Performing
Thank you for taking the time to check out the Moon on a Stick web site.
We feel that Moon on a Stick is the perfect show for schools. The large cast can be performed by girls or boys, there is a fine balance between singing and non-singing roles, and the alien costumes offer up infinite creative possibilities.
If you're interested in performing Moon on a Stick drop us an email at moononastickthemusical@gmail.com.
What we offer when you choose to perform Moon on a Stick:
• Blog hosting on the Moon on a Stick website
• Web space for a school page on the web site
• Costume booklet with tips and advice on designing the costumes
• Template for the show poster
• Template for the show Programme
• Sound effects CD
• A Director’s script
• Rehearsal CD for the songs
• Rehearsal workshops
As the writers of Moon on a Stick, and producers of its first ever performances, we have an understandably huge amount of enthusiasm for the show, and a belief in its potential to become a mainstay of school and amateur productions. What we are charged with at this early stage in Moon on a Stick’s life is convincing others, with no prior knowledge of the show, of its quality and worth.
We feel that the script, the score and the songs all stand up for themselves, but we are also very aware that these alone don’t make a successful musical production. We know from experience that putting on a school musical can be a long, challenging and at times laborious process, but that the weeks and weeks of work that go into it all become worth it when the first line is delivered, the first song is belted out, and the first round of applause is received.
Because of this experience, we all agreed from the outset that we would make Moon on a Stick as accessible and as enjoyable to perform as possible, but furthermore, that we would go the extra mile in assisting other schools and amateur groups in producing the show, by offering as much as possible.
Designing posters and programmes for a show can be a fun and creative project, but can just easily be a job that gets left to the last minute as rehearsals and costumes take necessary priority. This is why we have designed templates for both posters and programmes for the show, so that should you wish, all you need to do is fill in your school name and show dates, and the names of your cast. Alternatively, if you’d rather you can send us the names and show details, and we’ll do it all for you. We even have an arrangement with a printer in West London who sponsored the first production of Moon on a Stick, so if you’d like, and it works out cheaper for you, we can get them all printed and sent to you as well.
As you can see in the production notes for the Ellen Wilkinson School production, the early poster campaign was a fantastic tool in rousing interest in the show and getting people excited. This resulted in both record audition numbers and ticket sales.
Another notable success from the Ellen Wilkinson production was the effectiveness of the MOAS Blog, hosted on the school’s website, on to which the girls were encouraged to post blogs on all aspects of the show. The blog also included the ‘behind the scene’ videos and trailers that were filmed throughout the rehearsal and production period – which allowed the cast, their parents and other kids not directly involved with the show to engage with and get excited by what was happening. We’d love to encourage other schools to do the same, and as such we offer, free of charge, to host a blog for your production and to create an exclusive page/section on the site for you to advertise the show, list performance dates, sell tickets, display pictures etc.
Furthermore, if you choose to perform Moon on a Stick at your school or theatre group, as well as receiving the script and piano score, we provide you with a complete sound effects CD, a director’s script that offers advice and feedback from James Gillingham, the director of the first production, scene by scene and page by page. We will also provide a full-colour costume booklet illustrating all the costumes used in the Ellen Wilkinson School production.
Moon on a Stick was conceived with the remit of it being as interactive and engaging as possible, for both the cast and the crew. We can offer as much or as little help and advice on costumes, set design, stage blocking and all other aspects of directing and producing the show as is required. At the same time we actively encourage schools to make their Moon on a Stick production as personal to themselves as possible, to have fun smashing up electrical equipment to build the set, to see what gems they can find through scouring charity and bric-a-brac stores, to try weird and wonderful colour combinations and designs for costumes, and above all else, to get massive amounts of enjoyment rehearsing, producing and performing the show. The only aspects of Moon on a Stick set in stone are the script and the score; everything else is open to interpretation and ripe for myriad creative possibilities.
Having enjoyed its debut run at Ellen Wilkinson School in June 2009, the most striking aspect of the production was the incredible amount of fun the entire cast had in rehearsing and performing the show. A school production can be a long process with months of after-school rehearsals, so the feel-good-factor is imperative.
If you'd like to see a sample script, the musical score, more photos, or would just like to ask us a question about performing the show, please contact us at moononastickthemusical@gmail.com.
Many thanks from the Moon on a Stick team.