Putting together a musical can be a huge undertaking. There are so many moving parts, literally and figuratively, and a lot of decisions to be made. The nice thing, however, is that you don’t have to move all those pieces and make all those decisions alone; having a creative team for a musical production that works efficiently and symbiotically can make all the difference.
How does one get a team like that? YOU! You are in the position to not only pick your people, but to also get them on the same page so things are being accomplished while still having a ton of fun as well.
If we can get nautical for a second, being the director of a show makes you the captain of the ship, and your crew relies on you to provide answers and guidance for how to best execute their jobs alongside yours. Reading through this blog will give you some ideas of how to give your team the sealegs they need to get your ship running smoothly to its final destination.
…Yikes. That was a long and terrible analogy. Thanks for sticking with me. Moving on. ALL ABOARD! (Okay, I’m done.)
This goes without saying, but above all else… COMMUNICATION IS KEY
We have a whole other blog that mentions how communication in general is just as important as imagination... You should go check it out.
If you’re not prepared to have open dialogue between you and your musical creative team, you might as well stop reading now. No, conversations don’t have to happen every day, but there should be enough communication before, during, and after the process to allow for everyone to know what’s going on and to uphold having a common goal.
Production meetings are great opportunities to get on the same page. There’s another blog written on that topic as well, so add that to your reading list once you get through this one, because you’re clearly in this for the long haul!
On top of having good communication, be clear about what your vision is/your ideas are
Before the musical auditions even occur, let your team know what exactly you are looking for as you put together this show, and if you have an overall theme you’d like to incorporate. How big of a cast do you ideally want? Is there a musical number you would like to be sung a specific way? Do you have a specific vision of something you’d like to see during a dance number, or even a scene change?
As predominantly a choreographer myself, I LOVE when directors are, well, direct with me about what they’d like to see throughout the show. If you want to use fancy glowing orbs for a number in your production of Godspell, tell me those deets and I’ll make it happen to the best of my abilities! I won’t know unless you tell me.
Additionally, if you have a very specific layout of where everything takes place on stage and how the overall flow of locations will go, make that clear. I am someone who likes things to visually make sense, so getting that information prior to me creating my choreography is extremely helpful.
That goes with the flow of musical numbers and scenes as well. Unless you’d rather work around what the choreographer sets, being clear about where you would like specific characters to start and end a number is super helpful as well. Again, decide that process with your choreographer before rehearsals begin. There have been a handful of productions I’ve worked on where actors get confused because the director, choreographer and musical director aren’t all on the same page and something was taught or communicated differently. All of that is easily avoidable if you are clear about your goals and expectations right away!
Lastly, check your ego at the door. In fact, please get rid of it
A lot of collaboration goes into putting together a show. How you deal with and respond to it as the director can really make or break the functionality of your musical's creative team. If you want something done a specific way you should make that clear, but also be open to suggestions, because the idea or game plan you provide might not necessarily work with someone else on the team.
Establishing the level of collaboration you’d like to have with your team is a huge must as well. If you are someone who likes everyone to “stay in their lane,” make that known to the people you ask to work with you, and stick true to that throughout the process. Conversely, if you thrive in a more “all hands on deck” (Oh god, here I go again…) situation, set boundaries with each other and then make it clear to the cast that you intend to work in a way that allows each director to share their opinion on something that might have nothing to do with their department.
Being able to find that common ground with grace, mutual respect and flexibility can really go a long way; Not only will your team work more productively together, but the environment surrounding the entire production will benefit as well.
Each director of a musical and their creative team will find a process that works best for the group, but one common tool that can benefit the process no matter what would be our free offer: The Character Breakdown Spreadsheet, as it becomes a “one-stop-shop” for the whole team. In addition to your excellent communication and leadership, having the information that the spreadsheet provides all in one place allows everyone to be on the same page about what is happening when and with who, which is a huge stress-reliever when putting together a show. Take advantage of this offer now, and happy planning!
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