Organizing
A Senior Reader's Theatre Program So you want to start a Senior Reader's Theatre program? It's not as hard as you think, but let's start with the basics. There are two valid reasons for starting a Reader's Theatre Program; (1) Your community has need for a volunteer group that can fit into the program needs of local groups, or (2) You have a pool of dramatic talent that is getting older and for whom there are very few opportunities to use that talent. Every community has the first reason and I'll next tell you how to find it. The second group also exists in every community but you may have to look for it, as they may not even realize reader's theatre exists or how great this experience is. First you should start with one or two people who will adopt "The Senior Reader's Theatre" as their project. Look to your local Community Theatre, a church group, school or college. Even a library can be a good place to start. You can issue a call to senior readers through their newsletter or announcements, but we find that the best way to get people involved is through what we call "networking." Once a person has decided to become a part of the group they will immediately think of others who will want to become involved. An ideal group size to start is seven to ten people, but you can be very successful, though somewhat limited with three to five individuals. Once you are established getting members will no longer be a problem. We suggest that you do not limit your group number but accept all who really want to be a part of this exciting program. If someone leaves (moves, passes or whatever) there will always be another to take his or her place. You will be able to find a part for all and not everyone will be available for every performance. For those who haven't tried it you will be surprised how busy retirement is! Early on give your group a name…an identity! We chose "Recyclables" and it gives us an immediate identity in the community. Don't let one person do all the work. We found that it works best to divide the organization of the group into four areas. (1) Manager-responsible for bookings, rehearsal site and public information. (2) Directors-you can have one or it can be shared by two people. They are responsible for choosing the programs, assigning roles and directing all rehearsals and presentations. (3) Librarians-One or two persons who select suitable materials, order copies and maintain the library of scripts and store related materials. (4) Chairperson-maintains a budget, collects donations, pays the bills and selects and maintains group equipment and serves as a liaison to the parent group if there is one. You will need a regular rehearsal site. If possible this should not be the home of one of your group members. We rehearse at the theater that sponsors our group. Other possibilities could include; a church, clubroom, school, library meeting room or any place you can meet (for free) on a regular basis. Rehearsals should be weekly (even on weeks when you may not have a performance) and at the same time each week. Occasionally you may want to skip a rehearsal (holidays, etc.) but that should be rare. Rehearsals are fun and the group will soon become friends on a social basis. You will need stools and stands. We have found collapsible stools in larger department stores that are great but we started with an assortment of stools gathered from those owned by our sponsoring group (The Bay City Players.) We also used stands from their orchestra pit but soon replaced them with economical portable music stands. It works best if each member has their own stand and stool and is responsible for bringing them to performances and rehearsals. We also choose to uniformly dress as a group by having each member acquire a purple (this has become our signature color) "T-shirt" screen printed with our "Recyclables" name on the back and the Bay City Players logo on the front. When we started, each member paid for their own, but now we have become successful enough to furnish each with a more formal polo shirt bearing the same printing. We have adopted a written set of "Rules of Operation" so that each member knows what is expected of them. It's relatively simple, but too detailed for our space here. If you are interested we will be glad to send you a copy. Simply send a self-addressed stamped envelope to: Gordon Bigalke, Recyclables, Bay City Players, Box #1, Bay City, MI 48708. Wow! This is a much bigger job than space allows. Next time we will deal with: Performances and how to select and schedule them. 'Til then, "Break-A-Leg!"
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