Money-saving tips for no-budget productions

Use public domain plays. Rather than playing up to $10 per script plus royalties, find a public domain play on the web to use. There's a lot of free Christian material, but don't feel constrained to that genre. Shakespeare, the Greeks, Marlowe, the Miracle Plays, Moliere, and plenty of other classic playwrights are available with no royalty. Download a script, edit as needed, and print as needed.

Borrow as much as you can before you buy or rent. We've been lucky at Christian Academy to have a parent on the board of a local theater. For four plays in a row, we have costumed as many as 30 kids without paying a dime in rental fees. If there's no theater to help out, find a church with a good prop and costume closet. If that's not available, poll the parents of your cast. Someone still has grandma and grandpa's old wardrobe in the attic.

Advertise your needs. Use message boards, email lists, church bulletin boards, newsletters, and any other resource available to make your needs known, be it as small as a derby hat or as large as a light board. Churches recycle lighting and sound equipment all the time. So do theaters. When you hear someone's getting new equipment, call and find out what they want. And don't forget to stock up on furniture. People toss out old couches and chairs all the time. You will need these, so grab when you can! For custom costume needs, find a seamstress. It's much cheaper to get some discount fabric and make your own costume than to buy or rent something elaborate - and you'll have that costume handy to use again one day.

Go to auctions and garage sales. Keep an open mind, and look for things that might have a good use. Don't spend money recklessly; those 10 matching genie costumes are cool, but when will you ever use them? Stock up on things that will get used over and over: Biblical costumes, robes, period dresses from the 19th and early 20th centuries, hats, coats, cowboy boots, etc.

Simplify your set design. A black backdrop is extremely versatile. Put a couch and chairs in front of it, it's a living room. A desk and chairs, it's an office. A few fake trees, and it becomes the jungle. Some used cardboard, duct tape, and whatever paint you and other parents have left over in the garage can probably create anything else you need.

Set up your own storage area. Whatever you buy, whatever gets donated, save it and use it until it falls apart at the seams. Keep your storage area neat to prevent excessive wear and tear. And for the actors sake, have the costumes cleaned after every show.