The Play Selection Committee of Courtenay Little Theatre is always looking for interesting scripts to read. If you have some good ideas please send your suggestions to Kara Derma of the Selection Committee at kderma@fastmail.fm
Who & What?
The Selection Committee consists of five members chosen from the Membership of CLT given responsibility for the process of choosing an annual season of three productions for recommendation to the Board of Directors.
The Selection Committee identifies experienced directors who are available to direct during the coming season and either vets the director’s choice of material and/or provides suggestions on suitable scripts.
Throughout the year members of the SC monitor plays being mounted by other community groups throughout the province and in the professional sector, both for inspiration and clues to the availability of performance rights. Interesting scripts are ordered and shared and become the property of the CLT Library.
All CLT members are encouraged to suggest plays to the Selection Committee
When & How?
Seasonal Timeline for Selecting Plays
Late Summer
First meeting held to set tasks for coming year. SC discuss non-formal expressions of interest and assign SC member to liaise with potential proposer. Scripts are discussed, ordered and distributed.
By September CLT Board Meeting
Call for Expressions of Interest in Directing a CLT Play during the future season is sent to the membership and posted on the CLT website.
November 1
Directors are asked to submit Expressions of Interest by this date. SC Member is assigned to work with each Director on refining proposal, as appropriate.
October through December
Selection Committee meets regularly to discuss Expressions of Interest and developing season. Proposing directors may be asked to attend a meeting with the SC to answer questions on proposal. Progress is reported regularly to the CLT Board by the SC Board liaison.
January / February / March CLT Board Meetings
Selection Committee will have shaped a season of three plays for presentation to the CLT Board. Discussion at the Board level to attach producers to three proposals to ensure budgets are prepared by producers for Board approval by March meeting.
Guidelines for Proposals and Selection
The Selection Committee will ensure that the selected season of three plays:
- Provides learning opportunities for CLT members
- Maintains a balance of genres, casting and technical requirements
- Avoids close repetition of specific genres
- Takes account of the financial viability of staging each choice
- Have popular appeal for a widening base of CLT supporters
Fall Productions (Late Sept to early Oct)
The Fall production opens the CLT season and as such should be chosen to attract a wide audience, to create word-of-mouth enthusiasm for the coming season – from potential audience members to inspiring auditioning actors and recruiting of backstage crew of future shows.
The Fall production auditions in June and starts rehearsals in late July or early August. Ideally it should have a small cast and a simple set, as personnel are limited over the summer holidays.
Typical genres in this time-slot are mysteries, comedies, suspense.
Christmas Productions (late Dec to early Jan)
The Christmas production is chosen for maximum popular appeal, either catering to families, or a feel-good play or musical for all (or most) ages. Auditions are held in the summer and rehearsals begin in the CLT Space immediately following the load-out for the Fall production (Oct). CLT hosts a special New Year’s Eve after the 31 December performance.
Spring Productions (early April)
The Spring production is CLT’s entry in the North Island Zone Festival (late May) and therefore is chosen with a wider audience than the Comox Valley in mind. The Selection Committee is looking for plays with critical appeal, perhaps more edgy, provocative or experimental than the choices for the rest of the season. The need to move the set to the NIZ Festival (or perhaps Mainstage) calls for careful (and minimalist) stage design.