How to Start a Theatre Group

Creating a theatre group is more than just making a company to call your own. You are actually creating a family that spreads their love to others through performing. It is an honor to work with and perform to amazing people that would not normally have the chance to be involved in such an experience. To make sure you properly go about establishing your theatre group, follow this instruction set.

Part 1

Part 1 of 4:

Setting Up the Basics

Your target audience will pave the path for all other aspects of starting your theatre group. You need to think about who you want to perform to before you know what you want to perform.
Ask yourself what you are performing for. For example, are you performing to brighten the day of elderly people? Or cheer up children in a cancer ward? Or maybe both? Selecting the goal of your group makes the rest of the process even easier.
Now that you know who you want to perform for and why you are doing it, picking a name should be a bit easier. You can think of many different types of names. A suggestion would be an acronym, like "ABC" (Actors Believing in Change). Make a list of possibilities and then narrow it down to the most meaningful.
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Part 2

Part 2 of 4:

Doing Your Research

1
Research places to perform. Grab a laptop, computer, or smartphone that has internet access and research places based off of you desired audience. For example, if your target audience was nursing homes and children's hospitals, then you should find places near you that allow performances to be held.
- Make sure to take note of the phone numbers so you can contact the performance spaces later
Look on the facility's website and learn about their mission and goals. Making sure your goals are compatible with your performance space can be vital to your success.
Once you have picked a few possible performance areas, write down phone numbers so you can call them at a later time to ask about qualifications to perform. For example, they may need you to fill out paperwork as a volunteer, talk about scheduling days, and if there are any restrictions about what you can perform.
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Part 3

Part 3 of 4:

Collaborating With Your Group

1
Find members for your group. Now that you have basic details, go find your cast! Think of anyone you may know that can sing, act, and/or dance and make a list to contact them. If you wish, you can also post on social media to see if anyone would be interested in joining.
- Be clear from the get-go about how you intend the group to work. If decisions are going to be collaborative, encourage your members to chime in and make choices together. This applies to all of the following steps, too. If you plan, instead, to run the show yourself, make sure the know that and are okay with it.
Someone in your group is bound to have some sort of access to an area big enough to use as a practice space (i.e. empty pole barn, family dance studio or recreational center, or even a large basement).
Every group looks more professional if they have appropriate and/or matching attire. Look at the name of your theatre group and figure out how you can transform it into a shirt design. For example, if your name is "ABC" (Actors Believing in Change), then you could stack "ABC" blocks on top of each other and then finish the words across the page.
Depending on the size of your cast, you may be able to get volunteers to drive to and from performances. Make a list of the people that can drive and how many people can fit into each of their cars. If not enough of your cast can drive, you may need to consider other options such as, taking a bus.
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Part 4

Part 4 of 4:

Setting Up Your Performance Details

1
Make a list of possible performance pieces. Keeping your target audiences and possible performance areas in mind, write down a list of songs, appropriate Broadway shows, and/or popular skits that could be performed. The bigger the list the better!
- Make sure each piece you choose is appropriate for all audiences.
- If you're interested in writing your own skits or play, How to Write a Play and How to Make a Skit will help. How to Produce a Play will come in handy, too, although you may need to adapt the steps for your group if you're taking a more collaborative approach.
2
Think about choreography types for each performance piece. Make note of which form of choreography you wish to use next to each of your possible performance pieces. There are several types of choreography you could use:
- Stationary (choir-style)
- Staged (used in skits, minor blocking of steps)
- Moderate (minimal choreography while staying focused on singing)
- "Full-blown" (complete dance numbers with minimal to no focus on vocals)
3
Make a list of props for numbers you may need them for. Having props for certain performance pieces can make the impact of the piece that much greater. Make sure to have access to these props for your cast to practice with well before actual performances.
- You may not know all of the props you need now because you have not made the actual choreography yet. That is ok, just keep a running list as you go.
4
Create set lists tailored to the specific audience of each performance. Think back at your audiences and divide your list of songs into separate lists for each of those audiences. For example, you would not want to perform the song "Ain't No Mountain" to a bunch of five year olds, but that would be a perfect song to perform at a nursing home.
- This is subject to change based on time constraints of the performances and how long each piece is.
5
Make your choreography. Look at your list of possible performance pieces and start to make your choreography.
- You will need advanced experience or another experienced person to choreograph for you.
- You can read How to Choreograph a Dance to aide you in the process.
6
Schedule practices with your cast. You will need to hold many practices in order to get performance ready. Make sure to pick days and times during the week in which the majority, if not all, of your cast can attend.
- Make sure to make the practices long enough to where entire pieces can be taught and learned in one day. This helps get your group performance ready as fast as possible.
Contact the facilities you have chosen to perform at and write down any available dates they have. Make sure to check the dates with your cast and then quickly get back with the facility. Now that you have scheduled performances, and have practiced to the peak of being performance ready, you are ready to perform.
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Tips

Keep lots of lists to keep yourself organized.
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Warnings

If you cannot find a free practice space, you can rent a space. Then, if needed, you can fund raise or find sponsors to help you in affording a proper space.
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You will need to have experience in theatrical performance, dance, and/or choir.
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