School Production Review

What this is

This is a one-off, 60-minute production review designed for teachers in charge of production at the point where the production is coming into focus and decisions start to matter.

It provides a structured opportunity to step back, sense-check key choices, and identify small, practical adjustments that reduce pressure later — without adding more work to your plate.

Why schools use this

In professional productions, responsibility is shared across specialist teams. In schools, productions are often run in relative isolation, with one or two staff carrying multiple roles and working with varying levels of experience across students, volunteers, and support staff.

In that context, it’s not about expertise or commitment — it’s about having a second set of eyes to see what’s difficult to see from inside the process.

About the reviewer

Matthew Aris has worked in school theatre and production contexts for over 20 years, directing and producing more than 20 school productions himself. In recent years, he has been involved in supporting the staging of over 120 school productions nationally, working across a wide range of venues, budgets, timelines, and school contexts.

This work has included close collaboration with teachers, students, volunteers, and industry professionals, as well as published research on effective education–industry partnerships. The focus of this review draws directly on that experience — identifying patterns early and helping schools make practical decisions that hold up under real production conditions.

Following the session, you’ll receive a written summary highlighting key observations and practical next steps discussed.

What the review covers

Each review is tailored to the specific realities of your school and your production. The focus is always on practical, achievable adjustments rather than wholesale change.

• Show choice and suitability for your student cohort and school context

• Clarifying production leadership roles and responsibilities

• Budget planning and prioritisation

• Managing student expectations and building a healthy rehearsal culture

• Rehearsal scheduling that is realistic and sustainable

• Working in professional or shared venues and understanding venue constraints

• Technical aspects of production (sound, lighting, staging, technical requirements)

• Set design and set acquisition (build, hire, or simplified alternatives)

• Working effectively with volunteers and school-based production teams

• Engaging industry professionals and external providers — when and how

• Risk considerations and required risk assessments