Tips on how to stage a play by El Osas Iyalekhue

Staging an amazing play is not such an epic hyperactivity like most people consider it. In fact, the art of staging a play can be exciting. With the right drive, enthusiasm and tips available here, anyone can stage a play successfully. All you need to do is have a purpose. Do you want to stage plays because you simply need to put yourself out there as a playwright, director, or actor? Maybe still, you are obsessed about the prestige of being addressed as a drama or event maker. Or you are just essentially driven by the humane thirst to use drama to affect society. Once you have determined your purpose of wanting to stage drama, you are surely set, but there are other things to consider.

CHOOSE THE RIGHT SCRIPT Irrevocably imperative is the task of choosing the right play if you are not a writer yourself. And even if you were, you would have to summit your work to scrutiny by trusted friends who know drama. If you don't have one, find one. Whatever the case may be, when staging drama, you must stage the right piece, else you dis-satisfy your audience and that is bad market for your next show. So the watch word is select a play with great humour or tragedy or comedy or romance or something. Just choose a good play.

EMPLOY THE RIGHT PEOPLE Do not be zealous enough to think you can do everything on your own. If you aren't a director, hire a good one. If you were a director, hire a good writer. There are a million and one talented people out there that want to show what they have. As such, you will get quality service at good bargain. The spine of the point is hire people who are good at what they do. Never compromise on production staff hiring. Get the right team. These people will make your set, costume, makeup and sound come alive. Whether you are paying or working with volunteers, get the best.

FIX A PERFECT TIME FOR REHEARSALS Whether you are using volunteer actors or paying, don't fool yourself into believing that you have the sole right to fix rehearsal time. Actors and other crew members should contribute to choosing rehearsal time. Some of these guys run two or three productions at the same time. But if everyone agreed upon a time, it's easy to penalise erring cast or crew.

 CHOOSE THE RIGHT AND BEST VENUE FOR YOUR PERFORMANCE.
Most cities in Nigeria do not have functioning theatres. This is present mess puts drama makers at the ugly end of using hotel banquet rooms and event centres not built for theatre to stage their plays. Bad, yeah? And yet, they are awfully expensive. Given the tragedy of the situation, the play maker must choose a perfect venue among the best, that will favour his play and draw theatregoers traffic to itself. Anything short of this is bad business. 

DO NOT OVER PRICE THE TICKETS Sell your tickets at a moderate fee. Play viewing in Nigeria is a dead and long buried culture that is gradually reviving . So be careful not to scare potential audience away by overpricing your tickets.

SET UP A NIGHT BEFORE THE EVENT This part is what most novices take for granted. Never tell yourself that you will set up on the day of the event. Get your set, light, sound and sitting arrangements ready a night before the show. This helps to deal with circumstances that were unforeseen. You don't want to be running around while your audience are arriving already.

 WELCOME YOUR AUDIENCE PERSONALLY Until theatregoing becomes a wide spread culture in Nigeria, create a personal relationship with your audience.


El Osas Iyalekhue writes and directs for film and stage, among his plays that have been staged are Bush Path, November The First, Walking the Aisle of Dreams,  Dancegeria, Wedlock Is Not For Gods and The Phantom. El Osas Iyalekhue is set to shoot Rage, a movie about human excesses. For stage he is set to stage BREAKING MATRIMONY.