Organising a Drama Competition a step by step guide

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Organising a Drama Competition a step by step
guide

• The purpose
• To incite interest in mental health issues, in a
  unique and interesting way within schools.
•  The method
• Coordinate a drama competition where Year 11
  students write, direct and perform a short (15
  minute) play with a mental health theme. These
  plays then compete in an audition round and the
  top plays are selected to go on to compete in a
  Grand Final one month later.

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Equipment

• Good organisation
• Manpower
• Public relations skills
• A dominant salesman gene

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Step 1 Budget

• Things to consider
• Staff wages (for coordination and actual event)
• Materials
• Prize money
• Promotional concepts and material
• Hire costs of performance space
• Insurance costs

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Budget cont.

• Using MindPlay as the model costs incurred are
• Two staff working approximately three hours each
  per week for eight months
• Prize money 3000 total
• Drama Theatre hiring fees 400 for full day
• Technician 250 for full day
• Graphic artist to design brochure and posters
  2800 (one-off cost)
• Public Indemnity Insurance circa 650 - 1500
• Materials Stationery 400.00, postage 200.00
• Staff wages for day of competition
• Payment of a formal Master of Ceremonies 250
  for Grand Final
• Payment for judges

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Cost saving hints

• Approach organisations for sponsorship eg drug
  companies, government bodies (DET, DOH), Rotary
  etc
• Form an alliance with theatre group/university
  ie the owner/manager of the performance space
• Do all your own design work (there are pros and
  cons)
• Only have one round rather than audition and
  grand final
• Reduce prize money
• Run event in-house
• Persuade judges to give their time freely!
• Do not have a formal Master of Ceremonies
• Encourage staff to work on the day out of the
  goodness of their own hearts!

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Step 2 Establishing Contacts

• Once the budget has been finalised, it is a good
  idea to establish a contact within the Department
  of Education in order to discuss details relating
  to the timing of the event. The event has to fit
  in around school holidays, and the school syllabus

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Mental Health Professionals

• Each school needs to have access to a mental
  health professional to ensure the content of
  their play is accurate
• The Newcastle Branch of the APS was approached
  with the request for assistance from registered
  psychologists in the Hunter area
• Throughout the process, the professional must
  agree to be available to offer advice, watch a
  rehearsal, review a script etc. The extent of
  involvement varies from school to school

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Establishing Contacts cont

• You also need to approach individuals to be
  judges. MindPlay has three independent judges
  with a combination of drama and mental health
  experience
• A drama teacher and HSC Drama Examiner
• A GP with drama degree and psychiatric training
• A Drama graduate with an interest in using drama
  as a medium for mental health promotion
• These judges work on a voluntary basis charging
  nothing for their time

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Establishing Contacts cont

• The Master of Ceremonies
• It is a good idea to approach an identity who has
  a public profile as this acts as a draw card.
  MindPlay uses Melinda Smith Hunter and Central
  Coast NBN Newsreader and actress. Melinda is
  also actively involved in the promotion of youth
  mental health issues. As a result she charges
  half her usual fee.

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Step 3 Book performance space

• Once performance space has been selected and
  dates have been decided, book the performance
  space
• Arrange all necessary insurance details
• Now the event can be marketed and the schools
  approached

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Step 4 Publicity material

• Design a brochure that outlines the details of
  the competition the what, when, why, where,
  who and hows
• Design an information booklet that gives more
  details about the rules and regulations eg number
  of performers allowed on stage, where students
  can seek help, how the plays are judged and
  scored
• Have these ready to print and send to schools

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Step 5 Enlisting Schools

• Put together a database of all secondary, high
  schools and colleges in the area search yellow
  pages, white pages and internet
• Mail out a letter outlining the purpose of the
  festival along with a brochure and application
  form
• Register schools in database on receipt of
  application forms

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Cover your back!

• It is a good idea to eliminate potential
  controversy as you go
• We have found sending a second letter to the
  school counsellor and principal is sound
  practice. It reduces the likelihood of crossed
  purposes among staff and keeps everyone in the
  loop

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Step 6 Managing the Schools

• On receipt of a registration
• Pair the school with a clinician
• Send out an information booklet to the school
  along with contact details for their clinician
  (do the same for the clinician)
• Send the schools a poster for publicity purposes

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Step 7 Watch and wait

• In the months between registration and the event
  (in the case of MindPlay Jan to June), it is a
  matter of
• Troubleshooting problems that may arise,
  answering questions, assisting with the provision
  of resources and information
• Put together an order of play schedule for the
  performances taking in to account the distances
  schools have to travel (teachers will normally
  advise of any other special requirements)
• Allow for five minutes between each performance

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Step 8 Publicity

• This can start as soon as there are enough
  schools registered to ensure the event will
  definitely go ahead (realistically six or above)
  then contact
• Radio stations, newspapers, television studios,
  local theatre groups, universities etc for
  editorials, interviews, internal newsletters
• Advertise in publications if it is within your
  budget and advertise internally within your
  organisation and other organisations you deal
  with such as NGOs
• Be persistent with your advertising!
• Design and print tickets to be sold in advance

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Step 9 two weeks before

• Send out order of play schedule to schools
  requesting confirmation from teacher
• Re-order if necessary
• Allow for withdrawals
• Make contact with judges, venue, master of
  ceremonies and staff to confirm time and date
• Design fake cheques for presentation purposes

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On the day/night

• Arrive at venue at least an hour before start
  time
• Assign staff roles front of house, canteen,
  backstage assistance, shepherd, judge liaison
  officer
• Put signage up around venue to direct people
• Give Master of Ceremonies order of play
• Doors open
• CURTAIN UP!

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During.

• After each performance, a representative from the
  school is asked to speak for a few minutes about
  the process, why they chose the topic, their
  experiences throughout etc

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On the day/night cont

• At the end of the event, an interlude while
  judging takes place is announced
• When the judges are ready announce the winners
  and present cheques (take a permanent marker and
  write the schools name onto the cheque).
• Make sure you let the school know it is a fake!

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Final curtain

• Thats it until next year

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Move with the times

• Between 1997 and 2004, it was always known as the
  Hunter Institute of Mental Healths Schools Drama
  Competition
• We did all our own poster, brochure and
  instruction booklet design
• After the 2004 competition we noticed
  participation had dropped so surveyed the schools
  and judges to try and find out why..

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The findings

• The feedback showed that students were not
  attracted to the competitions image it was
  outdated and a little conservative
• The judges felt the competition could be more
  professional and marketed as an event on both
  the school and community calendar
• Solutions to both problems needed to be found if
  we were to continue with the project

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Solutions Image

• In 2005, the Institute started the process of
  re-branding the competition starting with a new
  name MindPlay
• A graphic artist was hired to design a logo and
  face for MindPlay
• Posters, brochures and a new instruction booklet
  were all designed

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A more professional event

• A meeting was organised between the University of
  Newcastle School of Music and Drama and the
  Institute to propose a collaboration.
• Have an Audition Round to select the best four to
  six plays.
• A Grand Final that would take place on a Friday
  evening, with a Master of Ceremonies, an interval
  with refreshments and final judging.

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A collaborative Effort

• The School of Music and Drama agreed to come on
  board and provide some dramatic support. Drama
  undergraduates will be appointed to fill the
  positions of lighting and sound technician,
  production manager, stage manager and assistant
  stage manager. In the month between the Audition
  Round and Grand Final the schools will liaise
  with these individuals to formulate lighting and
  sound designs, technical rehearsals and order of
  play. The Grand Final will be managed by these
  undergraduates. It will be an assessable part of
  their degrees stagecraft module.

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By products of the collaboration

• Year 11 students get mentorship in the area of
  drama and insight into the more technical aspects
  of theatre and a drama degree
• It opens the event up to a wider audience

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What next?

• It is the Institutes intention to do an
  evaluation of MindPlay to gauge the successes and
  shortcomings of the collaboration
• We will continue to improve on the event and be
  available in an advisory capacity to any other
  organisation wishing to establish a similar event
  in their area

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More info

• This presentation and a MindPlay Kit is available
  for download on the Hunter Institute of Mental
  Healths website www.himh.org.au