PUTTING TOGETHER A SHOW by Tony Borders

The words that you are about to see are exactly the words that was written by Tony on May 27, 2007, re-written here for your knowledge.

Here are some thoughts for putting together a theme show, whether it is for a library, school, church, birthday, ...

1. Choose the theme. (ex. bullying)
2. Study it. Pay particular attention to the things that are new to you. If it is new to you, it is probably new to your audience as well.
3. Pick 3-5 main points you want the audience to remember.
4. Pick little points under these main points.
5. List all the creative things you can do...pantomime, balloon twists, art, ventriloquism, magic, puppetry, story-telling, etc.
6. Match #4 with #5. What is the best way to teach something on list #4 using something from list #5 (ex. 4, tell an adult. 5, vent skit)
7. Start writing.
8. Review the 3-5 main points.
These examples have been added by N. Jay
1. Cooperation, Sharing, Caring, Respect, Consideration.
2. Time to do a lot of research, whatever you choose to discuss as an assembly be sure you know as much about it as possible, there will be questions asked.
3. This is very self-explanatory. There are points that must be emphasized and remembered regarding your topic. In your routine have them stand out by making your figure say something pertaining to that detail.
4. Now each one of these points have other issues in relationship to them.
5. With your talent bring out these issues on a level that is understandable to your audience.
6. Now with the talent such as ventriloquism using your vent figure talk about those topics and sub-topics.
7. Once you have this information in your mind in the order you'd like to present it, begin writing it down putting it into an outline form.
8. Now, it's time to practice, practice, practice. Know your topic. Know your routine. Know your audience. And, be polished and honed.
9. Even though there is no #9, in reality there is. #9 is research and the research is at your fingertips, the Internet is a warehouse of knowledge on every conceivable topic you can imagine. The Internet not only will help you with your topic but will help you locate jokes pertaining to that topic.
10. Depending upon the age group you are working with, a great idea could be to tell a story and have your vent figure play one of the main characters in the story whether he is being bullied or learning to cooperate, the children will not only learn faster but will also enjoy the assembly.
11. Be careful when putting your routine together for copyrighting, public domain. It is a well-known fact that a story becomes public domain 50 years after the author's demise.

Other things that can always be added: Audience warm-up, this day in history, examples from popular fiction or history, quotations, character build-up quick routines

THIS ENDS THIS PORTION OF THIS ENTRY..WATCH FOR MORE TO COME.