Savoy Bid Information Pack

8/3/2019 Savoy Bid Information Pack

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Savoy Opera Society BID PACK: -

Bids for Next Terms Show!!

This is a crucial and exciting time in Savoys calendar, in which

budding directors, music-directors and producers can get

together to bid a show to be performed by the society in the

Spring Term. The society has attracted a lot of dramatic and

musical talent over the years and subsequently put on some

excellent shows, a large part of which is down to the production

team.

Ask any past production team, and theyll say how wonderful

an experience it was to be involved in the creation and final

performance of a production, and though itll have its tough

moments, by God its worth it!! *cough* C.V. *cough*

Right, this is something Id like to do! What exactly is

involved?

Each production team has at minimum of THREE members:

Director

Music Director

Producer

These 3 jobs have been supplemented in the past by others,

including:

Stage Manager (a must)

Fundraising

Marketing/Publicity


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Choreographer

Not forgetting Costume Designer, Backstage and the SUs

own tech crew (for lighting etc.) once the show is nearing

completion. Though the above jobs arent compulsory, theyare highly recommended, as the amount of work involved is a

heavy burden on just 3 people (such a range of personnel is

common in MTS and Drama Soc, to great success). Get them

on board early on, and youll be sailing.

THE ROLES:

First Hand Accounts

Below is what a past Director, Music Director and Producer had

to say about their experiences:

Director Nic Fisher

Directing a show at uni is one of the most rewardingexperiences you could ask for. You get to take a piece oftheatre from a few words and notes printed on a page and turnthem into a full three dimensional world for the audience. It'salso not as hard as people think all you need in an idea andpeople skills (and you can always learn the latter as you goalong, I did).

The only thing I would warn is that you need to openly show

that you more committed to the show than any other cast orproduction team member. This is your project and there will betimes when you need to bring the energy to rehearsal or playthe bad cop.

If you can do this and still make the whole process enjoyable

for yourself and the cast then you've got the makings of a

director.


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Music Director Lewis Gaston

Being and MD of Savoy is both a privilege and a challenge. Thekey to being a successful MD is to know the score backwards.

This enables you to deal with questions and problems so muchmore quickly due to the intense learning process of a show.Foresee the problems and difficulties in advance whenscheduling with the producer, and it will be no harder than anyother MD job, the rest is a case of patience, people skills andenthusiasm for the job.

Rehearsals for Savoy are huge fun in that you get a great groupof talented friends turning up on a regular basis. Your task is to

make the ones that struggle want to improve, yet still engagethose who are on the right lines. Rehearsals can be hugelyrewarding at best and tiring at worst, so ensure you know howyou're doing pace-wise all the time. Make it fun, but maintainrespect, if you lose that they'll be smashed before the curtaingoes up and you'll be the one who gets judged. Let them feeluseful too, you don't have all the answers but you should havemore than them, hopefully!

In short, Savoy is a society that is meant to be challenging but

fun, and for everyone! If you know the score well enough and

you're a good teacher you should be able to create a great

show and experience for all involved.

Producer Giles Lindon

Hi, prospective producers.

Now, if you're like any of the producers I've seen, including me,you've just been dragged into this by two well meaning andenthusiastic friends who want to direct and M.D. prospectively,and they've told you that producing will be fun and easy. Thisis, as they say, a mahusive lie.

Being a producer requires a large portion of dedication/timecommitment, a dollop of organisation and a sprinkling of people

skills. It will take over your life for 2 months. You will never get


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the appreciation you know that you deserve. There will betimes when everyone will hate you. But that's fine, becauseyou hate them as well(!)

Now, I've been a producer twice and I'm going to say that,despite the above, there is nothing more rewarding that seeinga show that you have made possible coming to fruition. Seeingthe audience reading programmes that you designed and gotprinted, in a room that you booked, watching a show that,without your efforts, couldn't have happened.

Being a producer involves so many tasks, including orderingthe scores for the show, making a good rehearsal schedule,

book rehearsal rooms, fundraising events, ordering hoodies forthe cast, making sure people turn up on time etc. It's not a badidea to find friends to help out with jobs such as socials and thelaunch night and the like.

Being a producer is highly rewarding and good for developing

skills and confidence, all of which look lovely on a C.V. If you're

in two minds about being a producer... GO FOR IT!

YOUR BID:

What is the Bids Panel looking for in a

Savoy show?

Your bid will be presented in two forms: Bid Pack: Application form sent to you to be filled in and

sent in by a TBC date.

Pitch: Pitch your proposed show to the Bids Panel,

consisting of the committee, Savoy veterans and past

directors, producers etc. You will be questioned (nicely!)

on your bid and what it will involve. Its not a scary

process, just make sure youre prepared!


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What we look for in Savoy shows are:

Exciting, engaging and original takes on shows : Were

looking for productions that will not only wow audiences,

but also ones that draw in a large number of people. The

more cast members, the merrier, even more so when the

show theyre rehearsing is one theyre really looking

forward to performing. BUT make sure your aspirations

are practical and manageable.

Suitability : - Is the show do-able by Savoy members?

Aspects such as musical difficulty, length, pitch

range/stamina of singers and availability of scores,

orchestral parts and licensing rights need to be

researched beforehand. Also, its duration is a major

factor, so state if any musical cuts are to be made as well.

Budget : Arguably one of the most important aspects of

your bid, and it is crucial that you plan this well in

advance. Read on later for more information.

Venue Consideration : The venue for the Spring Term is

the Students Union. This venue, as with any other, has

its pros and cons, so we want to see that youve done yourresearch into how your show will work in the venue, and

how you will deal with any potential problems. Feel free

to ask the SU or the Savoy Committee regarding this.

Rehearsal Plan : - How many rehearsals will you have?

When will they be? How will you accommodate both

principals and chorus? If you have any in your cast, howwill you accommodate Choral Scholars and their busy,


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compulsory schedules, for example? A good rapport with

the SU regarding room bookings is essential, and research

how the ROOM BOOKING process works to get the best

rehearsal spaces.

Fundraising : - A major part of your BUDGET. Part of

Savoys aim regarding Development is to include

FUNDRAISING CONCERTS in the local community as part

of your fundraising programme, meaning they would be a

compulsory part of your bid. Cake sales, socials, sponsors

from the local area are all areas to consider.

Marketing : - There are lot of potential audience members

out there. In the past, producing posters, sending press

releases to local papers and even cast members flyering

outside the College Shop have all been ways of getting the

show noticed which, essentially, gets bums on seats. Also,

there has to be a Launch Night for the show too, usually anight at a local RHUL pub/club to advertise the show, sell

tickets and raise money through games, slave auctions

etc.


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SHOWS

Performances: 3 nights in the SU, 4 if you include a matinee.

The choice of show is entirely up to you, providing it is an

opera/operetta. If there is any potential overlap with other

societies such as Music Theatre Society (MTS) dont hesitate to

contact them! Weve included a small list of shows to get you

started, but feel free to find your own:

Gilbert and Sullivan:

Pirates of Penzance

Trial By Jury

HMS Pinafore

The Mikado

Strauss

Die Fledermaus

Offenbach

Orpheus in the Underworld


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Also, ASK QUESTIONS!!!! The committee are more than

happy to help with any queries you may have.

: - D

BUDGET

Obviously, any show needs to be funded, so below is a guidetowards what you need to bear in mind when getting your

budget organised for a show in the SU:

Injection of Money/Up-front costs

The society will give you 900 as a budget. BE AWARE that

straightaway, 270 will have to go straight to the SU to covertheir costs for staffing, running costs etc. This will leave you

with 630 for your production from the off.

EXPENDITURE

Score Hire The hiring of both vocal and orchestral

scores for your production. Savoy is a member of the

Surrey Performing Arts Library, so as a result you can hire


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scores from them relatively cheaply e.g. Gilbert and

Sullivan operettas can be found there. IF the show youd

like to do is only available through the publisher, then the

costs will be significantly larger as a result, encompassing

score hire and performing rights e.g. going through the

publisher cost the production ofCandide in Spring 2011

700 alone.

Costumes/Props/Scenery If required for your show,

usually hired from local companies. Savoy already owns a

limited selection of such items, so you can ask to see what

we have already.

Posters & Flyering Printing posters and flyers for both

the show, launch night etc.

Programmes Usually sell for 1-1.50. Necessary for the

show, but tend to just break even in relation to printing

costs.

Launch Night Buying of sweets, decorations etc.

INCOME

Ticketsales Usually 4 for students, 6 for adults. This

will be your biggest source of income, so need to make

sure these sales both recoup your production costs, as

well as earn you a profit e.g. working to an estimated

turnout for each performance.

Launch Night A themed evening a week before the

show at a local venue, such as Stumble Inn, Medicine,

Monkeys Forehead etc., that promotes the show.

Moneymaking ideas here include selling sweets, raffles,

slave auctions and other fun competitions/games that get

people spending.

Fundraising Concerts In local community spaces, such

as the Village Centre in Englefield Green. Bear in mind


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costs to hire a space in relation to what you hope to gain

as income.

Sponsorship Can look to local businesses for

sponsorship. Ideas in the past included the advertising ofbusinesses on cast hoodies, programmes and the like.

Miscellaneous Moneymaking Selling Krispy Kreme

doughnuts on campus always goes down well with

punters!

Notes regarding the SU: You wont be allowed to sell

refreshments/sweets in the shows intervals, due to the SU

already doing that, only programmes are allowed.

Best thing to do is to OVERANTICIPATE. Costs can crop up

unexpectedly, so best be prepared for that to keep your budget

on track!

APPLICATION FORM LAYOUT

When a date is set in stone for you to bring your bid/pitch

before the Bids Panel in a meeting, you will be sent a Bid

Proposal Form, which you will fill in and then send back to us by

a specified date for the Panel to look over before the Bids

Meeting itself.

Here is the layout of said form:

Include all of the below together in a document that we on the


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Bids Panel can look over before and during your Bid pitch. The

more informative and thought out your production, the better

your chances!

Product Information

o Name of Production

o Author

o Year First Published

o Publisher and Address

o Score Hire

o What Rights are required, If any?

o Space Bidding for Jane Holloway or SU?

o Synopsis

Cast Information

o Roles

o Chorus

o Dancers

Production Team

o Explain roles/additional ones. Skills/experience.

Productions Concept

o Style of Production

o Design (Set and Costume)

Production Process

o Proposed Rehearsal Schedule

Publicity and Marketing Strategy Raising awarenessof your show, in the uni itself and in the local community.

Budget


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o Breakdown of all COSTS (Income/Expenditure), andany FUNDRAISING you will be doing to increase yourspending capacity.

Health and Safety (This is an important sectionregarding safety of the people within your production.Consider everything that could be a risk to yourproduction, e.g. anything from loose cables to audiencedrink spillages to scenery falling down! )

Conclusion What do you want to achieve overall?!

Savoy Bid Information Pack

Documents

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