BUD, NOT BUDDY – An Adaptation

From the Creative and Critical Thinking Guide for BUD, NOT BUDDY:

Playwright Reginald André Jackson adapted author Christopher Paul Curtis’s book Bud, Not Buddy into a play.

When an author writes a book, he or she does most of the creating alone. Theatre is much more collaborative, and many people are involved in the creation of a play. Once the playwright crafts the characters, a set designer has to decide what the scenery will look like. A costume designer decides what everyone will wear. More people had to decide what the audience would hear and see when the magic happened onstage. The sound designer and the lighting designer will decide what the audience will hear and see onstage. Each person brings his or her ideas to the table and helps make the play come to life.

With so many people involved in a production, the director is responsible for coordinating the work of each actor and designer. He or she helps everyone work together so that the vision for the final product is achieved. Never far from the director’s side is the stage manager. It is his or her job to coordinate the requests of the director so that everyone moves at the right time and all of the lights and sounds come and go on cue. While you are sitting in your seat watching the show, the stage manager is running everything from the booth in the back of the theater.

At the end of the show when you’re clapping for the actors on the stage, also think about the playwright and all of the designers and directors who brought the pieces together.

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Tickets to BUD, NOT BUDDY are available for the final public performances on Fri, Nov 19 at 7:30 and Sat, Nov 20 at 2p and 7:30p at aestages.org or at the Paramount Box Office, 559 Washington Street, Boston.