Screamline

Introduction
This is the second edition of the factsheet Scout Show Standards, which replaces that dated October 1999. Updates of this factsheet will be made in the light of experience and the issue of new editions will be publicised in Talking Points, Scouting Magazine and Headquarters Notices.
Overture - Preamble
Since the days of the original London Gang Show, under the leadership of the late Ralph Reader, Gang Shows, both big and small, have been staged up and down the land and in many countries overseas. Church, school and community halls, major theatres in our main cities, have all echoed to the strains of 'Crest of a Wave', whilst the local Scouts and Guides presented their latest show. Whatever your personal view, it is a fact that such entertainment as part of the Creative Activities programme is a much seen 'shop window' of our Movement and as such has tremendous potential for public relations.
If you are reading this factsheet it is presumed that you are planning, or perhaps have already staged, a show. What is, or was, your aim in presenting this show? May we suggest that you are providing our young members the opportunity of performing on a public stage and by doing so, enabling them to enhance and develop skills and confidence.
With this in mind it must be the aim of all those connected with a show to ensure that this 'theatrical shop window' and the training opportunities it provides are of the highest possible standard.
Thus this factsheet is:
to help all those involved in the production of Shows strive for the highest standards in all aspects.
This may be split into many facets, but:
a)    theatrical production and presentation
and equally:
b)    the training opportunities offered by
thisparticular activity
are two which must dominate.
The contents of this factsheet are aimed at those Districts, producer's, director's, musical directors, technical director's and production teams who are just starting out, or in their early days of producing Scout Shows. It is not a step-by-step guide, nor a how-to-produce-the-perfect-show manual. It gives numerous suggestions and good advice gained over many years distilled from the expertise and knowledge of those who have written it.
Those of you with more experience may find the ground covered here too basic, too simplistic, too lacking in detail. But who knows, there may be some small piece of advice that will enable you to achieve even higher standards in your next show.
Planning - Team Spirit
Like any Scout Activity the key to success lies in the planning which ideally should begin many months prior to the first rehearsal. A committee will need to be formed whose members may be split into the two main functions: production management and business management.
On the production side, the team will need strong leadership from the producer / director, who will be assisted by those with responsibility for music, choreography/movement, stage management, and wardrobe. Each of these will have their own team of assistants, some with specific responsibilities, others more general.
The membership of a production team may look like the above; notice that the arrows are double headed, indicating that this is a two-way process. There will also need to be a business team or show committee; their main responsibility will probably be in ensuring that the show does not run at a financial loss. Their composition may be this:

Planning - The Venue
It is quite likely that by the time you are reading this fact sheet you will have already used a particular venue, or at least have one in mind.
Is it the best available in your locality?
The following questions may assist you.
1.    Is it the best geographically? Is it close to bus
routes and stop? Is there adequate car
parking and how secure is it? How quickly can
the assembled cars vacate the vicinity? Will
this increased traffic late at night annoy local
residents?
2.    Does it have the best stage facilities? Are there stage exits left and right? Are there adequate storage facilities for your scenery and costumes? Does it have the necessary back stage area for the size of cast you are proposing to use? Are there adequate dressing rooms?
3.    Does it have the seating capacity you require? Many public buildings (e.g. school halls) have
a licensed capacity, which has to include all of the cast and back stage helpers as well as the audience. Does it have the best facilities for your audience: comfortable seating, heating, air conditioning? What about front of house facilities, e.g. for refreshments, bars, promotions and displays? Are there sufficient toilets?
4.  Has the fire brigade agreed to your proposed seating capacity? What about fire exits, etc.? Have you thought about an emergency evacuation plan, for both the building and the immediate vicinity? Remember you will have to adhere to Health & Safety requirements and local Fire Regulations.
Planning - Knowledge of the Stage
Before planning your show content / programme, and cast size, it is essential that your get to know the details of the venue's stage. Dimensions are an obvious one, but what about entrances to and from the dressing rooms? What about space in the wings? Don't forget that during show week the wings will probably also store scenery and rostra and the available space will be reduced. What about entrances to the acting area? Is it possible to move from one side of the stage to the other without being seen? Again remember that free standing scenery takes up space especially when supported by stage weights and braces and such entrances and exits may be partially reduced / blocked.
As the necessity to be able to move swiftly from one item to another is central to a good Scout Show, it is essential that the stage be equipped with two sets of tabs, normally a set of House tabs and further up stage a second set. Whilst it is now quite normal for members of the audience to be able to see overhead lighting etc., it is still preferable for them not to be able to see into the wing space, therefore some sort of masking (legs) will be needed.
Planning -The Cast
An abbreviated aim of the Scout Association is:
HELPING YOUNG PEOPLE MAKE THE MOST OF LIFE
The same must therefore be true for any shows and we stress that:

A SHOW IS A YOUNG PERSONS' ACTIVITIY

In an ideal world a show cast would have a 50:50 gender balance, with 100% of the cast being young, vibrant, talented and intelligent. Older
adults would only take a back stage role. What an excellent shop window that would present!
But we do not live in an ideal world and compromises are the norm so bear the following in mind when you are selecting your cast.
1.    In shows with Members from the Scout and Guide Associations, there are likely to be far more girls applying to take part than boys. It has been shown over many years that boys (11 - 13) are much more willing to take part in a show when they have plenty to do and are not dominated in the show by girls and/or adults. It may be that you need to hold auditions in order to aim for that 50:50 gender balance. Such auditions may indeed be needed to reduce the number of applicants in order to have the size of cast dictated by the size of your venue, budget or other factors.
2.    Venture Scouts, Ranger Guides and Young Leaders should be actively encouraged, they can add verve and vitality to any cast.
3.    The role of Beaver Scouts* and Cub Scouts should be carefully worked out. Many shows use them very successfully in their own item(s) performed in the first half of the programme. Some older Cubs could be incorporated into the main gang if required.
4.    Adults in the cast should be used sparingly and must not be allowed to dominate.
*For further details concerning the role of Beaver Scouts and Cub Scouts in shows please see factsheet 'Scout Shows - the Legal Aspects FS120162'.
Planning - The Legal Aspect
Care must be taken over a number of legal aspects, these include regulations covering:
Public Entertainment Licenses - your venue needs one, or is perhaps covered by a blanket agreement.
Copyright. Music and Scripts in general but specifically -
Performing Rights Society - provides permission to perform all music including that written by Ralph Reader.
Phonographic Performance Ltd. - provide permission if you plan to use any pre-recorded music as part of your show.
Mechanical Copyright Protection Society Ltd. -provides permission if you intend to make any recording of your show, whether audio or video tapes. Great care needs to exercised over the planned sale of such tapes.
However, the aspect giving most concern to The Association is to do with show finishing time. Under the exemption granted by the Home Office from The Children's (Performances) Regulations 1968 it is quite clearly stated that performers in shows who are under 13 years of age must be out of the venue by 10.00pm. Any show applying for recognition be warned. It is our recommendation that shows should start at 7.00pm or 7.15pm rather than 7.30pm. This will aid you in finishing by 9.45pm and will help guarantee your audience getting value for money.
For exact details concerning the Scout Shows -the Legal Aspects (see publications cross reference)
Planning - Show Content
Scout Shows should be slick, vibrant, youthful and colourful. When you plan the contents of your show aim for the following.
1    Continuity is essential, there should be no waiting between one item and the next. Plan the end of one item and the start of the next to allow the show to move straight on. There should be no awkward pauses.
2    The youngsters should dominate.
3    Aim for contrasts and a good balance - a mixture of old and new, fast and slow, highs and lows, comedy & serious / pathos, solos / duets / chorus work.
4    Any humour, whether verbal or visual, must be tasteful and not include 'in' jokes.
5    Ensure that the material, visual or verbal, is appropriate to the age of the performers, is suitable for your audience and the image of The Association(s).

6    Once you have devised an item think carefully about where to place it in the programme? What comes before it, what comes after it? What mood might the audience be in before it, by the end of it? Are the right members of your cast available in that slot, or have they just finished the previous item?
7    How long is your planned item? Experience suggests that generally shorter items are more successful than longer ones unless these contain a wide variety of musical styles, changes of set and cast.
8    Act One should last longer than Act Two.
9    Any planned special effects should enhance an item, not be the sole reason for it.
10    By the end of the show your audience should still be wanting more. That way they may come back next year.
Rehearsing - General
Rehearsals, both overall and individual, need planning as well. Ninety minutes spent learning the lyrics of twenty songs is going to do more harm than good. Plan it like a section meeting, a bit of this and a bit of that, something new, something revisited, gradually building up the items bit by bit. Obviously at some point nearer the show, panic might set in and all of this will go out the window, but in the early days little and often should be the rule.
It is difficult to be exact but a typical show may well rehearse two or three* times a week for approximately 10 - 12 weeks. Each rehearsal being 2 - 2% hours.
*As your rehearsals progress you will be able to judge how things are going. Try to avoid adding numerous extra rehearsals in the last weeks; this causes resentment. Better to begin fully then give the cast the occasional reward of a night off when you are happy with the standards being reached.
A maxim which has served the theatrical profession well for many years is - better to be confidently wrong than halfheartedly right. Whilst you and your cast are inexperienced keep it
simple, rehearse it well, get your cast to smile, be confident in what they are doing and all should be well.
If possible, rehearsals using the actual stage should take place 2 -3 weeks prior to the show, with a technical rehearsal (lighting, sound, scenery and sets but no cast.) and a dress rehearsal immediately before the performances.
Rehearsing - Music
Some suggestions here.
•    Choice of key. Yes it is less bother to perform a song in the published key, but is it too high? This is particularly true with pop material. A rule of thumb - no higher than a top F for good youngsters whereas a top E flat will sound much more comfortable for massed singing.
•    How to change the key. No easy way as musical expertise is needed and the music will probably have to be written out, but....
•    Information Technology. Most modern keyboards will transpose at the flick of a switch. So a change of key whilst playing from the original music is possible.
•    Midi. If you have access to a midi keyboard and a PC you can link the two together and -after the learning curve of the relevant software (e.g. Cubase, Sibelius, Logic etc.) has been mastered - you will be able to produce printed music to suit, but beware of copyright restrictions.
•    Tempo. For most songs quicker is better than slower, keep it moving forward, give it a sense of pace and drive.
•    Introductions. Musical introductions should clearly set the pitch and the tempo. Think carefully about using the published, printed introduction - often the last few bars of the main chorus are better.
•    Diction. Crisp, clear diction is essential and can easily be achieved by insisting on it as soon as you commence rehearsals. Ensure that final consonants are clearly enunciated and that stressed syllables are given that extra punch. Above all, everyone knowing
their words will lead to clear diction (no mumbling) and a sense of ensemble.
•    Vocal harmony. In early days keep it simple, but part-singing, counter melodies, descants and modulation will all add effect to your presentation.
•    Soloists. duets/trios etc. Do not allow these to become the prerogative of one or two, especially adults. They will need rehearsal time.
•    Verse(s). How well known is the verse to your chosen song? Is it essential? If the answer is 'no' then why inflict it on your audience and cast?
•    Chorus(es). How many times is this chorus worth repeating? The days when an item consisted of one song repeated eight times are over.
•    Seque? Is the method of linking one song to the next without the need for another introduction and is much preferable to stopping and starting again. This technique above all others will give your items continuity.
•    The Band. Whether you use a single piano or a twelve piece swing band do not let them drown your cast. Non sung dance items, the overture and entr'acte are places they can let rip. Check you like the sound and style of your drummer before engaging him/her. Someone who plays in the local rock band may not have the right 'show' style.
•    The Conductor? For small shows a conductor is probably not necessary, but a good conductor can assist the cast not only with musical matters, but, e.g.: help with words, hand claps, sways, simple movements and all the time encouraging smiling whilst discouraging scratching and other undesirable human traits.
•    And finally? A musical ending (coda) is essential, it prepares the audience for that vital ingredient applause.