Propose to Direct A Play

Proposing for a slot 

The System 

Under the current system there are 12 campus performance slots available per year in addition to the Brighton and Edinburgh shows; five in the autumn term (weeks 6-7) including the fresher’s play which is to be cast solely from the first years, four in spring (7-10), and three in summer in weeks 7-9. This is just a rule of thumb and subject to change according to the will of the committee. These slots are allocated in proposal meetings towards the end of the previous term so if you want to direct a play in the spring term you will need to propose it at the meeting in the autumn term, autumn term slots are decided at the end of the summer and so on. Times and dates of proposals meetings should be released via e-mail by the committee at least two weeks before.   

Proposal Meetings 

SUDS aims to facilitate and support the production of excellent theatre within the means available to us in a fair and democratic system allowing equal opportunities for all. Proposals meetings are open to all members and interested parties, however, only members may vote. Prospective directors should come to the meeting prepared to propose their play or performance in three minutes possibly supported by a producer, assistant/co-director and hand outs. Having heard all the proposals, the members present will then vote by closed ballot. The proposals with the most amount of votes will then be passed and the directors allocated slots (performance weeks) by the president according to need and practicality. Directors and producers may vote (as long as they are members) but will have one less vote and must sign their voting slip. 

The Proposal   

When proposing your production you need to give details of:- 

      -How many actors are required and of what sex.

      -Where you want to perform it.

      -How much it will cost to produce, provisional budget breakdown.

      -How the practical details will work, are you able to source everything you need?

      -The production itself; why you want to do it, what it has to offer its participants and audience, why it is exciting/ promising/ fun/ important etc.  

Below is a detailed explanation of each of these elements. 

Actors 

Bear in mind that SUDS normally has more female members than male by far. You are unlikely to be able to successfully cast 15 males in one play, you might even struggle for five. If you need a large cast you will have to put extra effort in ensuring you get enough auditionees through publicity, enthusiasm and word of mouth. Directing a play is a big task and the larger your cast, the more of an organisational nightmare it is going to be. You are also working to a tight time limit. You will not have time to individually direct members of a very large cast inside six – ten weeks. Try to be practical and realistic in the cast size of the play you choose. An ideal number would be between 4 and 8 but this is only a guideline and it would of course be very boring if we never had the occasional large, or indeed small, cast play.   

Venue  

There are currently very limited venues available to us and we have to share all of them. The Debating Chamber in Falmer House is the best venue available in terms of technical capabilities and versatility. It is also free. It has moveable seating/ staging blocks and a fully enclosable studio space. It has a capacity of about 60 depending on how you want to set it up. It is, however, subject to availability and must be shared with the drama department. (See later sections on room bookings and conduct.) There is also The Cube which may be hired at a reasonable price. However, this venue is difficult to light and less versatile. Directors are urged to think carefully about using this space; does it really suit what you want to do? Productions have also been put on in The Meeting House Chapel. This also only suits particular productions and has very difficult acoustics. Other venues have included InQbate innovation centre in Pevensy II, Mandela Hall, practise room 126 and somebody’s own house! Wherever you want to do your production YOU MUST HAVE RESEARCHED IT AND MADE SURE IT IS SUITABLE, AFFORDABLE AND AVAILABLE BEFORE YOU PROPOSE YOUR PLAY.  

Questions you must ask of your chosen venue:- 

      -How much does it cost?

      -Is it available for rehearsal and performance time?

      -Can it be lit adequately?

      -What is its audience capacity? Will the audience be able to see?

      -Can the actors be heard?

      -Does it have the technical facilities you need? 

Contacts for particular spaces: 

• The Debating Chamber, practise rooms, Mandela Hall – Jo Walters: societies@ussu.sussex.ac.uk. Activities Office, Falmer House.
• The Cube – Tarek Khalil: t.khalil@sussex.ac.uk. Venue Manager. Falmer Bar Office, Falmer House.
• InQbate – Dianne Brewster: d.m.brewster@sussex.ac.uk.

 
 
Budget 

SUDS plays are funded through loans from the union which are all individually applied for. This will be processed with the SUDS treasurer a few weeks before your play goes on but you must give an idea of how much your production will cost in your proposal. An average budget for a campus show is between £200 and £300. This does not mean productions cannot be more expensive but you must be able to prove a) that you have good artistic reason for needing more money and b) that you will be able to make that money back from ticket sales and, if necessary, fundraising. The cheaper your production costs the better, as all profits go back into SUDS and allow us to improve the society for all. 

Things that may cost money:- 

      -Venue

      -Performance Rights

      -Props and Costumes

      -Publicity

      -Set

      -Equipment hire  

Performance rights are royalty fees that must be paid to the holder of those rights. Some plays have not yet had their rights released, some are more expensive than others. Details of performance rights normally have to be written away for and so must be considered early. You can find out who holds the rights for your play by looking at the publishing details on the inside cover or on the internet. As a general rule, the more recent the play is and the more famous/ fashionable the playwright, the more expensive the rights will be. They can, however, usually be negotiated. When applying for the rights, be sure to say that you are with a small, non-profit university drama society. Rights are usually worked out on a nightly basis. If a play is over 100 years old, or the author has been dead for over 70 years, no rights are payable. Translated works may be more complicated. You need to enquire about the rights in good time so that you can be aware of any complications in time to change your plans, not propose or cancel your play if need be.  

Props and Costumes may already be available in our props cupboard. There is a full inventory on our website (www.sudstheatre.co.uk) or you can also contact the committee props and costumes officer for information. You are encouraged to be innovative and resourceful with props and costume. Usually there is no need to spend vast amounts of money on this aspect without having to sacrifice artistic vision.   

Publicity usually costs about £50 although it can be less if you don’t use colour, chose to photocopy your posters/ flyers rather than get them printed, or are able to search out a bargain.  

Set can be as ambitious as you like as long as it is practical and you can do it affordably.  

Equipment Hire really only applies if you need something particularly high tech or unusual for your production. If you do, however, it is advisable to research its before you propose.  
 

The Practical Details 

Organising a production from a practical point of view is no mean feat and directors are highly recommended to make sure they have adequate support in the form of a producer. This should be somebody you can rely on and work well with who shares your excitement about the production. Their specific role must be up to the director but it is recommended that they take on practical responsibilities and provide support producing the publicity, set, props and costumes and organising the venue and rehearsals. They may also be invaluable during the auditioning and rehearsal process as a sounding board if there is only one director.  

The Production 

A successful proposal will be one that has considered all of the above in relation to an appealing, exciting play/ production. Members usually vote for things they want to be in or see. While individual criteria for these categories will of course vary greatly, it is fair to say that creativity and innovative thinking will be favoured. It might be a good idea to find out what has been done in SUDS in recent years so as to avoid repetition, details of this can be found on the website. This does not mean that the classics or the popular should be avoided, more that careful thinking about the problems within these texts and how to stage them innovatively is encouraged.  

New Writing 

In recent years a number of new writing productions have been performed in SUDS and we are committed to supporting student writing in whatever ways possible. If you are thinking of proposing a piece of new writing there are a couple of things we would ask you to bear in mind. Firstly, is it ready? It can be very difficult to get adequate distance from your work to be able to think critically about it. Work-shopping new writing can be incredibly helpful and the SUDS committee would be very happy to offer suggestions of how to go about this. Secondly, who is going to direct it? However much it may seem like a good idea, it is not always advisable for a writer to direct their own work. We would recommend finding a director who has some creative distance from the work, this usually benefits the production as a whole. It is also a very beneficial learning experience for a writer to see their work interpreted by a director. If you are thinking of directing your own work, we would strongly advise that you bring in outside eyes in some form or another. At the very least it is vital that your work has been read and critiqued by somebody you can trust and respect.      

If your new writing proposal is unsuccessful we would recommend that your come to the SUDS committee and explore the possibility of putting it on as a fundraiser. This will, of course, depend on the size of the cast needed and the amount of money and time required. This is suggested because new writing tends to be cheap (no performance rights) and have smallish casts. We have, in the past, been able to support new writing fundraisers alongside the official play slots by putting them on earlier in the term or in the same week as another play. These arrangements are entirely subject to the discretion of the committee and must be negotiated on an individual basis.