Production Case Study: To Kill A Mockingbird

The Drama Teacher Podcast

Episode 183: Production Case Study: To Kill A Mockingbird Drama Teacher Lea Marshall talks about producing To Kill A Mockingbird this year. We talk everything from vision to staging, from fundraising to marketing. How do you visually represent a theme? It’s a production case study and you’re going to want to take notes. Show Notes How Do You Visually Represent a Theme Sponsorship Example Episode Transcript Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama Teacher Resource Company. I’m Lindsay Price. Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening! This is Episode 183 and you can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode183. All righty now! Today, we have a production case study. I love these! I love hearing about how a director chooses a show, approaches a show, rehearses a show, and this is a great one! We have Drama teacher, Lea Marshall, who directed To Kill a Mockingbird this year. We’re going to get into it – soup to nuts, vision to marketing. How do you visually represent a theme? She has some awesome ideas and you are going to want to take notes. So, let’s get to it! LINDSAY: Hello everybody! Today, I am so happy; I can’t wait to have this conversation with Lea Marshall. Hello, Lea! LEA: Hello! LINDSAY: Lea, tell everybody where you are in the world. LEA: I am in my playroom at home. Oh, you meant more exact? I am on the couch in my yoga pants because my show is over. Oh, is it that happy? Do we really need to know more than that? The show is over and I’m on a Saturday. I took a nap. Is there anything else we need to know? I’m in Tallahassee, Florida. This is my first year as a high school theatre teacher. I was a middle school theatre teacher and then moved to the high school this year. Leon High School is the name of my high school in Tallahassee, Florida. LINDSAY: As soon as you said, “I closed the show so I’m in my yoga pants,” a chorus of agreement just rocked the internet, you know? LEA: It’s the only time I would have time to do a podcast is because my show closed last weekend. LINDSAY: Exactly, and that’s what we’re here to talk about. We are here. You just finished the show, To Kill a Mockingbird. LEA: Yes, or as several students, “Oh, the killer mockingbird.” I was like, “No, that’s not the name of it. No.” LINDSAY: That’s a band. That’s not a show. That’s what we’re here to talk about. We’re doing like a case study, Lea. Well, all you have to do is pretty easy on your end. All you have to do is just talk about what you did – if your brain is still, you know, if you’ve still got it. LEA: Maybe. You can have whatever is left of my brain. LINDSAY: Aww, you’re sweet. You’re the best! My first question is why this show? Why To Kill a Mockingbird? LEA: During the summer, I was taking over this high school theatre job. During the summer, I was really thinking about kind of an overarching theme for our year. I’m very thematic. It comes from having taught preschool and having to teach in themes – once, years ago. So, I really thought about what I needed this year as a theme and what I thought the kids needed as a theme and what I thought the world needed as a theme. I’m so bold – “what the world needs from my high school theatre program.” This summer, when a lot of the news was very fearful, I felt like, last summer – I’m not sure it’ll be different this summer but I felt like a lot of people were reacting in fear versus acting in love. I thought, “That’s what I want to do. Taking over this program, I could react in fear of these kids not liking me or comparing me to their old theatre teacher or I could act in love,” and I wanted to act in love and I wanted that for them to. They could react in fear that the program was changing in a lot of ways and there was a new teacher or they could act in love towards me. That was our season.