There are three of us working on starting a community theatre for our county. There has never been one here that we know of and, we really want to do it. The first play we have chosen has a cast of 11. We announced auditions in our newspaper and, hung flyers all over town, to see how many people would be interested. The auditions are Thursday and, we only have 4 interested people. Together with us, the cast is up to 7 with 4 to go. This is not enough people to put on a production. We have even asked for volunteers. How do you get people interested? The newspaper wants to talk to us but, the rest of the community is not responding. We don't know what to do...

Start small. If this is your first production, eleven is a large cast to begin with (and doesn't leave you any room for directors, stage managers, and tech crews). Once you have a finished product to perform for your community, more interest will be generated. Try a dinner theater benefit night. Get in touch with the local high school. There are probably a lot of people out there that would be interested but have never done theater before. Offer a workshop weekend. Advertise for musicians, artists, and set builders- a lot of people will get involved if they know they don't have to be onstage. My first reccommendation, however, would definitely be to start with a smaller play, one that fits the level of interest you currently have, and to go from there. Good luck!

Bruce, How did you cast the show? Is it just a group of friends that got together and decided to put on a play or did you announce auditions? We have had better results when we make it very clear what is expected of the cast from the get-go: meaning that at auditions we use a form that everyone fills out with all pertinant information. Besides name, address, phone, email, height, dress size? experience? what crew will you serve on? what part do you prefer to play? cast members are expected to put in 16 hours on the set -- can you commit to that or else to finding someone to put in your hours for you? what conflicts do you forsee with the schedule? I understand that the ultimate success of the production depends on everyone doing their best, being present and on time at every rehearsal unless prior arrangements are made with the director or person in charge, and I will cooperate with these minimum standards of behavior." Or something like that....and then sign it. It isn't a legal document, but a "gentleman's agreement". Make sure that they are given a good introduction or overview at the first rehearsal of what you expect their conduct to be. A book that has a GREAT SPEECH to use on your cast is "PLAYMAKER" by Rod O'West. Information on obtaining the book may be found at: <www.amdram.co/uk/rodoscarwest.index.html> If I remember correctly the 10 English pounds that the book costs translates roughly into about $20 American which will cover postage, too. We have found it highly beneficial for use in training new directors.