Proposals Sunday 24th Jan – want to direct a play? Now’s your chance! On Sunday the 24th at 12 Noon, make your way to the New Theatre to tell the committee why you think you’d make a good director and you may well end up in charge of a cast, a crew, a substantial budget, and an entire theatre for a whole week!

Check out our guide to surviving proposals on our Resources page.

Whichever year you are in, there are many opportunities in the New Theatre to direct. Directing offers you the biggest responsibility and the most freedom the theatre can offer. Here are the steps to follow if you are interested in putting on a play…

1. Decide on the play you want to put on. The choice of play is totally up to you. It can be something you studied at school, a play that you’ve seen or read and loved, or a piece of original work by yourself or a friend of yours. While choosing your play it is important to consider the logistics of putting it on – one thing to consider, for example, is the number of male and female roles in your cast; about three times as many female students audition than male!

2. You have to make sure that you can obtain the rights to put on your play in the New Theatre. The company you would have to call to enquire about rights is usually listed on the inside cover of your script.

3. It might sound obvious but you will need a director AND a producer to put on a play. If you cannot find another person to pair up with, don’t worry: the Committee will be able to find you someone at the proposals meeting.

4. At the proposal meeting you will be asked to give a five minute presentation about your play. The presentation should include the following if possible.

- A brief synopsis;

- Reasons why your play would stand out from others;

- How you would overcome any obvious staging/lighting/casting difficulties;

- What you would require as your budget;

You can also create a typed sheet with a brief synopsis and the main points of your presentation to hand out to committee members. After the presentation there will be a brief questions and answer session.

We realise this sounds like a lot to do in such a short space of time. Obviously we can be flexible if your decision to put on a play is last minute. If you have any other questions or if any of the above is unclear please feel free to get in touch with the Productions Co-ordinator: Andy McNamee: 07969 568 427