A Habit for Entertainment-Vicki Quade

The audio interview has been posted online at
Wauktown Radio.

Vicki Quade is the author of Late Nite Catechism and Put the Nuns in Charge! Her most recent play, Sunday School Cinema, just opened at the Royal George Theatre in Chicago. After the interview on Wauktown Radio, Vicki gave us step-by-step instructions for those interested in producing their own one person show. They’re all included here!

The respect that Vicki has for the nuns comes through in all of her plays about religion, Catholicism, and growing up. “The nuns are like a second mother,” Vicki said after we concluded our interview at Wauktown Radio. Her first success, Late Nite Catechism was originally scheduled for a limited run. Now, 15 years latter, the play is still being performed and enjoys a world wide audience. Her newest show is “wonderful blend of satire and nostalgia” says Pioneer Press Press.http://www.pioneerlocal.com/newsstar/entertainment/415093,dy-sundayschool-060607-s1.article

Vicki plans to eventually have all of her web sites entered through one location at www.nuns4fun.com, making it easy for people to find her. In the meantime, you can visit each of her websites: www.latenitecatechism.info www.putthenunsincharge.com and www.sundayschoolcinema.com.

A successful one-person show looks easy to produce. If it’s done right, it will look effortless! Getting to that point is not that easy and takes many steps.

Here is Vicki’s advice on the steps to take if you have a show and want to produce it:

1. Finish a good first draft.
2. Find a performance space; you only need one night. “The easiest thing to do is to contact your local library and see if you can reserve a room,” Vicki suggests. If the library doesn’t have a roomavailable, then ask your church. “Sometimes you can use the church basement.”
3. Invite an audience to hear your piece. “I wouldn’t read the piece myself because as the author, you want to hear it being read. You want to gauge the reaction of your audience. So ask someone else to read it, someone you trust will give it life,” Vicki says.
4. Tape record the performance. “Tape record all the reactions people have. You don’t have to videotape it. Just audiotape,” Vicki says. “Then when it’s over, you can listen to that tape and see for yourself where the piece dragged, where it was lost, where it good, what made you laugh, what did you respond to, where did the piece fall apart.”
5. Invite more people to hear your piece. “Once you have a new draft that you think will be good, invite some people to hear it again. Try to invite a few new people so you get a better mix of comments,” Vicki says.
6. Tape again and listen, then invite producers. “Once you have done this process enough and you feel you have a show ready to be produced, contact theater producers and invite them to a reading,” Vicki says.
7. Reach out to the theatre community. Here’s Vicki suggestions: “Invite theater companies that are doing pieces you like. Invite actors who might want to perform your piece. Have a package of information ready for them that explains the show, looks at the demographics of your audience, sells the producer or theater company on the idea of actually producing your show!”
8. Add experience. “At this producers reading, use someone experienced to read your script,” Vicki says. “Ask any actors you know. If you don’t know any, ask at your local school. See if anyone is interested in helping.”

“If you really believe your piece has merit, you might be able to hook up with a producer or a theater company that is interested,” Vicki says.

Remember there are other options to consider, too. “You can always produce it yourself if you think you won’t lose your shirt on it! Make a deal with a theater to rent the space for, say, a 4 to 6 week run,” Vicki says. “You can always try to work an arrangement where you pay some nominal rent plus a percentage of ticket sales.”

Finally, Vicki says remember that when you are the producer, you are in charge of publicity and marketing, and you’ll need a set designed, lights designed, a sound person (often the lights and sound person can be the same person). “It is a lot of work, but then you control the production,” says Vicki.

And she offers one final comment:

“Good luck.”