Rehearsals: Be quiet!

[Jake_D]

I manage rehearsals with a cast that often exceeds 200 children aged between 7 and 18. When the usual methods stop working, invest in a sports whistle. I only use it when things get really out of control, but when they hear it they know they're in trouble. You'll certainly get their attention.

[Jonas_A]

I manage rehearsals with a cast that often exceeds 200 children aged between 7 and 18. When the usual methods stop working, invest in a sports whistle. I only use it when things get really out of control, but when they hear it they know they're in trouble. You'll certainly get their attention.

I did the same with my Scouts (age 10-15): the rule is that when an adult puts their hand up, they put theirs up and shut up, but when that fails I crack out the whistle. Fox 40 whistles are amazing (www.fox40world.com), but they're painfully (and I mean honest discomfort for all involved) loud in rehearsal rooms of any size - I mean, they give these things to college students as rape whistles... That said, if you're working a show like Jake is, it can be necessary.

[CaptainStageManager]

This is my second year stage managing at my high school, and I'm a senior. I've found that it's easier to get the younger kids to be quiet, but ones my own age or, even worse, my close friends, do not listen to me AT ALL. They don't see me as a stage manager or director (I do both), and to them I'm just a kid yelling at them. It even got to the point that I didn't talk to any of them for days because they were not respecting me or our advisor at all during rehearsal. I love my friends, I do, but sometimes they drive mr insane    Normally it takes our advisor screaming to get them to be quiet, and she hates to do that.
I've found that the best way to keep chatter to a minimum is to provide breaks. By giving the kids a chance to cool off during a break, it's easier to lead them when we get back to work.
But, it's high school drama. Try doing theatre at an amatuer or community theatre company- the difference is startling! When you work with actors who take the art form as seriously as you do, it's a great feeling!

[megan.clark]

I'm a freshman in college, but for ten years prior I was in a traveling performance group of young people so I understand the whole "kids won't shut up" thing. When I was younger, I was one of those kids who couldn't keep quiet. The entire process of doing a show is so exciting and it's so much fun to be with your friends back stage that you get caught up in it and forget the big picture. When I got older, I was always the one corralling the loud ones and trying to convince them to be quiet. Honestly, because I understood that jittery excitement that causes loud voices, I could use that understanding to hush them up. Instead of just yelling and being the "bad guy," I would explain the importance of silence and how terrible we would look if the audience could hear us backstage while our friends were performing. A lot of times, people are so self-focused that they don't see how their actions will affect their peers. Kids are dumb, and they need to be told kindly and firmly how their immaturity will  have consequences.