Treading the Boards

In this section you will find information about the various non-technical jobs required to make a production a success at Rottingdean Drama Society. If something looks interesting, maybe you should join and take part!

The Society predominantly focuses on performing drama, however every year singers and dancers are required to put on a traditional family pantomime. Therefore, we have various members that only take part in the pantomime or vice versa. That's the beauty of joining - there's no pressure to get involved if you can't or don't want to.

For more information on each role required to put on a production, please see the sections below.

Directing

New and experienced directors are always welcomed. Each year the comittee put together a balanced programme, with a mixture of new and seasoned directors. A new director can sometimes attempt their first production with the assistance from an existing experienced director. Directing is an exciting job, but requires creativitiy, vision, people skills and most of all dedication!

Once the director has chosen a title, they are asked to review it with the committee to ensure it is feasible and not been performed recently by the Society. With a small stage and limited resources, some plays are out of reach - however this happens infrequently and the Society will sometimes adapt the script to suit the resources available.

Acting

Acting is an artform and some may say, a science, however some people are born naturals. It takes all kinds of people with different talents to put on a production. There are large parts, with hundreds of lines, to walk on parts with none! The Society aims to select plays that give a wide range of characters and ages, to ensure every body can have a try, if they want to.

Acting members can join without restriction, however please be aware to secure a part in a production, auditions are held before the rehearsals begin. During these open auditions, each member has an equal opportunity to read for a part. The audition process is very fair and the best suited members will be asked to play any given character.

For more information, see the Auditions section.

Singing

The Society does focus on acting and performance, rather than singing, however now and again a play will be presented to the committee with a requirement for a strong singer. In addition to this, there is plenty of singing during the annual pantomime, when everybody has a go and enjoys a song! The Society are lucky enough to have an excellent pianist and drummer / percusionist to provide an accompany of live music.

Dance

The Society normally doesn't attempt complex choreography due to the specialist nature of this type of performance arts. In the past, some productions have had a element of dance written in to provide movement and set scenes. In addition, the pantomime has dance throughout the performance. On occassion local organisations, from dance specialist schools to secondary schools are invited to decise and perform a dance within a pantomime. This provides an established framework for those young people involved to perform in front of a live and paying audience.