Organizing Chaos |
Why are people always tired in April? - Because they just finished a March.
Or, because they have been writing, scripting, coordinating, directing, choreographing, producing, blocking, conducting, organizing, and living through the experience of staging an Easter production. Major productions are not for the faint of heart…or for anyone who appreciates a good night’s sleep.
But many have lived through Easter productions, and some have even managed to grab some sleep along the way. The trick, production veterans say, is being as organized as possible.
“I don’t think you can be over-organized,” says Don Allen, minister of music at Crescent Park Baptist Church in Odessa, Texas.
Allen attacks a new production by planning it from finish to start. “You have to plan so you don’t run short of days or hours,” he advises. “That is why I go to the end of the project and organize backwards. I used to think that the last curtain call was the end, but it’s not; the end is striking the set, sorting everything out, and returning the equipment to the rental company. Too many times I have not allowed time for that, and then found myself all alone.”
At Shoreline Christian Center in Austin, Texas, the production staff begins the planning process approximately 16 months before the show. “The reason for that is to promote next year’s event at this year’s event, so when people are leaving they actually have something that reminds them of what we are doing next year,” explains David Cherry, Shoreline’s director of technical ministries.
Church leaders must learn to delegate responsibility to their staff and volunteers, and then trust these individuals when they are expressing concern about a particular issue. Allen learned this the hard way: “One time, we were doing a dinner theater and I almost waited too late to contact the caterer,” he recalls. “I have a very good secretary who came along and said, ‘We must do this right now!’ I try to surround myself with people that are team players and that can catch hold of the vision and run with it – sometimes they have a clearer vision than the people who gave birth to it.”
Photos: David Cherry from Shoreline Christian Center, Austin, Texas
These team members are invaluable when it comes to coordinating costumes, props, child care, rehearsal schedules and, yes – the catering. At Shoreline, these tasks are assigned to various “departments” and the “department heads” act as middle managers that are responsible for overseeing smaller crews.
“Everyone has a well-defined role that they play,” explains Cherry. “Even though your job may be to just change the batteries, you know that is your responsibility and everyone else knows it, and we all know that it will get done. There is no, ‘I thought he was going to do it.’”
One important production detail that is often overlooked is the purchasing of copyright. If you are staging a play that isn’t made up of original material, you must get copyright permission.
Audio/visual equipment companies are strong allies during production time. Seasoned technical people know this, and cultivate these relationships all year long. The best way to maintain these relations is to submit rental requests long before opening night.
“Many rental companies also sell equipment, and it’s a good idea to strike up a relationship with them,” says Cherry. “You can develop a really good relationship with them throughout the year.”
“The best and most important thing to remember when dealing with rental companies is to reserve ahead,” Allen advises. “You are competing with lots of different people for the same stuff – especially around Christmas and Easter. Your favorite rental company that is going to give you the best rate and get the equipment to you in the best manner possible is probably servicing someone else that well, too.”
When you are placing your reservation, don’t short-change yourself on time in the interest of saving a couple dollars, Allen cautions. “Make sure you rent the equipment for the amount of time that you will need it,” he says. “A lot of times you are trying to protect your budget, so you cut corners and lessen the amount of time that you really need it. You need the time to install it properly, learn how to use it, and then uninstall it.”
Don’t shy away from asking for a deal, Cherry advises. “It’s just about always negotiable,” he says. “Negotiate not only the dollars but also the duration of time that you can have it.” And, book as much equipment as you can think of. “You can always scale back later and tell the rental company that you are not going to need a certain item.”
Mark Stevens, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of San Antonio Sound & Light in San Antonio, Texas, notes that many churches have only a vague idea of what it costs to stage a large production. “Budget is the biggest problem,” he says, “because many churches have never done this before. They might have a really great idea, but once it gets over the $2,000 they start getting nervous. It doesn’t take much to get over $2,000 with intelligent lighting fixtures and things like that.”
Harold Richter, president of Richter Scale Productions, Inc., a rental and staging company based in Denver, Colorado, has had similar experience. “They might try to do something spectacular, but they haven’t budgeted enough money to do it right,” he says. “Doing it halfway doesn’t leave the volunteers with the impression that they succeeded; it creates a situation where they feel they haven’t done a good job because they are put in a position of failing, rather than succeeding.”
Allen, who practices the “assume nothing” method, confirms his order with the rental company on several occasions prior to the rental date. “Sometimes with the larger rental companies things will slip through the cracks,” he explains. “I will call and confirm two or three times before it is shipped to make sure that it never gets lost.”
Rental companies are also a great source for production advice. “They are very good at giving suggestions and helping you deal with your projects,” says Allen. “Allow them to help you – they are an equipment provider, but they are also very much a service company.”
Once the production is ready for technical rehearsals, Allen and his crew “talk it through” before they “walk it through.” “It’s a matter of getting the crew together and talking them through the process of what we are going to do,” he says. During these sessions, Allen distributes sheet music and scripts to ensure that everyone is literally on the same page. “A lot of people don’t read music, but it does help them nonetheless.” Allen’s crew will also sit through actor’s rehearsals to learn the show’s blocking. “This way, they get a feel for the flow and where everyone is. Once they get behind the machine they don’t see as well, and then you end up yelling up to the booth. [It’s better] to let them see things ahead of time.”
If you aren’t rehearsing the full production in one night, there is no need to call the entire cast out to the rehearsal, Cherry notes. “If Johnny is involved in Scenes 22 and 24, and we are only going to rehearse Scenes One through Six, he doesn’t need to be there.”
By starting rehearsals on time, you are maintaining morale without having to work too hard to do so. “If you said you were going to start at 7:00 p.m. and you don’t get started until 8:30 p.m., you must keep people late. That is when you are going to have problems because people have to put in so many hours. Attitudes will come into play,” Cherry warns.
Most importantly, everyone must work together in order for the production to run smoothly. “It’s easy to become enamored with people that are very skilled – whether they are a singer or an actor or a director – and overlook the fact that they are not a team player or they are not willing to make a commitment to your project because you want that skill so much you are willing to [put up with them],” Allen warns. “I would much rather have someone who may not have as much ability, but who is going to be a team player and who is committed to the project.”
