Ideas For Your "One Mad Christmas" Preview Party

Many churches performing dramatic musical productions at Christmas plan a "Listening/Viewing" type of party prior to beginning rehearsals in order to cast the vision and get everyone jazzed (so to speak) about the production. But how do you do that without a soundtrack or quality preview video? That's where we were when we introduced "One Mad Christmas" to our group for the first time.

In previous years, we had used a preview video for this purpose, but this one was, of course, different. We had the added excitement of it being an original musical, but we also had to discover a way to give everyone a picture of what to expect.

Here’s what we did to pull that off. Maybe it will give you a few ideas, also:

• I recruited people to do a reading of the dramatic script before our listening/viewing party. These were generally people I had in mind for the various roles, but not all of them. We printed out copies of the script for everyone, invited them to my house for pizza, assigned them parts to read through, and then we sat in a circle and did a “reading run through.” When we had our "all chorus/cast/interested parties" listening/viewing party, I had these same people read it through like a “radio show.” (Although I honestly can’t remember if we read through sections or the whole thing.)

• I previewed/worked through the score with my pianist and drummer before “previewing” it with everyone else. They had a pretty good handle on it by the time we presented it at the listening/viewing party.

• I printed up production books that included all of the songs that the entire chorus would be singing as well as costume information, background info, countdown information, etc. and passed them out to everyone who came to the listening/viewing party. (Much of this information is provided for you in the "Director's Production Guide" for "One Mad Christmas." It is provided with the other downloadable materials when you license the musical.)

• We sang through the songs live with piano and drums as we introduced the musical that night. This created an immediate "hands on" experience with the musical that involved everyone in the process from the beginning.

• We made a big deal about it being a “special” production, unlike the “canned” musicals we had done in the past. (Not being derogatory here, just trying to distinguish it as being something unique.) Our cast and chorus were very excited about doing a musical that no one else in our area was doing, and one in fact, that had never been done before!

For the earliest groups to license the musical for 2009, Leona and I will be adding a special touch to your Preview Parties by creating a personalized video introduction for you (free, of course). Hopefully, this will help to establish the feel and tone of the musical and our heart/vision behind creating it.

If your group is a little closer to us (we live in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex) we’d be happy to do something similar in person. Contact us today!

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Be sure to download all of the free "preview" files that are located in the sidebar of the main page of this blog, and start with the file, "1MadStarthere.pdf." If you have any additional questions, please feel free to drop me a line at: johnnyleckie [at] gmail.com

Director's Production Guide

When you license the musical for your church or organization, you also receive an 81 page Director's Guide.  

Click here to download a larger version of the preview image.

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Be sure to download all of the free "preview" files that are located in the sidebar of the main page of this blog, and start with the file, "1MadStarthere.pdf." If you have any additional questions, please feel free to drop me a line at: johnnyleckie [at] gmail.com

Looking For A Dramatic Christmas Musical?

If your church is wanting to perform a Dramatic Christmas Musical for Christmas this year but you are having trouble finding one through the traditional channels, then you have come to the right place. "One Mad Christmas" could could be the perfect option for you.

Here are a few recent quotes from Churches doing the musical this year:

"I'm thanking God for your script. It will be so fun for us. I found it on-line and ... I fell in love with the writing of your script right away! I can't wait until my team reads it. "

"Am reviewing the files – I really like what I see, especially the song, 'We 3 Cats.'"

"We too have been struggling with finding quality productions that are outreach oriented and not just churchy stuff. While researching on the internet, I came across "One Mad Christmas" and absolutely fell in love with it. I shared it with our Music Director and she too loved it."

"Our leadership team is extremely excited about the production."

Download all of the FREE files in the box in the sidebar, including a complete copy of the script, song samples and more.

Time is quickly running out for choosing your musical this year! Before you decide to just do a concert with your group this Christmas, please contact me at johnnyleckie [at] gmail.com for video preview info or questions!

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Be sure to download all of the free "preview" files that are located in the sidebar of the main page of this blog, and start with the file, "1MadStarthere.pdf." If you have any additional questions, please feel free to drop me a line at: johnnyleckie [at] gmail.com

A Walk Through Backstage and the Set of One Mad Christmas

Leona and I are excited about the feedback we've received from the churches who are doing the musical this year. We've decided that we will give an extra measure of help to those presenting "One Mad Christmas" in 2008, and are looking forward to seeing how each group "fleshes it out" in their setting!

It is not too late to do this dramatic musical this year, but time is moving along! Download all of the free stuff in the "box" in the sidebar (remember to use the scroll bar in the box if necessary), and email me at johnny@compasswired.com if you'd like to preview the video files for the musical.

Here's a glance backstage and a little closer look at the set of "One Mad Christmas." The audio contains a spoiler or two from the musical. Just thought I'd mention that if you haven't looked at the script, yet. :)

Enjoy.



Direct link: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6233112222830088153&hl=en  

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Be sure to download all of the free "preview" files that are located in the sidebar of the main page of this blog, and start with the file, "1MadStarthere.pdf." If you have any additional questions, please feel free to drop me a line at: johnnyleckie [at] gmail.com

Licensing and Contract Correction

The forms mentioned in the previous post did not have the most up to date fees listed. I've uploaded the more current forms now to the sidebar.

Don't worry. You'll like it better than the one that was there before! :-)

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Be sure to download all of the free "preview" files that are located in the sidebar of the main page of this blog, and start with the file, "1MadStarthere.pdf." If you have any additional questions, please feel free to drop me a line at: johnnyleckie [at] gmail.com

Licensing & Performing the Dramatic Musical

I'm happy to report that the "preview song score" files are back in the sidebar! I fixed the weird font troubles they were experiencing, and they should work fine, now. However, if you download them and the fonts still look strange, drop me a line at johnny [at] compasswired.com.

You'll also notice that we've updated a few of the other preview files also, and have added two new files, "Licensing and Performing One Mad Christmas" and "Performance License and Production Contract." You'll want to check them out in that order. These files answer a number of questions about how to do this dramatic musical with your church or organization.

Before we determined the fee structure, Leona and I did a little research. Here's an example we discovered recently for a similar type of dramatic musical from a choral music publishing company:

For 30 choral books, a Director's Guide, a Production Manual, a Demonstration Video and an Accompaniment CD the cost came to $438.35. Replace the Accompaniment CD with Orchestration, and the cost jumps to $698.35 Add another $7.95 for every additional book you'll need. This is all before you begin to consider set construction costs, possible lighting rentals, any promotional expenses, ticket and media royalties, etc. There's also all of the $15.00 "preview packs" that you need to purchase before you decide on the musical that works for you. (Although in fairness, many companies do provide audio clips of many of their musicals on their websites.)

Bleah. Here's what's different about doing "One Mad Christmas:"

It's fully downloadable. There's one reasonable license fee structure. Print all of the books you need. Charge for admission. Make Videos. Post clips on the web. Perform the musical as many times as you want in a calendar year. Our video demonstration is pretty bad, but you can see it for free if you ask really nicely. The production manual is included. All of the preparation "production materials" you need to perform the musical are included. The "preview pack," such as it is, is free.

I get all "Web 2.0-ish" just thinking about it. :)

Check it out. Download the file, "Licensing and Performing One Mad Christmas" now, and see if this is the musical for you this year. We'd love to hear from you!
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Be sure to download all of the free "preview" files that are located in the sidebar of the main page of this blog, and start with the file, "1MadStarthere.pdf." If you have any additional questions, please feel free to drop me a line at: johnnyleckie [at] gmail.com

Shiny Aluminum Christmas Tree

One of the fun elements of "One Mad Christmas" was adding an "Aluminum Christmas Tree" to the set of "J.J.'s."

"A Charlie Brown Christmas," which was first broadcast in December of 1965, is considered by some to be the beginning of the downward spiral of the aluminum tree's popularity in American homes. In the setting of our musical (1960), however, the trees were still in vogue.

My Grandmother had one when I was little and I remember being fascinated with the "color wheel" and the way the silver branches changed colors as the wheel turned. I still think they're kind of cool. :)

The "Aluminum Christmas Tree" is not absolutely essential for performing the musical, but it is a fun, nostalgic addition whose appearance on set immediately suggests another era.


We had a family in our church who happened to have one that we were able to use for the production. The color wheel required a few modifications, but it worked great. There are many places to find one of these trees and color wheels, but your own congregation is the best starting point.

If you are interested in purchasing one, try looking in Thrift shops or dig a little deeper and buy one from Amazon.

Since they were popular midway through the last century, there will definitely be a few people in your group who have never heard of them, much less seen one before. Adding this kind of element to your Christmas production can create an atmosphere among your cast, chorus and production team that what you are doing is unique and special.

...Ok, and I guess also a little "quirky." :)

Check out these sites for more Aluminum Christmas Tree Fun:

Aluminumtree.com

Cool Things - Aluminum Trees

AluminumChristmastrees.net

Listen to stories at NPR:

Aluminum Christmas Tree Museum

Aluminum Trees Make A Comeback ( * Highly recommended! Definitely worth the 3 minutes. Also includes video of color spinning wheel on a tree from 1962.)
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Be sure to download all of the free "preview" files that are located in the sidebar of the main page of this blog, and start with the file, "1MadStarthere.pdf." If you have any additional questions, please feel free to drop me a line at: johnnyleckie [at] gmail.com