List of Contributions

RE: Glowing Eyes Effect for TRAP

Posted By Mark Quinlan 10-12-2018 13:12
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Olathe South HS did TRAP at ITF last summer. I believe they used some sort of novelty eye glasses (perhaps they were eyeglasses with LED lights at the top corners used to illuminate close-up work). Mark Quinlan Theater Director, Head Speech Coach Centennial High School 763-792-5099 fin ...

RE: LGBTQ Monologue

Posted By Mark Quinlan 09-06-2018 13:06
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The "Broadway" version is the 2013 Broadway version. We did it last year; so much better than the original or Enchanted versions. Mark Quinlan Theater Director, Head Speech Coach Centennial High School 763-792-5099 finearts@isd12.org

RE: Carriage

Posted By Mark Quinlan 09-04-2018 14:38
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We did Cinderella last fall. With limited scenery building time and no off-stage construction/storage space, we just couldn't build anything decent. A ballet company in town has a carriage that they use for the Cinderella ballet, but that was touring at the time we needed it. You might check ballet companies ...

RE: Homeschoolers in Public School Drama Programs

Posted By Mark Quinlan 02-08-2018 13:18
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My district allows home-schooled students to participate in all co-curricular/extra-curricular activities. I have had a few participate in theater, including a girl who was in the musical last fall. There have been occasions in the past when the participation in an activity (friends made, exposure ...

RE: Realistic torch fire

Posted By Mark Quinlan 01-15-2018 13:32
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Several years ago, my tech guy made a torch for PIPPIN. He used a piece of dowling (fairly large diameter) as the handle. He attached a soup can to one end with a sheetrock screw (You could use whatever size and shape can you want). To "fancy it up" and make it look more period, he wrapped a few ...

RE: 12 Angry Jurors

Posted By Mark Quinlan 12-11-2017 12:28
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Dramatic Publishing handles 12 Angry Jurors. I did the show in 2011. Unless they've changed since then, they have a 12 Angry Men script (the original) and a 12 Angry Women script (The differences are not just changing the pronouns; the characters are more female-oriented.) Then, depending on how you ...

RE: Huge Fall Musical

Posted By Mark Quinlan 11-15-2017 11:05
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We do a "huge" musical every fall. It is our commitment to the administration for an activity that involves as many students as possible. Then, I have a lot more freedom in choosing the contest one-act and spring show, which get much less attention. It is also a big community event and the district uses ...

RE: 5 Fifth - work load

Posted By Mark Quinlan 10-19-2017 18:02
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Although I retired from classroom teaching at the end of the 2015-1016 school year, but can answer your questions: 1. We are on a 6-period schedule. A fulltime teaching load is 5 classes and one prep period. 2. I receive stipends for directing and coaching, just as an athletic coach, student council ...

RE: building sets

Posted By Mark Quinlan 10-09-2017 12:29
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I would say that building luan flats is the best way to go (We call them "TV flats" since most sets on TV are built with luan.) I have a set of luan flats, some of which were built nearly 30 years ago, and we still use them regularly. They paint up more like a real wall, they don't get punctures like ...

RE: Sure Thing bell help

Posted By Mark Quinlan 09-20-2017 13:18
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I agree. I've seen duos in speech do it many times with the person who doesn't say the cue line, simply saying "ding". It works. ------------------------------ Mark Quinlan teacher/director of theater/head speech coach Centennial School District, ISD#12 Circle Pines MN --------------------- ...

RE: Short plays for disabled adults

Posted By Mark Quinlan 03-20-2017 17:47
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A former student of mine works for a theater in Minneapolis that specializes in theater for the disabled. The theater is called Interact Theater. His name is Scotty Reynolds. His e-mail address is scott@interactcenter.com You can contact him and ask him if he/they have any plays that would be useful. ...

RE: Musical for Weak Male Singers

Posted By Mark Quinlan 02-10-2017 18:30
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I did ANNIE 4 years ago and it was amazing how many high school kids were huge fans of the show. There were 3 or 4 kids who did that show, but did not audition the next year because they only wanted to do ANNIE. It is also a big seller; we ended up turning people away. As far as other shows, I did ...

RE: Show Program

Posted By Mark Quinlan 02-01-2017 10:08
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It takes a little bit of a learning curve, but we've used the PLAYBILL program that they make available. We don't do it on glossy paper or in color, but we do it on a photocopy machine and it looks pretty good. One of the advantage is that, if you're doing an MTI show, the character list and list of ...

RE: Teaching sincerity in acting

Posted By Mark Quinlan 12-22-2016 18:14
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I have faced this issue on occasion. One particularly memorable moment happened in a production of THE SKIN OF OUR TEETH when the guys playing the Shriners thought it would be hilarious to upstage the Antrobus family with in appropriate "antics" ("Because it's funny".). They received "a talking to" and ...

RE: Theater Class as English Credit?

Posted By Mark Quinlan 11-15-2016 15:59
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My theatre class was always counted as an English elective (which a few students who were in neither band nor choir and didn't take a visual arts class used to complete their fine arts requirement). However, despite attempts to change their mind, the NCAA would not accept the theatre class a part of ...

RE: Smart phones backstage in an Equity theater?

Posted By Mark Quinlan 05-02-2016 15:26
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This issue happens to be the scourge of modern technology. I am also a speech coach and have had students recently research this topic. Research has shown that smart phone use actually produces endorphins in the brain, so people can literally get addicted to smart phone use. Another factor is the phenomenon ...

RE: Parents who censor high school theater are morons

Posted By Mark Quinlan 04-05-2016 10:13
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I have directed PIPPIN twice, in 1990 and 2000. There was a bit of "pushback" in the earlier production, and more negative reactions in 2000 than in 1990, though not at the level described in the article. I find that, most often, people who want to "censor" a play take words and ideas out of context ...

RE: Joseph

Posted By Mark Quinlan 03-24-2016 09:05
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I've done Joseph twice, but only when I've had enough strong males to do it. I suppose you could cast the brothers with females (Though with licensing issues you wouldn't be able to change any pronouns, etc.). So the issue comes with if you cast them as females playing male roles or cast them as "sisters". ...

ticket printing software

Posted By Mark Quinlan 10-28-2015 09:07
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Our ticket printing software just went down (actually the old computer that was the only one capable of running a very old program). We use Seatyourself for advance sales, but use hard copies at the door so that we don't have long lines waiting for tickets to come out of the printer. So, we only need ...

RE: Online Ticketing System

Posted By Mark Quinlan 09-25-2015 09:53
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We've been using Seatyourself for several years and have been very satisfied. The customer support (helping you through the set-up process, answering questions when they come up) is excellent. ------------------------------ Mark Quinlan teacher/director of theater/head speech coach Centennial School ...

Mark Quinlan

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