CONTENTS. We re delighted that you are part of Shakespeare Schools Festival 2015 and can t wait to get you started on your SSF journey.

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2 CONTENTS Welcome 4 Stay in touch with us Getting Started 7 Festival timeline 8 Rules to remember 9 Browse the bard 0 Everyone has a role to play Theatrical Effects: Sound and Light Sound & Light: introduction 6 How to Sound effects 7 How to Lighting states 8 How to Mark up your script & cue list 0 Cue list templates Workshops Teacher-Director Workshop 6 Cast Workshop 9 The Performance Countdown to the curtain... Performance Day schedule: four-school night Performance Day schedule: three-school night 4 Performance Day: final checklist 6 Terms & Conditions Welcome to Shakespeare Schools Festival We re delighted that you are part of Shakespeare Schools Festival 0 and can t wait to get you started on your SSF journey. SSF works with primary, secondary and special schools all over the UK. We pride ourselves on being fun, fair and professional, and giving schools of all types an exciting and inclusive performance opportunity. Whether you are brand new to SSF or have been part of the Festival for many years, this Teacher- Director Handbook contains everything you need to know to put on a show to remember. Please do read it carefully, even if you have taken part in SSF before, and keep referring back to it as you go.

3 This lantern doth the horned moon present SOUND & LIGHT: INTRODUCTION Adding sound and light to your production is simple with this guide. Your Festival Coordinator is there to help if you have any problems and we will be sending out extra resources later in the year to make the process even easier. Understanding the theatre space Most theatres will be set up as a black box. This means they have tabs (thin black curtains) down the sides to hide the cast when in the wings and provide entrances, and a black curtain across the back. Rehearsing cue to cue In your technical rehearsal, you won t do the whole show. You will just run any parts where there is a sound or lighting change. You will run the whole show immediately afterwards in your dress rehearsal. A Midsummer Night s Dream Left wing Stage right Upstage Stage left Right wing Five things you need for a (literally) brilliant show Downstage Audience A clear, marked-up script Please encourage your cast to stay downstage. This has more impact and allows voices to be projected further and faces to be seen. A cue list using our template Rehearsal in school with sound cues Check out your theatre stage plan on the SSF website. 4 A CD with tracks in performance order Marking up your script On the script, you will mark up when and where any light and sound event takes place. In the cue list, you will note the nature of that technical event. Your marked-up script tells the theatre technicians what you want your show to LOOK ( lighting cues ) and SOUND ( sound cues ) like. Most theatres ask for your marked-up script and cue list in advance of your Performance Day. Your Coordinator will be in touch to let you know when the deadline is. You should also bring as much as possible to your Cast Workshop to talk through your ideas. Students who are prepared to rehearse cue to cue Keep it simple. Handheld props only. No glass, water, metal swords, replica guns, stage blood, glitter, confetti or flame of any kind. 4

4 HOW TO... MARK UP YOUR SCRIPT & CUE LIST Use the notes column to include information about the effect you want to achieve (e.g. storm or night-time ) or about visual cues on stage (e.g. when Macbeth enters stage left). Keep your notes clear and simple. You won t be sitting with the technician during the performance. This is how you enter sound cues and lighting cues into your script. Remember: you write a cue on your script to show when it happens and on your cue list to show what it is. Lighting Lighting cues are written as LIGHT. They should be written in your script numerically: LIGHT, LIGHT, etc. Lighting If the cue is a word in the script, highlight or underline the word. Draw a line across to the left margin and write the cue number there. 4Lighting For each one, write down the lights that should be on stage at that point. Don t worry about telling the technician to take out lights from the previous cue, they will do that automatically. LIGHT SOUND Scene A deserted place. Thunder and lightning. Three WITCHES st WITCH When shall we three meet again In thunder, lightning, or in rain? nd WITCH When the hurlyburly s done, When the battle s lost and won. rd WITCH That will be ere the set of sun. Date OF PERFORMANCE 0//4 Theatre Best Theatre Play Macbeth School Nice School Teacher name Mrs Teacher Telephone/Mobile no Lighting Leave these blank if you aren t sure and just use the notes column. SOUND LIGHT SOUND Sound cues are written as SOUND. Write your sound cues numerically: SOUND, SOUND, etc. st WITCH Where the place? nd WITCH Upon the heath. rd WITCH There to meet with Macbeth ALL Fair is foul, and foul is fair: Hover through the fog and filthy air. They vanish ROSS God save King Duncan! Scene A camp near the Royal Palace at Forres. A trumpet sounds. KING DUNCAN, MALCOLM, DONALBAIN and LENNOX Enter ROSS, fresh from fighting DUNCAN Whence cam st thou, worthy thane? ROSS From Fife, great king, Where that most disloyal traitor The thane of Cawdor, began a dismal conflict, Till brave Macbeth well he deserves that name Confronted him with brandished steel, Point against point, rebellious arm gainst arm, Curbing his lavish spirit: and, to con clude, The victory fell on us. Lighting If the cue is on a stage direction, clearly describe the stage direction in the script. Enter from stage left LIGHTS CUE LIGHT LIGHT LIGHT LIGHT 4 SOUND CUE SOUND PAGE PAGE STATE,8,9 TRACK (thunder) BRIGHTNESS 80% 80% 80% OFF VOLUME (%) 70% SPEED Slow Medium Fast w Snap DURATION (SECONDS) SCENE (NOTES) Downstage centre lit only Stage right lit only Night time, stormy SCENE (NOTES) Every track is timed to length 6 Lighting Use these terms to show how you want to fade your lighting effects... Snap = immediate Fast = seconds Medium = seconds Slow = 0 seconds DUNCAN Great happiness! No more that thane of Cawdor shall deceive Our bosom interest: go pronounce his present death, And with his former title greet Macbeth. SOUND SOUND (trumpet) (thunder) 70% 70% 4 Turn on as stage right is lit ROSS I ll see it done. SOUND 4 (drum) 60% DUNCAN What he hath lost, noble Macbeth hath won. Exeunt SOUND Each sound cue also needs to be marked-up where it appears in the script, along with your lighting cues. SOUND You can either submit the exact length of track, as we have in our example, or you can use one cue to fade sound in and another cue to fade it out (but please note that this will use more of your cue allowance!). 8 9

5 PAGE TITLE PAGE There, TITLE my blessing with thee. And these few precepts in PERFORMANCE DAY: FINAL CHECKLIST On the day... thy memory If you are arriving in the morning, arrange for students to return to school in the afternoon, or plan an activity that will take them out of the theatre. Transport to and from the theatre is the responsibility of the school. You can liaise with your Coordinator about the options for parking. Arrange for the students to be picked up at the end of the evening. Check your performance finish time. Make parents aware that all casts are expected to stay until the end of the evening, both to support the other schools and to ensure that each student hears the Venue Director s appraisal. Brief your students on how a technical rehearsal works. Bring enough chaperones: :0 for Primary School aged students; : for Secondary School aged students. You will need Three copies of your marked-up script and cue list (one for you, one for the Sound Operator, one for the Lighting Operator). If you have already submitted these (see page 6) please still bring at least one for yourself. All props and costumes Scripts for each cast member for the technical rehearsal CD with recorded sound (plus a backup copy) Packed lunch, tea and plenty of water to drink for each of your cast members Activities to entertain your students while they are waiting in dressing rooms. You may have to wait for up to an hour while other casts rehearse. Hamlet 4

6 Be not afraid of greatness Twelfth Night 8