List of Contributions

RE: Rehearsal Procedures after the quartentine

Posted By Robert Ellis 05-12-2020 09:31
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I think your ideas for rehearsals are excellent for a classroom setting. I honestly doubt that my district is going to even allow extracurricular rehearsals until COVID-19 is quashed. The Risk Management department in my district has been very proactive, even before the pandemic. Even if we do ...

RE: "Raise your skirts and bob your hair"

Posted By Robert Ellis 02-26-2020 08:21
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The two that leap immediately to mind are The Boyfriend and The Drowsy Chaperone. Both are a lot of fun. ------------------------------ Robert Ellis Theater I-IV Honors Visual & Performing Arts Department Lead Cosby High School Midlothian, VA ------------------------------

RE: wireless MIcrophones

Posted By Robert Ellis 02-13-2020 08:49
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Nothing against B&H, I've always had good experiences with them, but Sweetwater has become my go-to for anything audio over the last few years. They have an incredibly knowledgeable staff, competitive prices, and the best customer service I've ever had from any business. ------------------------------ ...

RE: changing script lines in shrek junior w/o permission

Posted By Robert Ellis 02-06-2020 08:45
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Pretty much need to echo what everyone else has said at this point. You signed a contract; you either need to keep the language in tact or cancel the show if MTI refuses your request. I've got a lot of oversight from my county. I can't do a show that my admin team hasn't approved the script for. ...

RE: Little Shop Puppetry Practice

Posted By Robert Ellis 12-17-2019 08:47
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All of Kendra's advice is spot on, especially in terms of putting someone who is in good physical shape in the pod. I've directed Little Shop twice,and both of my Podreys (Audrey inside the plant) learned quickly to stretch before performing and to work on their core strength. Also, Having the actors ...

RE: John Lennon and Me cut

Posted By Robert Ellis 12-17-2019 08:37
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Hi Tracy! When you acquired the rights for the show, did you also get permission to cut the play for time? Dramatic Publishing has specific guidelines about cutting that you can find here: https://www.dramaticpublishing.com/cuttings-special-permissions-101 Good luck, and I hope you have a great ...

RE: Getting students to move in monologues

Posted By Robert Ellis 12-13-2019 08:44
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I've found that having them work on the motion early is crucial to making them feel free to move during the monologue. Even before they work on memorization, I have them pantomime the story they are relaying to the audience. It helps create a physical and emotional context for what they will be saying ...

RE: Casting Little Mermaid Jr.: Gender & Mersisters

Posted By Robert Ellis 12-06-2019 08:32
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Welcome to the wonderful world of directing! In terms of casting boys or girls in a particular role, the choice may not be up to you. Some companies are very specific about not allowing gender switching for lead roles. Before you cast, you need to check your contract to see if they allow gender ...

RE: Our Town questions

Posted By Robert Ellis 12-04-2019 08:32
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The show runs a bit under two hours. There is nothing objectionable in Our Town. It is such a beautiful show; both timeless and universal. The minimal sets make it easy to produce, I directed it 12 years ago, and it's on my short list of shows to do again. ------------------------------ Robert ...

RE: Lion King HS

Posted By Robert Ellis 10-16-2019 08:15
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Yeah, it is not available. And you don't want to get involved in a situation like this: https://wtkr.com/2018/04/27/suffolk-high-school-production-of-the-lion-king-canceled-after-copyright-concerns-rise/ ------------------------------ Robert Ellis Theater I-IV Honors Visual & Performing Arts ...

RE: Arsenic and Old Lace

Posted By Robert Ellis 10-01-2019 08:19
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I've directed it twice, and a lot of it depends on how far the audience is from your stage. Some plastic silverware and metallic silver spray paint is enough to create the suggestion of scalpels. When I directed it, we had all manner of hand tools getting pulled out of Jonathan's bag along with the ...

RE: A Few Good Men - Costumes

Posted By Robert Ellis 09-18-2019 08:10
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Try speaking with Navy and Marine recruiters. I've had the Army loan me some uniforms for shows. There is also probably an Army/Navy or military surplus near you where you can pick up uniforms that you can modify. ------------------------------ Robert Ellis Theater I-IV Honors Performing Arts ...

RE: On the hunt for a Large cast Comedy

Posted By Robert Ellis 06-06-2019 08:38
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I just finished directing The Iliad, The Odyssey, and All of Greek Mythology in 99 Minutes or Less by Jay Hopkins and John Hunter, and it was a huge success! It is one of those small group of actors all playing an ungodly number of parts shows that was in vogue a few years back. In this case, it is ...

RE: Drowsy Chaperone

Posted By Robert Ellis 05-31-2019 08:39
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I directed Drowsy with an expanded ensemble. The cast topped out at 40. In addition to the named characters, I had extra reporters and poolside guests for "Show Off", several people acting as domestics, wedding guests, choreographed clouds in "I Do I Do in the Sky", dancing monkeys on "The Bride's ...

RE: Dealing with students who want to drop

Posted By Robert Ellis 02-12-2019 08:20
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If a student wants to drop, he or she is going to drop. Rather than convince them to stay if they don't want to, I try to look for a reason why (overextended/too much workload in other classes, pressure from family, dissatisfaction with the part, personal issues within the cast), and that tends to dictate ...

RE: Cutting a play before obtaining license

Posted By Robert Ellis 06-11-2018 07:25
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That happened to me this year as well. I requested permission to cut "Property Rites" for competition, and the publisher's rep asked for my cuts before they would grant the rights . I told her that I was cutting strictly for time and not for content/editing purposes, and that the cuts would not change ...

RE: Very short scenes for high school drama

Posted By Robert Ellis 05-02-2018 07:18
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Try Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind. Most of the plays are 1-2 pages. The author considers each one a full play and not a scene. ------------------------------ Robert Ellis Theater I-IV Honors Performing Arts Department Lead Cosby High School Midlothian, VA ------------------------ ...

RE: Quantitiy vs. Quality: Choosing your next production

Posted By Robert Ellis 04-27-2018 07:52
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It's a difficult issue. I have found with non-musicals that the size of the cast has a direct correlation with the size of the audience. I have an abundance of interest and talent, which makes producing smaller shows a problem. The smallest I've produced was 12 Angry Jurors last year. I had over 60 ...

RE: Advice on straight shows

Posted By Robert Ellis 03-14-2018 07:26
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Hi Ken! 1) It's not just you. Musicals are a bigger draw that straight shows. It may be because musicals tend to have larger casts with ensembles, so that draws in more friends and family members. It may just be that people perfer musicals. 2) We do as much marketing as we can for our shows: posters ...

RE: Looking to rent costumes for High School Musical

Posted By Robert Ellis 01-31-2018 07:33
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I lucked out and was able to borrow a set of cheer costumes from a local playhouse that produced HSM a few years ago. I went on Eastbay and was able to buy a set of matching shorts and tops for my ball players that were cheaper than renting. You might want to look into that. ------------------------------ ...

Robert Ellis

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