How to select parts for your guests.

Most experienced planners go with all character roles whenever possible and when the size of their party permits. When this is not practical, planners order a combination of characters and extras (extra player parts) to bring them up to their total count of guests.

Most guests will do better (and enjoy the party more) with a character role. This is the case even for your introverted guests. Shy guests feel less "pressured" when they know the identity of the role they are playing. They then do not feel like they have to exercise their imaginations as much as they might with an extra part.

The characters are designed to be easy and fun to play. Remember: there is no script to memorize and your guests play their roles to the degree they feel comfortable with. There is never any pressure to do more than that.

And, we always build in a wide variety of character types in each package (from the "best played by outgoing types" characters to the low key, supporting characters) so that you will have plenty of appropriate roles to choose from when casting your party.

We are also available if you need any assistance when casting your party.

When planners order extras, they generally do so for the following reasons:

• Their numbers exceed the numbers of character roles available for the theme selected (for large parties).
• They are unsure of their final count of guests.
• They are extremely lopsided in their male/female ratio and exceed both our customizing ability and our m/f flexible sizing ability.
• They want to have some additional parts on hand for "last, last minute" guests.
• Their budget dictates the use of some extras.
• They have guests who do not wish to participate, but do wish to attend. For these guests, extras are a good choice. They will at least understand what is going on. They won't add an element of confusion to the party that might interfere with the other guests' enjoyment. And should they feel inspired to participate (as they usually do when they see how much fun and how easy it is), they can.

Mixing character and extra parts:

When not practical to go with all character roles, planners will "mix and match" between the character kits and extra player kits to come up with the right mix for their party.

When mixing, we recommend that you not exceed more than 30% extras to characters for parties of up to 70 people. Above that number, the party will support unlimited extras. (The maximum cast size parties are designed with big numbers in mind. We build in characters that help to manage the large numbers and therefore, the event can support many extras.)

In all cases, each guest should either have a character kit or an extra player kit in order that they receive the necessary materials to understand and enjoy the event. You don't want your guests feeling left out or confused by what is going on. (Even if you don't play football, it is necessary to understand the game in order to enjoy watching it!)

We can offer additional guidelines for your individual party and would be happy to consult with you when planning your party.

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