Some scripts read well, but don't play well

How do  you save the show when the script that seemed great when you picked it, starts looking like a disaster once rehearsals are underway?  Community theatre play selection is usually a careful process. Selection committees read dozens of scripts, consider their potential casting, and create a season the theatre's patrons will like. But once in a while, there's a play script that makes for a great read but somehow falls flat when the actors get hold of it. And the problem is, the director may not realize it until it's too late to start over.

So the director is stuck. He or she can't revise the script (legally), or make changes that violate the author's intent.  Most community theatres can't or won't replace actors except under extreme circumstance, either, even if a fresh approach might make a difference.

So what is a director to do when the script is letting him (and the cast) down?  The Geeks (who have all been there as directors) talk about some possible approaches rescuing the sinking script, and save the show that's already in rehearsals and maybe even prevent the issue from coming up in the first place.

Music provided by Music Alley