List of Contributions

RE: Choosing a fall play

Posted By Lisa Houston 06-06-2017 07:46
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A personal favorite of mine is Museum by Tina Howe. There are 44 characters that can be played by as few as 6 actors. Mostly men, but some female. It's very funny, but also meaningful in the wake of threats to NEA funding, etc. Anatomy of Gray is also a wonderful show. Good luck! LH --------- ...

RE: R and H

Posted By Lisa Houston 09-17-2016 08:38
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Mark - in 2012, when we did "The Sound of Music," we were extremely mistreated by R&H. First of all, they took over 9 weeks to process rights for us. We are an extremely small school in central NJ -- there was no news whatsoever of a revival or tour of any type in the professional world. Other ...

RE: Creating a new environment

Posted By Lisa Houston 07-31-2016 07:30
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Hi! I wrote up a lesson plan on creating a Sound and Landscape for Shakespeare. I believe it is posted on Theatrefolk, but I could also send it to you. It's basically a 4-5 day unit to build ensemble and an understanding of how sets and sounds can aid actors' in their interpretation of a story. ...

RE: Fundraisers that make substantial money

Posted By Lisa Houston 04-25-2016 19:07
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We have made tons of money by running a three hour spin class marathon and having pledging online. We made $21,000 for a three hour session. We even had two faculty sit on a couch in the spinning room and eat burgers and they got more pledges than anyone! If you are in a yard sale type environment, ...

RE: Palate cleansing reading recommendations

Posted By Lisa Houston 04-03-2016 09:09
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I second a lot of the previously listed choices. One of my favorite books to use in class discussion is "Letters to a Young Artist" by Anna Deveare Smith. My students also enjoy a slim volume called, "Notes on Directing." I have also found any book by Ann Bogart to be enlightening and helpful. ...

RE: Female Lead Moliere-Type Play?

Posted By Lisa Houston 03-30-2016 09:33
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"The Madwoman of Chaillot" comes to mind as a strong female lead, French-inspired. Plus a timely message of environmentalism. ------------------------------ Lisa Houston Pennington NJ

RE: Scripts for analysis

Posted By Lisa Houston 02-20-2016 07:02
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A play my advanced students are loving right now for analysis and directing is "Anatomy of Gray" by Jim Leonard, Jr. It it set in 1890 in a mid-western town, but was written in the early 2000s. It is about the idea of "otherness" when a Jewish Doctor arrives in their town, but also the spreading of a ...

RE: Help with Addams Family torure rack

Posted By Lisa Houston 02-15-2016 09:03
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We did this show last year and use a basic flat and mounted some simple 1x3 pieces to fit snugly around Pugsley's head. It was propped against the wall and the ropes and chains went down behind it under the platform it was on. Wednesday had a separate control device lever. The best part about it ...

RE: Radium Glow

Posted By Lisa Houston 02-05-2016 06:55
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We recently produced "Radium Girls" and used blacklight glow makeup for their faces, clear neon spray paint on the set and their aprons, and a disgusting mixture of glow stick juice, crushed vitamin B tablets, and tonic water for the paint jars and Radithor bottle (non-edible!!!). You would need black ...

RE: SNOW MACHINES!?

Posted By Lisa Houston 10-25-2015 09:01
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We bought something called a Fiesta Maker online, which is usually used for confetti, and use it as a snow machine. It's subtle and creates a realistic effect. It was also way cheaper than a snow machine. I'm also a fan of the good old fashioned snow sling. ------------------------------ Lisa ...

RE: How to manage it all?

Posted By Lisa Houston 09-12-2015 07:42
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As a twenty year veteran of teaching Drama and Public Speaking, I can tell you that it's always a whirlwind. People have given you amazing advice so far. I will echo a few of their points and add some of my own. 1) Find a colleague or colleagues who love art, theatre, music, construction, sewing, ...

RE: Aurora Borealis

Posted By Lisa Houston 09-03-2015 07:16
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I totally agree with John. I just worked on this show this summer and we used LED strip lights (can order on Amazon for about 10 bucks per strip) aimed at the ceiling. We also used a star projector that was being sold on TV Home shopping as a Christmas decorator. The effects were sharp and we spent a ...

RE: Puppetry Projects

Posted By Lisa Houston 06-06-2015 06:45
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My Art teacher colleague and I have done many puppet shows over the years with all types of puppets. Sock puppets, shadow puppets, rod, marionette, water bottle, you name it. Please contact me via email lhouston@pennington.org if any of these suit your fancy. Puppets work extremely well with simple children's ...

RE: Pool for Production of Metamorphoses

Posted By Lisa Houston 06-02-2015 08:42
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Hi Ann- We did the production in 2008 with much success. Our pool was small and not very deep. I think about 8'x8' and maybe a foot deep with only 6 inches of water. We did keep the water chlorinated and drained it with a pump daily to keep it fresh. We had to add hot water to make it warm enough for ...

Desperately Seeking Fall Play with 20+ characters

Posted By Lisa Houston 05-21-2015 20:14
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Hello all- I am really struggling to find a Fall Play for this upcoming season. I have numerous strong upperclassmen and talented freshmen coming in. About 9-10 women, and a few more men than that. (Total cast will most likely be about 25-28 people and about 20 of those need speaking parts). I cannot ...

RE: Large Cast new plays please!!!

Posted By Lisa Houston 03-30-2015 08:56
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The Dining Room by AR Gurney ------------------------------ Lisa Houston Pennington NJ ------------------------------

RE: Addams Family Musical Torture Rack

Posted By Lisa Houston 03-08-2015 12:17
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We just closed the show. We made the rack on a 4x8 flat propped up against a wall on a platform. There were ropes that went behind and down under a platform where a techie pulled on the ropes, as Wednesday used a free standing crank. It was pretty convincing. The flat then became the table top for Full ...

RE: Open Forum : Should Tech Students Focus Lights in Catwalk?

Posted By Lisa Houston 01-14-2015 08:37
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Our senior lighting students are able to learn how to operate our Genie Lift to hang and focus lights by signing a waiver form. All of our tech crew students have to get a waiver signed, but there is a super-special waiver for those who are over 18 to drive and operate the lift. I am happy to get you ...

RE: Charlotte's Web web words

Posted By Lisa Houston 12-31-2014 08:31
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We did the show last year. We used wire and neon light-up cording to make the words, which hung on screw hooks on the web. There was enough narration and dialogue to cover Charlotte changing the words. Then, when she was finished "spinning," she would turn the light on they would glow. It was a pretty ...

RE: Beauty And The Beast Help

Posted By Lisa Houston 12-30-2014 14:18
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For the opening sequence, our Enchantress had a very large cape that was large enough to envelop the Prince and the Beast was also hidden as he crawl out of the castle door. Our Beast wore a headpiece and mask, and was positioned in a way so that he was able to de-costume himself onstage with Belle's ...

Lisa Houston

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