to memorize the lines? Memorizing the lines makes the play more interesting for the audience, but it is not absolutely, positively necessary. Some plays are read by the actors, standing on stage, wearing costumes-that's called "a dramatic reading." Dramatic readings are a little easier, but still require a set and props and costumes, so why not go ahead and memorize the lines!

Everyone is important in putting on a play. With someone in charge of getting the set ready (for example, finding a rocking chair or a table and chair), finding and being responsible for the props, getting the costumes ready and taking care of them between performances, it's easy to see that there are lots of jobs that need to be done. Someone may want to do publicity to encourage a bigger audience. Another person may want to be in charge of making up programs that tell everyone who is playing each part, and who did all the backstage work.

Who is in charge? The person who coordinates all of the things mentioned here is called the Director and he/she is really important. The Director tells the actors where to stand, when to move, how to say lines. Usually the Director is a teacher or a parent who may or may not know much about theater. Someone who is interested in history, who likes young people, who has a sincere desire to see a play put on for an audience can try his/her hand at directing. It gets easier each time.

Mistakes aren't fatal. More than anything else, have fun doing plays. If an actor makes a mistake it isn't the end of the world. Laugh a little and go on. Rehearsals are sometimes bad, which makes actors and directors afraid the play will be terrible. Not so. Usually when a performance begins everyone settles down and does a great job. Most important-think of the fun you had and all that you learned. It's worth the effort.