Help from a small town....

I taught in an at-risk low to middle socio-economic high school for ten years where I had no pit and had to be somewhat selective with my shows. I went from canned music, which I hated, to nothing but piano. For a couple of shows, I had a small orchestra, I took out two rows of seats in front of the stage. My set for Fiddler consisted of carry on props and pieces. I constructed two roof-top outlines and hung them to represent the houses. I used a black wooden silhouette of a house raised on a wagon for my Fiddler who sat on a stool. My former students and I will never forget the magic of those ten years. The lean years when we had absolutely nothing to work with to the year when another school loaned us their Man of La Mancha set when we thought we were in theatrical set heaven. I taught my drama kids to understand the purity of "IT'S ALL ABOUT THE STORY." Here is a list of the musicals: The Wiz, Grease, Little Shop of Horrors, Damn Yankees, Big, You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown, Guys and Dolls, Fiddler on the Roof, Les Miserables, HS Edition, and Man of La Mancha. I know you will find your own magic with your students.