STEP TWO: How to Propose A Play To Your Stake Presidency

You've chosen a script that you would like to direct. Now...to get the Stake Presidency's approval. 

If your Stake Presidency has asked you to direct something...then all you need to do is submit a one-page document like the one at the bottom of this post. I'll discuss it more later.

But what if your Stake Presidency hasn't asked you to direct anything, but you would like to direct a play for your stake? Here's what you do: After choosing the play you'd like to propose, find out who the Cultural Arts Chair person is in your stake. Also find out who the High Councilman is who is assigned to Cultural Arts. Send them an email (or call them) and tell them that you would love to direct a stake play and that you have a script you'd like to propose. Tell them that if they'd consider having you direct a play, you will send them a one-page document with your proposal, as well as a copy of the script for them to read. 

I wrote the Stake Play Proposal below in 2007 for my stake in Texas. You can do it any way you'd like, but I strongly recommend including the following:
-Make it 1 page. Do not make it any longer than 1 page. As you know, Stake Presidencies are busy and they don't have time to read through a lot of details. 

-Write the name of the play you are proposing and a very brief description of it.

-Give basic information about auditions, rehearsals and performances.

-Describe what the stake production is intended to do...in other words, what is the purpose of it? What will it do for your stake?

-Discuss what help will you need from stake members.

-Give an estimated budget for the production. I recommend rounding up, just in case. Consider lighting and sound costs, set costs, costumes, props, etc. (I will discuss more about how to determine costs in another post.)

-Proofread it. 

-Leave your contact information on the proposal. 

STAKE PLAY PROPOSAL EXAMPLE

Austin Texas Stake Cultural Arts  •  September 2007

Proposal for Stake Theatre & Music Production: 

Joseph Smith – Lover of the Cause of Christ

I propose holding a production based on the life and influence of the prophet Joseph Smith. The script is based on historical accounts written by those who associated with the prophet and also from people who gained a testimony after his death. 

Auditions, Rehearsals & Performances

All Stake members are invited to audition and contribute. Auditions will be advertised throughout the stake and held on Wednesday, October 17, 2007. Rehearsals will begin immediately after the piece is cast and be held on Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings /or afternoons. Performance venue of choice is the Rutherford Stake Center gym & stage. Sound & technical equipment will be used from the stake or rented. 

Performances will be held Thursday, Friday & Saturday:

1st Choice of dates:   January 17-19, 2008 (Thurs – Sat)

2nd Choice of dates:  January 24-26, 2008 (Thurs – Sat)

This Stake Production is intended to:

Focus on the 3-fold mission of the church: 

1.) Proclaim the Gospel: Members will be invited to bring friends who are not of our faith. Missionaries can bring investigators. We could also coordinate with ward missionary units.

2.) Perfect the Saints: Bring our stake closer to Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father through studying the lives and teachings of the prophet of the Restoration. Theatre can offer another place where the Spirit can be felt, testimonies can grow and seeds can be planted. 

3.) Redeem the Dead: This production will help the audience to appreciate the temple and all of the sacrifices made by the early Saints in an effort to have a temple.

·Provide an opportunity for writers, musicians, actors, artists, directors, technical crew members, etc. to have a worthy, clean, creative outlet for their talents.

·Unite our stake.

·Entertain.

·Help younger audience members & others learn to recognize the Spirit.

Support needed for the production:

Director: Angie Staheli, Cedar Park ward (already called as Stake Drama Specialist)

Additional collaborators, by way of Stake assignment could include:

Technical Director- Procures needed sound & lighting equipment, sets-up and runs equipment during tech rehearsals and performances; instructs and oversees tech crew and set building. Enlists help as needed.

Assistant Director- Assists Director during rehearsals (notes, writes blocking, etc.)

Costumer- Designs appropriate costumes as designated by Director. Enlists help as needed.

Set Designer- Designs set as designated by Director; procures materials and reconstructs as needed

Stage Manager- “Calls the show” through all performances, assists in rehearsals, coordinates stage crew

We will ask for additional volunteers from the stake once these roles are filled.

The following assistance & support is needed from each Ward or Branch:

·Recommend additional names of members who could fulfill the above assignments

·Announce this Cultural Arts opportunity—ensure all members hear the message and have the opportunity to participate as they desire

·Announce and attend the Stake Production; invite friends and neighbors 

Anticipated budget for production: $1,000 (set, props, costumes, misc. tech equipment rental as needed)

Email your proposal document to your stake's Cultural Arts Chairperson and the High Councilman over Cultural Arts. They will likely send it to your Stake Presidency if they think it is a worthwhile pursuit. After you've sent it, wait for their response. If they don't respond, call them after a few weeks and ask if they received your email. 

Once you receive the A-okay, you will need to agree upon audition and performance dates. Then you've got a LOT of work ahead of you. 

Good Luck!

STEP ONE: How to Choose a Play to Direct

Surprisingly, this step is a difficult one. Why?

Challenge #1: Finding Material

Clean, church-appropriate plays are really hard to find. And once you find a title that looks interesting, it's difficult to locate the script(s). I have spent hours in the past searching online for LDS plays and have not had much success (which is why I started writing my own). Thankfully, there are a few places where you can find them; I'll discuss this more later in the post.

Challenge #2: Getting Approval

The other challenge people have is finding a play that their Stake President will approve. I have heard of several situations where stake presidents have not approved the play that was proposed. I've even heard of directors purchasing the royalties to a play before their stake presidency even had a chance to read the script. (Royalties are the rights to perform a play and they typically cost money.) Once the script was reviewed, the stake presidency did not find it appropriate for stake members and did not give their approval. The member who proposed to direct it was then out a chunk of money and there were hard feelings.

What Type of Play to Look For

If you would like to produce a play in a stake setting, I have a few suggestions on what type of script to look for:

1. Make sure the script you're purposing is in line with the 13th Article of Faith.

"We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul-We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things."

Although it is necessary to show a certain amount of evil, in order to show the good, there needs to be a delicate balance - especially when presenting it to an audience of church members. One of the tests I give a script is: Is evil being glorified? If it is, then it's not suitable for a stake production. And of course: Will the Holy Ghost be present throughout the play?

I also make sure that the script I choose is free of any profanity, violence, false doctrine, irreverence, making light of spiritual things, sensuality and anything else that will not be conducive to the Holy Ghost.

When I was at BYU-Idaho, the school's president (and now apostle) walked out of a performance of 1776 because of a scene with sexual innuendo. Many people would consider 1776 a family-friendly play, but it wasn't clean enough for a church college, or a church audience.

In other words, there are higher standards for church audiences. (I personally feel like I should hold myself to that high standard, no matter what kind of audience there is.) When choosing a script to direct, we need to read it with that higher standard in mind. 

I'm sure we've all told someone about a movie we've seen by saying, "It was amazing...except for that one part that didn't need to be in the movie." "That one part" may be the difference between getting the play approved or denied. "That one part" can also create a very uncomfortable environment in the audience, take away from the message of the play, cause the Spirit to depart and turn what could of been a spiritual, faith-promoting experience into something that missed the mark. 

There are countless ways to depict evil and opposition without making it inappropriate. Sometimes less is more. Bruises on a woman's face are an obvious indication that she's been beaten - you don't necessarily need to show her getting abused onstage. A verbal argument is sometimes even more effective if the tension is suppressed instead of people screaming at each other. Subtle clues in dress and behavior can reveal a lot about a character without having  to "show" everything. Just make sure that the script will allow you to tastefully direct it without having to change the dialogue.

If you do need to change dialogue in a script in order to make it appropriate, you will need to contact the publisher to request permission. This might take a lot of time and trouble. I recommend just starting with appropriate material in the first place.

2. Make sure the play has a purpose.

You have a captive audience of hundreds of people in your stake. What  message do you want to share? Companies pay big bucks to place ads and commercials before movies, during TV shows, on the freeway...why? Because they have an audience! You will have an audience. What questions do you want your play to raise? What message do you want to pass on? You have an hour and a half to 2 hours to say something...make it count.

In my opinion, it is important to avoid plays that would be done at your local public schools. There's no reason to replicate a production or do something just for the sake of doing something. You have an audience of people who either share your values or are interested in learning more about them. Why do a play like Aladdin or The Music Man in a stake setting? Leave that to school or community theater. 

Many stakes want to get the youth involved, which is why they choose well-known musicals. In my opinion, the youth will come regardless; just advertise it in a way that will interest them. Youth (although they may not realize it at first) are hungry for something that really means something. Give them something with substance and they will feast on it and share it enthusiastically. By doing a meaningful play, you can help facilitate a life-changing, testimony-building experience for the youth (and adults!). 

That said, a "meaningful play" does not constitute a boring play. It does not mean that the play has to be serious and preachy. It can be a comedy, a drama (or both!),  a musical, etc.  It can still be fun and entertaining. Finding a play that is spiritually significant and applicable to the audience (and participants) will allow your production to do much more than just entertain...it can bring people to Christ.  (See my post: And They Shall Be Filled).

A play with a purpose will also interest your Stake President. Using the building, stake funds and time from the members involved will be easy to justify if there's a purpose behind it and if the play can increase testimonies. 

Finding A Play

So, let's say you want to direct a play that's appropriate for church audiences, meaningful and spiritually significant. Where on earth do you find it? This is actually a big challenge. 

As I mentioned, I've spent a lot of time searching for good plays to direct in an LDS setting. Luckily, I have found a wonderful link with the most complete listing I've ever seen of LDS Plays. 

A Producer/Publisher/Playwright/Director/Actor named C. Michael Perry has done a fantastic job researching and collecting plays by LDS playwrights /or plays for an LDS audience (he will be Guest Blogging on this site in the future). He also started Zion Theatricals, an LDS Play Publisher: http://cmichaelperry.com/stuff-ive-written/23-2/zion-theatricals/  If any of the links don't work, just contact C. Michael Perry directly (see the contact page on the link).

Another resource is the New Play Project. Here is the mission statement, taken from their website: 

"New Play Project is a non-profit theatre company based in Provo Utah, committed to producing values-driven works for the Mormon audience and to helping aspiring playwrights, actors and directors launch careers in theatre." 

They have an inexpensive anthology of plays called Out of the Mount that you can purchase in their store (I recommend the cheaper eBook). See http://newplayproject.org/ . Be aware that some of the plays may not be meant for a stake audience, but some of them could be. You will have to read them and determine for yourself. 

Zion Theatre Company is committed to producing meaningful plays. Many of them have been written by Mahonri Stewart. Some of them are available at the store on the website: http://ziontheatrecompany.com/store.html, but his other works are available by following the links on C. Michael Perry's website above. 

With Mine Own Hand is a great LDS Musical about the Book of Mormon. I saw it in Washington state and then again in Utah at BYU Education Week. http://www.nephi-story.com/. You can request a copy of the script on the website. 

I have written three plays that are meant for church audiences. They are all free. The first is Joseph Smith - Lover of the Cause of Christ. It has been performed in Austin, Texas, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, South Jordan, Utah and it will be performed at the General Conference Center Theater in May of 2013. You can get a free copy by emailing me at ldsplays@staheli.org. For more information about this play, go to: www.josephsmithplay.com. 

In Search of the One is a fairly new play based on 5 true reactivation stories. It has been performed in Utah and will be performed in Mississippi in the summer of 2013. If you'd like a free copy, email me at ldsplays@staheli.org. 

Witnesses of His Love is a music and theatre program written especially for Young Women. The extremely talented Doug and Sherry Walker wrote the Music and Lyrics to the songs and I wrote the script. The title of the program is taken from the song of the same name on Doug Walker's CD, What Heaven Sees In You (which includes the favorite 3 White Dresses song). It is meant to be used as a Fireside or a ward/stake Young Women Activity. http://www.whatheavenseesinyou.com/Witnesses_of_His_Love_Fireside.pdf. Their website has more information: http://www.whatheavenseesinyou.com/. The script provides opportunities for Young Women to share their personal experiences with each of the Young Women Values (Faith, Virtue, etc.). 

Savior of the World is performed annually at the General Conference Center in Salt Lake. Here is a link to the script(s): https://www.lds.org/callings/music/savior-of-the-world/scripts?lang=eng. The website also has information and guides for Set Design, Costuming, etc. 

Thankfully, The Cultural Arts Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is planning to post free scripts written by members of the church onto their website. I have a friend who works in the Music and Cultural Arts Department and she sent me this email:

"I work for the Church Music and Cultural Arts department.  We are trying very hard to get a website that will have the productions the Church has done or that have been winning entries in the submission program over the years that people can download free.  In the meantime, if you want to use anything the Church has, you are welcome to do so.  You would need to call or email the Department to ask if we have something about a particular subject or find out what is available.  The person who is over Cultural Arts is Jannette Lusk-Unterborn. The main phone number for MCA is 801-240-6492.  The email is pst-miss2@ldschurch.org."  

Thanks to my friend for this wonderful information. I love that you can pick a topic, call them and see if they have a play written on the subject. Their future website could prove to be an excellent resource in the future. 

Do you know of another script that is not listed here? 
If you have additional play suggestions that are appropriate for church audiences, please leave a comment below. 

Good luck choosing a script to direct! 

And They Shall Be Filled: Using Your Talents To Share the Gospel Through the Arts

Creators

As children of the most creative being in existence, we have been endowed with the power to create. Our Father created our spirits. Our brother, Jesus Christ created the entire earth and each of our physical bodies. It is little wonder why we have such a desire to create – it is part of us. It is also little wonder why Satan, the great counterfeiter, has such a hold on creative arts. Lucifer has never created anything. He never received a body and does not hold the Priesthood, nor does he receive the blessings of the Priesthood. Satan would like to manipulate our gifts and persuade us to use them for his purposes. He would have us believe that if we use our creativity for money, power or popularity, we will be fulfilled and experience joy. Nothing could be further from the truth.

When Jesus Christ created the world under the direction of our Father in Heaven, it was not a self-indulgent act. He created the world to glorify His Father, not Himself. All of His creative work was in an effort to further our Heavenly Father’s Plan. Even during the Council in Heaven, the Savior said, “Thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever.”

Fulfillment

The prophet Isaiah tells the story of a dreaming man who is hungry and eats, but when he wakes up, his soul is empty. He then describes a man who is thirsty, who dreams that he is drinking, but wakes up and is left thirsty still.

In some respects we can consider this world a “dream-like” state. The things we suppose will give us nourishment and quench our thirst, most often leave us empty and unsatisfied. The world offers its glitzy and glamorous form of fulfillment, as if it will quench all of our desires. But when we have partaken of the world’s praise, we will consistently find that it’s not enough. It leaves us empty and leaves us hungry for more.

As artists, we rely on the reactions of others to determine if what we’ve created is worthwhile. We find ourselves seeking approval from the world so that we can gauge if our talents are sufficient or our contributions are important. We hope that the world will tell us that we are brilliant, gifted and are set apart from the rest. But once the world offers its voice – no matter if it praises us or criticizes us - we will always be left one of two ways: empty or thirsty for more.

But this is not the Lord’s way. In Matthew chapter 5, the Savior tells us how our souls can truly be filled: “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” If we hunger and thirst for the praise of the world, we will always be left wanting more. But if we hunger and thirst after righteousness, we will be filled.

How can we direct our creative appetites toward righteous pursuits? How can we use our talents in the arts toward righteous purposes? How can we experience this feeling of being “filled?”

Consecrate our Talents

As the Savior stated in Matthew, it is only through seeking righteousness that we can be filled. Elder Dallin H. Oaks gave an unforgettable talk about the good, better and best ways to use our time. I believe this can be equally applied to the way we use our talents. We can use our talents for the world for the sole purpose of making money and it can still be considered good. We can use our talents to uplift and entertain others which may be a better use of those talents. Or we can use our talents to lead others to Christ and to His gospel – which I would consider to be the best use of our talents.

The world has enough artists, actors, writers, dancers, filmmakers, musicians and creative thinkers. President Boyd K. Packer said, “It is sad but true that, almost as a rule, our most gifted members are drawn to the world. They who are most capable to preserve our cultural heritage and to extend it, because of the enticements of the world, seek rather to replace it…Unfortunately many of them will live to learn that indeed, 'Many men struggle to climb to reach the top of the ladder, only to find that it is leaning against the wrong wall.'"

Is our ladder leaning against the right wall? Is it leaning against the “best” wall? Are we seeking the praise of the world or are we seeking to do what many of us have covenanted to do – consecrate our talents? Will consecrating our talents toward righteous purposes fill us?

Benefit #1:  True Joy

I have been experimenting on both sides over the years and have found that when I use my talents in an effort to bring people to Christ, it brings true joy and fulfillment. Whereas, when I use my talents in an effort to indulge myself or “be the best,” it leaves me thirsty still.

I have experienced the excitement of a standing ovation, but an hour later I always feel as if I need to prove myself one more time. It is never enough. 

On the other hand, I have put my heart and soul into sharing the message of the restored gospel through theatre and have been overwhelmed by the impact it has on the lives of others and in my own life. A man attended one of the performances and approached me afterwards. He gave me a hug and wept for a long period of time. When he was finally able to speak, he said, “I haven’t felt that feeling in a LONG time.” I will never forget that moment. It meant more to me than any positive theatre critic review, any theatre award or achievement. I was able to see the Holy Ghost working to change the hearts of those involved, myself included.

Benefit #2:  No Need to Compromise Standards

I am certain that I am not the first member of the Church who has felt pressure to compromise my standards as I’ve performed or directed. It is very difficult to find clean material to work with, that still has the capacity to impact people. Oftentimes, it’s either “fluff” or it’s inappropriate.

As members of the church, we have the opportunity to create works of art that are meaningful and moral. Choices and their consequences can still be shown, without spoiling the material or offending the Spirit.

We just need to pick up our ladders and move them to a new wall. The wall may seem unoccupied at first – many people may be frequenting the other walls, but that can change. We have the opportunity, with the Lord’s help, to shape this wall, to create new genres, to try something different and impactful, so that others will want to put their ladders against it as well.

Band Together

For those involved in collaborative arts like theatre, dance and music, this may sound all well and good, but may still seem impractical simply because in order to consecrate our talents, we need to find others who are doing the same. We need to band together. We need to network with others who are like-minded and who share the same vision for the arts and the gospel.

Institute programs, wards and stakes are great starting points. I have been consistently amazed at how much talent there is in a stake of the Church. Somehow, within each stake, there are dozens of people who have worked to develop their talents in various art forms. It’s just a matter of finding them and connecting with them.

Give Stakes a Chance

Each of us has access to a FREE place to rehearse and perform! The only catch is that the material needs to be clean and uplifting, we need stake permission first and the performances must be held before our stake audiences. Every stake center in this country is equipped with a stage! That is amazing. Dance concerts, music concerts, theatre productions, art shows, etc. could all take place on the stages within our stake boundaries. It’s local, it’s free, it’s easy, it involves the people around us and has the capacity to change lives.

Unfortunately, stake events often get a bad reputation for being cheesy or of poor quality. All of that can change. We can work toward producing quality material for stake audiences. We can collaborate with other talented people who desire to share their talents in a Church setting. We just need to move our ladders and start climbing.

Go To

There are stories untold, plays unperformed, songs unsung, paintings unpainted and films unproduced. Perhaps they are waiting for us to create them. Through the influence of the Holy Ghost, we can work together to create works of art that will glorify our Father in Heaven and His Son, Jesus Christ. It’s time to get started.

President Boyd K. Packer summed it up best: “Go to, then, you who are gifted; cultivate your gift. Develop it in any of the arts and in every worthy example of them. If you have the ability and the desire, seek a career or employ your talent as an avocation or cultivate it as a hobby. But in all ways bless others with it. Set a standard of excellence. Never express your gift unworthily. Increase our spiritual heritage in music, in art, in literature, in dance, in drama.”

“When we have done it, our activities will be a standard to the world. And our worship and devotion will remain as unique from the world as the Church is different from the world. Let the use of your gift be an expression of your devotion to Him who has given it to you.”

Ain't Too Proud To Blog

Joseph Smith - Lover of the Cause of Christ  South Jordan Utah Country Crossing Stake  2009

I will be the first to admit that I rarely read blogs. The cutesy, crafty mommy blogs always make me feel guilty and the personal blogs are full of information about people that I'd rather not know. I've tried to make my own  family blog (which still plays holiday music from my last post 4 Christmases ago), but I quickly became busy and forgot about it (obviously). It's taken me a few years to realize that among all of the fashion, photography, health, design, religious, cooking, couponing, crafting and kid-rearing blogs out there, none of them could have helped me in the Summer of 2007.

Flashback 7 years ago...to the sweltering summer of 2006.

Place: Austin, Texas

Life Stage: Married With Child

Weeks after moving to Austin, I was called as the Stake Drama Specialist. I was really excited about the calling because theater has been a passion of mine ever since I played a spider in my 4th grade play. I continued performing during my childhood and teenage years. I served as the Drama Club President in my high school in Washington state for a couple of years. I then earned a college degree in theatre and continued taking advanced directing classes. After college, I worked as an assistant to the Artistic Director at a successful theater in the Seattle area and loved every minute of it. Apart from the gospel and my family, theater has brought me the greatest joy. 

I was thrilled when I considered doing theater in a gospel setting. Bringing my two passions together would be a dream come true. But I soon found out that what I thought I knew about theater as a performer and a director, was not nearly enough. To produce theater in a church setting requires a large set of skills that I was used to leaving to the "techies". Sure, I took technical theater classes, but I just plugged through them because I didn't think I would need them. After all, I wasn't planning to be a Lighting Technician or a Stage Manager or a Costumer. I didn't need to know what a gobo was or how to prepare a Prop table. As a Director, I could just collaborate with the other skilled members of the production team and just focus on directing...or so I thought.

I quickly realized that I wasn't in a University anymore. I wasn't in a community or a professional theater either. It was CHURCH theater. For those of you who have produced church theater before, you know that it's a whole new ball game. 

Top Ten Signs That You Are Directing A Church Theater Production

10. Good news: 100 people auditioned!  Bad News: 76 of them were 9-year old girls.

9.  You spend your free time at the Salvation Army hunting for costumes and props.

8.  The stake center's "Lighting Equipment" consists of a couple of can lights above the stage

(three flashlights would be just as effective).

7.  The "Lighting Equipment" can only be controlled by light switches located          

BACKSTAGE.

6.  The Primary and Relief Society rooms double as the Men & Women's Dressing Rooms.

5.  A local radio station can be heard through your speakers...during a performance. 

4.  The bad acoustics cause you to dream about lavelier mics at night (if only you had the 

budget!).

3.  You use black landscaping fabric to cover the carpeted walls and chalkboard on the stage.

2.  The actors are so service-oriented that they take it upon themselves to direct the other actors (the ultimate 'no-no').

1.  When all is said and done, you've had one of the most fulfilling and spiritual theater 

experiences of your life.

(#1 is exactly why I love doing theater in church settings. It is challenging, but it is incredibly fulfilling and in some cases, life-changing. Which is why I felt compelled to write this blog.)

Back to my story...

I needed help! I was called as the Stake Drama Specialist right in the middle of the rehearsal process for the annual "Pioneer and Patriots Storytelling Festival" in Austin, Texas. Luckily, I was working with a great husband and wife directing team (who would soon be moving and I would be taking their place in the calling). Unluckily, they were extremely busy and the woman was expecting another child. I felt like I had to take some initiative to get some things taken care of.

There was a LOT to do and very little time. We didn't have a lighting or sound person and the play was to be performed outside in a field with hundreds of people watching in the early evening. Even outdoor theater needs lighting and I was concerned. Lighting equipment was non-existent, as was sound equipment. We had a very limited budget and I hardly knew anyone in the stake. I felt a heavy weight on my shoulders - being responsible for a huge, well-attended annual event, with no resources and little technical knowledge. I knew how to direct the actors, but that was about it. 

I looked online for resources and found a few books on the subject, but not much else. (I'll talk about my favorite books for community/church theater and technical theater in another post.)  Oh how I wish that I had known then what I know now. I had to figure things out the hard way. 

Fast Forward to Present Day 2013...

Place: South Jordan, Utah

Life Stage: Married with 3 Children

After 7 years of directing stake plays, I have learned a lot! I'm not saying that I am any sort of authority on the subject, but through trial and error and LOADS of time, I have learned what is required to pull off a successful production in a stake center, without a big budget, with volunteers who may have very little experience (behind-the-scenes and onstage). I have learned the politics involved in a stake production and the importance of communicating and getting approval from the Stake Presidency and the high councilman assigned to Cultural Arts. I have learned tips and tricks to lighting and sound - what equipment is essential and what is luxury. I've learned how to direct actors in such a way that audience members consider the acting quality equivalent to professional theater. I have learned to direct plays that have meaning (comedy and drama) and that bring those involved and those attending closer to the Lord. Most importantly, I have learned to rely on the Lord and the Holy Ghost, allowing them to make up for all that I lack. To me, that is the greatest key to success.

I wish I had had a blog like this to read when I was embarking on directing my first church production. I would've loved to read and share ideas. I guess, if you want something done, you've got to do it yourself. So here I am, starting something because I'd love to hear your ideas and experiences and I'd love to share with you what I've learned. I hope that this blog will save you some time and stress so that you can focus on the stuff that really matters in your production. 

Below are some topics that I (along with Guest Bloggers) plan to address. We'd love your questions, comments and suggestions. You may be a beginner and need to know the basics, or you may be a theater guru, in which case, we'd love your input. All of these topics will be addressed in relation to theater in a church setting.

Now for the topics.

-How to Propose a Play to Your Stake President

-Directing

-Auditioning/Casting

-Stage Management

-Sound

-Lighting

-Stage Crew

-Props

-Rehearsal Process

-Makeup & Hair

-Costuming

-Playwriting

-Set Design

-Set 

-Building

-Publicity

-Etiquette

-Topics specific to LDS Theater

-Music 

-Stake Communication

-Tips & Tricks to saving money on a church budget

-Production Basics

-Script Analysis

-How to get help from stake members

-And more...

This blog isn't necessarily for roadshows, although there may be useful technical info for those directing them (if you're looking for roadshow info, Google Orson Scott Card + roadshows). This blog is mainly for actual productions in a church setting. I also want to provide free scripts that are appropriate for LDS audiences (if you have a free script you'd like to share, send me an email at josephsmithplay@staheli.org). 

As someone who has avoided blogs as a reader and as a writer, I've finally decided that when it comes to my passion, I ain't too proud to blog.