Open Forum

Our high school is going to perform "The Sound of Music" next spring. If any of you have produced this show, what was your experience like? I am interested in hearing about any pitfalls you may have encountered, and any creative ideas you came up with to enhance the performance in either your set design or staging.

Some may say this show has been done to death...but, I say it's a timeless classic and never gets old! Haha... The national Broadway tour of this show is currently underway and we were lucky to get the rights, as it was restricted. This will be the 5th show I have directed and I, like most of you, always want to raise the bar and make the 'next' show better than the last! I'll thank you for your input.

------------------------------
Thomas Boys
Musical Director/Drama Club Sponsor
Argos Jr/Sr High School
Argos, Indiana USA
tboys@argos.k12.in.us
------------------------------

​We did it four years ago. It is a great show, but very technically challenging. For example: There are seven kids and they need at least 5 costumes each. That's 35 costumes right there. Maria also has multiple costumes. Then there is the one change where the kids go from play clothes to uniforms in half a page of script. We had the nuns waiting in the hallway (our dressing area is completely away from the stage) with the uniforms and basically pulled them over the play clothes. Another hitch is the two story set (von Trapp house) that comes and goes out in 16 bars of music. We did a four part set, stairs to platform and step up to hallway - three parts - and door on a rolling platform on the other side of the stage. We also used rear projection for several scenes, though the scenes faded when the front lights were on, so if you use this method have hyper-bright pictures.
One other issue you might have to deal with: The age of the kids is right at a fast growth times. We measured at the beginning of the rehearsal time period and started making costumes During tech week I had to make three costumes because the kids had grown. We handed down and I made new for Friedrich.
I still love the music and the story, but don't plan to do the show again. :)

------------------------------
Ellen Di Filippo
Tracy CA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 10-29-2018 09:09
From: Thomas Boys
Subject: The Sound of Music

Our high school is going to perform "The Sound of Music" next spring. If any of you have produced this show, what was your experience like? I am interested in hearing about any pitfalls you may have encountered, and any creative ideas you came up with to enhance the performance in either your set design or staging.

Some may say this show has been done to death...but, I say it's a timeless classic and never gets old! Haha... The national Broadway tour of this show is currently underway and we were lucky to get the rights, as it was restricted. This will be the 5th show I have directed and I, like most of you, always want to raise the bar and make the 'next' show better than the last! I'll thank you for your input.

------------------------------
Thomas Boys
Musical Director/Drama Club Sponsor
Argos Jr/Sr High School
Argos, Indiana USA
tboys@argos.k12.in.us
------------------------------

I did this show last year and it was a tremendous success. It never gets old and with the current climate in the world, the history of the show was very relevant. Right before Act 2 we projected black and white pictures of the Nazi invasion - it was chilling and effective as most people don’t really associate the somberness of the story as much as they remember the sweet melodic tunes. I agree with the other post that costumes are a tremendous hitch. With no costume designer we were able to borrow costumes from a professional source that made it easier. The set was also simplified but not so much that you didn’t feel the grandeur of the house and then the austerity of the convent.
All in all it was our best box office other than Hairspray! We were sold out almost every show and some patrons even came dressed in costume - this is a crowd pleaser. Good luck with it. The nun costumes were also a challenge - there are a lot of nuns! We had 20 + nuns and I suited them with all the layers and bibs and crucifixes.
Kristin Duerr
Notre Dame Academy
Los Angeles, CA


Original Message------

​We did it four years ago. It is a great show, but very technically challenging. For example: There are seven kids and they need at least 5 costumes each. That's 35 costumes right there. Maria also has multiple costumes. Then there is the one change where the kids go from play clothes to uniforms in half a page of script. We had the nuns waiting in the hallway (our dressing area is completely away from the stage) with the uniforms and basically pulled them over the play clothes. Another hitch is the two story set (von Trapp house) that comes and goes out in 16 bars of music. We did a four part set, stairs to platform and step up to hallway - three parts - and door on a rolling platform on the other side of the stage. We also used rear projection for several scenes, though the scenes faded when the front lights were on, so if you use this method have hyper-bright pictures.
One other issue you might have to deal with: The age of the kids is right at a fast growth times. We measured at the beginning of the rehearsal time period and started making costumes During tech week I had to make three costumes because the kids had grown. We handed down and I made new for Friedrich.
I still love the music and the story, but don't plan to do the show again. :)

------------------------------
Ellen Di Filippo
Tracy CA
------------------------------

Back when I was in college (early 1980s), I saw a high-school production that used an immersive approach to the festival scene, making you feel as if you were there yourself.  As the scene change ended, Nazi-uniformed boys appeared at the various auditorium doors, loudly slammed them shut, then stood in front of them as if to block them, remaining as the scene played.  During "Edelweiss" - the director obviously relying on the fact that most people attending the show knew its songs inside and out - the Captain at one point gestured for the audience to stand and sing along with him.  Anyone who did, however, quickly found him-/herself confronted with one of those guards from the doors, ordering him/her to sit down and be quiet, or even pushing people with aisle seats down into their seats.  For people who find the show too sticky-sweet for words, this drew attention to the plot's very real danger.

------------------------------
Jeff Grove
Theatre Teacher, Aesthetics Department Chair
Stanton College Preparatory School
Jacksonville FL
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 10-29-2018 09:09
From: Thomas Boys
Subject: The Sound of Music

Our high school is going to perform "The Sound of Music" next spring. If any of you have produced this show, what was your experience like? I am interested in hearing about any pitfalls you may have encountered, and any creative ideas you came up with to enhance the performance in either your set design or staging.

Some may say this show has been done to death...but, I say it's a timeless classic and never gets old! Haha... The national Broadway tour of this show is currently underway and we were lucky to get the rights, as it was restricted. This will be the 5th show I have directed and I, like most of you, always want to raise the bar and make the 'next' show better than the last! I'll thank you for your input.

------------------------------
Thomas Boys
Musical Director/Drama Club Sponsor
Argos Jr/Sr High School
Argos, Indiana USA
tboys@argos.k12.in.us
------------------------------

We did this a few years ago ... and I'll agree with a previous post that yes ... the costumes were a bit daunting ... we rented some (which I rarely do but I didn't foresee us ever needing 7 alpine dresses or sailor suits again). We made some also. The kids are really the only difficult costumes to come up with and that one costume change is fast. We also had people in the wings helping them move quickly.

To facilitate the quick set changes we  built the "two story" set on stage (the second story was on 4 ft high platforms as we don't have enough height for a full two story set but it creates the appearance)  and used rented drops on our center traveler for the garden scene and convent. That made the quick changes much easier. 



------------------------------
Toni Thomas
Theatre Teacher and Director
Ogemaw Heights High School
West Branch MI
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 10-29-2018 09:09
From: Thomas Boys
Subject: The Sound of Music

Our high school is going to perform "The Sound of Music" next spring. If any of you have produced this show, what was your experience like? I am interested in hearing about any pitfalls you may have encountered, and any creative ideas you came up with to enhance the performance in either your set design or staging.

Some may say this show has been done to death...but, I say it's a timeless classic and never gets old! Haha... The national Broadway tour of this show is currently underway and we were lucky to get the rights, as it was restricted. This will be the 5th show I have directed and I, like most of you, always want to raise the bar and make the 'next' show better than the last! I'll thank you for your input.

------------------------------
Thomas Boys
Musical Director/Drama Club Sponsor
Argos Jr/Sr High School
Argos, Indiana USA
tboys@argos.k12.in.us
------------------------------

I designed SoM for a community theatre a few years ago on a stage that had its challenges. It was wide (about 35') but very shallow, had a tiny apron, and hardly any space backstage. No flies to speak of because of the low ceiling. But of course the production company wanted to do huge shows on it. For them huge shows meant "a lot of scenery," but they had low budgets. On top of which there were several ummm... personality conflicts among the tech staff.

But set design -- any type of design, really -- is about solving problems, so I did what I always do, which is to look at the script in terms of the story and the characters instead of in terms of stuff to build. We call it a "design problem" and a "design solution:" the script defined a design problem and my job was to come up with a design solution that addressed the story, the action, the relevance in today's world, and the audience's expectation of a showy show.

So the design solution consisted of a semi-circular space defined by several columns backed by a curved mountain ground row, and, a couple of feet behind it, a cyc. Then several small-ish pieces, which could be moved quickly and stored in the tiny backstage area, came and went as needed. The proscenium wall is not shown below for clarity.



------------------------------
George F. Ledo
Set designer
www.setdesignandtech.wordpress.com
www.georgefledo.net
http://astore.amazon.com/sdtbookstore-20
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 10-31-2018 05:42
From: Toni Thomas
Subject: The Sound of Music

We did this a few years ago ... and I'll agree with a previous post that yes ... the costumes were a bit daunting ... we rented some (which I rarely do but I didn't foresee us ever needing 7 alpine dresses or sailor suits again). We made some also. The kids are really the only difficult costumes to come up with and that one costume change is fast. We also had people in the wings helping them move quickly.

To facilitate the quick set changes we  built the "two story" set on stage (the second story was on 4 ft high platforms as we don't have enough height for a full two story set but it creates the appearance)  and used rented drops on our center traveler for the garden scene and convent. That made the quick changes much easier.



------------------------------
Toni Thomas
Theatre Teacher and Director
Ogemaw Heights High School
West Branch MI

Original Message:
Sent: 10-29-2018 09:09
From: Thomas Boys
Subject: The Sound of Music

Our high school is going to perform "The Sound of Music" next spring. If any of you have produced this show, what was your experience like? I am interested in hearing about any pitfalls you may have encountered, and any creative ideas you came up with to enhance the performance in either your set design or staging.

Some may say this show has been done to death...but, I say it's a timeless classic and never gets old! Haha... The national Broadway tour of this show is currently underway and we were lucky to get the rights, as it was restricted. This will be the 5th show I have directed and I, like most of you, always want to raise the bar and make the 'next' show better than the last! I'll thank you for your input.

------------------------------
Thomas Boys
Musical Director/Drama Club Sponsor
Argos Jr/Sr High School
Argos, Indiana USA
tboys@argos.k12.in.us
------------------------------

Thank you, everyone, for your input! I'll always welcome more...

Ellen: Yes, when I mentioned we will be doing this title, my asst. director (also my costume person) kind of looked at me with her head down, eyes glaring in my direction between a furrowed brow and her glasses...haha. We have a wonderful resource nearby - Casaday Costumes, a non-profit warehouse - that has the curtains and matching outfits; so, that will help, and have volunteer seamstresses for alterations. Quick changes are a challenge! Last year's Wizard of Oz production was a challenge in that area, but with good help backstage, we got it done! Thank you for your input on the sets, too. Reading your reply, I began to visualize, more concretely, how things will work.

Jeff: I love the idea of having the audience drawn in to the festival activities! I know my kids will be thrilled to do this, as well.

George: That design is marvelous...I hope you don't mind my imitating its features. The layout is simplistic, yet elegant, and will make for very quick scene changes (lengthy scene changes can easily kill a show's momentum, right?). Having the mountain backdrop visible throughout the entire show would also keep the audience aware of 'where' they are...

I have seen productions of this show, and have watched some on youtube. Some theaters/companies have huge budgets and large venues, and probably many stage crew members...these shows used large sets and every set was elaborate and specific to each scene. I couldn't imagine...haha. And, George, it is true that the sets do not make the show, as much as the show makes the sets. Does that make sense? Ha...

We are a small school with a decent budget, so it is great to read so many responses and be able to think about incorporating these ideas, to think about how to tailor some of these to fit our circumstances, as well as remaining aware of the challenges mentioned above.

Thanks, again, everyone!
-Tom

------------------------------
Thomas Boys
Musical Director/Drama Club Sponsor
Argos Jr/Sr High School
Argos, Indiana USA
tboys@argos.k12.in.us
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 10-29-2018 09:09
From: Thomas Boys
Subject: The Sound of Music

Our high school is going to perform "The Sound of Music" next spring. If any of you have produced this show, what was your experience like? I am interested in hearing about any pitfalls you may have encountered, and any creative ideas you came up with to enhance the performance in either your set design or staging.

Some may say this show has been done to death...but, I say it's a timeless classic and never gets old! Haha... The national Broadway tour of this show is currently underway and we were lucky to get the rights, as it was restricted. This will be the 5th show I have directed and I, like most of you, always want to raise the bar and make the 'next' show better than the last! I'll thank you for your input.

------------------------------
Thomas Boys
Musical Director/Drama Club Sponsor
Argos Jr/Sr High School
Argos, Indiana USA
tboys@argos.k12.in.us
------------------------------

It has been years since I have produced this (1988), and I did so on a small budget.  We painted a backdrop of the Alps and used some referential pieces for the interior scenes.  We made some simple costumes for the <g class="gr_ gr_265 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="265" data-gr-id="265">children,</g> and were able to find the rest of the costumes rather easily.  
I have often thought about doing the play <g class="gr_ gr_359 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="359" data-gr-id="359">again,</g> because I feel that audiences are much LESS familiar with it now than they were in the 1980s.  I try to do a "classic" every three years, and I think students would reap rich rewards from performing this one.

------------------------------
Janette Clark
Drama Teacher
Minneapolis KS
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 10-29-2018 09:09
From: Thomas Boys
Subject: The Sound of Music

Our high school is going to perform "The Sound of Music" next spring. If any of you have produced this show, what was your experience like? I am interested in hearing about any pitfalls you may have encountered, and any creative ideas you came up with to enhance the performance in either your set design or staging.

Some may say this show has been done to death...but, I say it's a timeless classic and never gets old! Haha... The national Broadway tour of this show is currently underway and we were lucky to get the rights, as it was restricted. This will be the 5th show I have directed and I, like most of you, always want to raise the bar and make the 'next' show better than the last! I'll thank you for your input.

------------------------------
Thomas Boys
Musical Director/Drama Club Sponsor
Argos Jr/Sr High School
Argos, Indiana USA
tboys@argos.k12.in.us
------------------------------