List of Contributions

RE: Advice needed

Posted By Toni Thomas 05-10-2022 05:22
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Of the three I've only directed Seussical … but I'd say it's probably the most recognizable also (we did AGG straight play about 10 years ago and it was well received also). We loved doing Seussical… lots of flexibility in casting (Horton is the only character that has to be played by a boy … there ...

RE: MTI

Posted By Toni Thomas 05-04-2022 05:39
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We had similar stipulations when we did R & H's Cinderella in 2017 (I think) because there was a touring cast of the same show in our state at the same time. We were only allowed to announce the show title within the school and I believe on our school group social media. For community advertising ...

RE: Social Media Engagement?

Posted By Toni Thomas 03-01-2022 05:33
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We have a pretty strong online presence and for our current show we’ve stepped it up by doing a cast/crew bio for each of the kids … we asked each student to write a one paragraph intro including name, how long they have been involved in the program, and what they like about the show and to send us a ...

RE: Misunderstood Villain scripts

Posted By Toni Thomas 02-18-2022 07:21
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I just ordered a book called "Fairytale Villains" from Heuer Publishing - its a collection of monologues - I haven't had much time to look through it yet but I think it may be what you're looking for. ------------------------------ Toni Thomas English Teacher, Theatre Director Ogemaw Heights High School ...

RE: Gender neutral musical ideas for 12 - 20 students

Posted By Toni Thomas 02-10-2022 05:32
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I just received a perusal copy of The Lightning Thief in the mail … according to the book all characters can be any gender. You could also try Seussical … Horton is really the only character that has to be played by a male. ------------------------------ Toni Thomas English Teacher, Theatre Director ...

RE: Posting cast list.

Posted By Toni Thomas 12-18-2021 09:36
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I have taken to posting it at night via social media and on Remind so the kids have time to process their excitement or disappointment in the evening and not have the shock of seeing it at school in the morning in front of their peers … and the kids truly appreciate this. But I LOVE the letters suggestion ...

RE: Newsies Newspaper Stacks

Posted By Toni Thomas 12-15-2021 08:20
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We used foam covered box frames last year. We built the box/frame sturdy enough to stand on and then sheeted with foam. We used hot wire tools to sculpt the foam into "stacks" and then coated with a foam hardening product and painted. We then basically decoupaged a faux vintage newspaper on the top of ...

Molding Cloth?

Posted By Toni Thomas 12-15-2021 08:15
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Have any of you used molding cloth from Rose Brand? I'm wondering about using it to build the cave for the giant in Big Fish . . .but its pretty pricey - so before I order I was hoping for some pros/cons or maybe alternate ideas? Thanks! ------------------------------ Toni Thomas English Teacher, ...

RE: Little Women Musical ensemble?

Posted By Toni Thomas 11-29-2021 05:32
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We just finished this show … for our main musical in the spring we normally have 40-50 kids … for Little Women we had 11 … so we ran it in the fall instead which is typically our smaller show. Every named character (with the exception of Mrs Kirk) really does need to sing very well and sing solo. ...

RE: Mary Poppins - Double or Triple Casting

Posted By Toni Thomas 11-22-2021 05:47
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When I did the show our Katy Nana, Mrs Brill, Robertson Ay, Mrs Corry and her daughters were all ensemble members also as long as time permitted the costume change. Even our statues completely changed makeup and were ensemble the rest of the show (so Neleus could be in the bank scene for example). The ...

RE: Scrim & Projector

Posted By Toni Thomas 11-06-2021 09:19
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Following !! Same question here!! Just looked into renting a projector for our spring show and it was close to $2000. I would much rather invest in a projector. ------------------------------ Toni Thomas English Teacher, Theatre Director Ogemaw Heights High School MI ------------------------ ...

RE: mask/mic for the stage

Posted By Toni Thomas 11-02-2021 05:39
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Last year we used these and we placed a lavalier mic about mid cheek and there was minimal echo and worked as expected. By show week we were used to the look and it was better than not seeing faces at all. ClearMask™ ClearMask remove preview ClearMask™ The first ...

RE: Need help with shoe recommendations

Posted By Toni Thomas 10-23-2021 08:44
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Generally speaking I expect kids to purchase their own shoes … unless it's something they would never wear or use again (Lurch in The Addams Family for example). My philosophy is that if a student were playing a sport a parent would think nothing of buying the required footwear. So when we did Seussical ...

Little Women the musical

Posted By Toni Thomas 10-19-2021 05:16
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Hey all … we are doing Little Women the musical this fall and we are struggling with the kite effect at the beach. We have a decent sized auditorium and stage space but no fly space or cat walk. Just wondering if anyone has come up with a clever low cost way of making it work. Thanks !! ...

Festival Competition Pieces

Posted By Toni Thomas 09-22-2021 20:27
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I need some insight/advice. I have been directing for 20 years but have only had an actual ITS Troupe for three years. The first year we went to festival we just were observers. The second we had groups participate in Thespys and they did well. Last year was all virtual . . . And now, this year ...

RE: Quick commedia unit?

Posted By Toni Thomas 09-21-2021 09:44
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I've done a unit similar to what people have already described. We've also made these masks and there is also a Commedia Plays book I found (I don't remember the editor) that has short classic plays and I put them into groups and they prepare a short performance. Commedia Dell' Arte Mask Set ...

RE: Renewal Membership Invoice

Posted By Toni Thomas 09-21-2021 05:48
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If you log into your account online there is a tab that says renew my troupe. It pops up with a place to pay or print the invoice. ------------------------------ Toni Thomas English Teacher, Theatre Director Ogemaw Heights High School ------------------------------

Big Fish The Musical

Posted By Toni Thomas 09-07-2021 14:01
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Hey all - I'm in a bit of a conundrum - we've licensed the School version of Big Fish for our show next spring. Upon receive the pre-planning materials I see that the music selection for the scene when Edward and Will are fighting in Act 2 is different in the school version. I was a little concerned ...

RE: ISO Comedic, crowd pleaser, full length plays to read! [Help!]

Posted By Toni Thomas 07-16-2021 08:32
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You might look at Harvey by Mary Chase … it's a title that older community members will know … I did it years ago and it brought it a nice crowd. Cocktails with Mimi is also by her and and is cute also Also … some Neil Simon titles like Proposals or Rumors might work … well written … simple ...

RE: Lav Mic Replacements

Posted By Toni Thomas 05-27-2021 05:59
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We also have used bodymics https://bodymics.myshopify.com/collections/broadway-series-near-invisible-capsules We purchased 20 of the $50 lavalier style for our spring production this year because they worked so much better under masks (hopefully won't have to say that next year) and we found that ...

Toni Thomas

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