It's show time! Choosing a school musical

When the curtain falls on a successful production, it doesn't take long before you ask yourself that inevitable question: ‘So, what are we going to do next?’ Choosing a school show is an annual challenge, a process rather than an event, and – above all – something that everyone wants to get absolutely right. It's a familiar situation, with plenty of fresh complications.

Here are ten golden rules to help you get to a good result with as little stress as possible:

Before starting any discussions, you should know who your decision-makers are. Everyone in your core team needs to have a say, but having lots of additional, conflicting opinions can be unhelpful. As a minimum, your director and music director must be involved. If your team is coordinated by a producer – especially where this is a senior colleague with the power of veto – it's wise to have that person included from the beginning. When you’ve established who gets to choose your show, you can think about your timeline, making sure that you've allowed everyone enough time to research the shows that make it onto your shortlist.