2 posts tagged “plays”

I really can't believe I dragged myself out of bed this morning to come to work. But then, I don't have internet access at home, so how else would I be able to post my blog? So here I am, trying to figure out how I can make a tent fort with my coat and some file boxes so I can curl up on the floor and get another couple of hours of sleep.

Last night went a bit long. Just a little after midnight. By tech week standards it really isn't that late. It's probably pretty average. But it would have been a whole lot easier to handle if I could have slept in until noon. Then again, I think that way about mornings when I go to bed at 10pm the night before.

Something magical happened last night though. Things got underway with the actors around 8 o'clock. It was supposed to be a full run-thru with tech, but they didn't get through all the light and sound cues from the night before, so we were starting with Act II and moving on from there. Right off the bat, this is not a good indicator of how things might go. I mean, if they could only get through one act in four hours, what hope did we have of getting though the second act and still get a full run-thru in? In costume. With all the tech going off without a hitch.

I'd had a bad day at work. The grey, overcast, freezing weather wasn't helping my mood either. So when I got to rehearsal and realized how the evening was going to pan out, I was pretty cranky.  So when we finally got through all the cues at around 10:15ish I suggested that maybe a full run-thru wasn't such a good idea. People were tired and getting sick and there's no need to make it worse five days before opening. My suggestion was to get them into costume and go through a few cues and shuffle everyone home. There was some discussion and some people really wanted to see the run-thru in costume.

As an actor, I would have wanted the run-thru myself. Just walk through the space, carrying props or moving furniture, with the lights and sound. Just to start mapping things out in my brain. But last night, I wasn't thinking like an actor. I was thinking like a cranky, tired playwright who was wondering why he'd bothered to show to up to start with.

We gave the cast the final vote. The options were a) Just the tops and bottoms of scenes, in costume, running some of the more involved sound cues. Or b) A speed-thru, skipping through some of the longer scenes, but slowing down through the sound cues. At first the vote was pretty even for both options. But then one of the actors said "Let's just do it" and it was so.

And I am so glad they did it. I'm sure everyone is feeling about as groggy and fuzzy around the edges as me this morning, but I left the theater last night truly excited to see this show. They raced through the whole thing, didn't drop a line, no majorly screwed up cues and got through the whole show in an hour. It was an awesome sight to behold. The costumes look pretty darn good. At least the ones we saw. And damn if the last scene with The Chorus doesn't make me tear up every time.

I can't wait to watch it again tonight. At regular speed.

And I can't wait for you, Gentle Reader, to see this show.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All right, let's try this again.

I just finished writing a long-ass post about our tech rehearsal last night and my Windows Explorer decided to crap out on me and I lost everything. I am not a happy camper. But somehow, it seems fitting, since the theme here is tech week. Where nothing ever goes as smoothly as you want it to.

So last night we had our first technical rehearsal. To keep myself entertained while I sat and watched the actors move furniture around, I decided to a little running commentary. Enjoy.

 

7:00pm – April 10^th: It’s our first night in the space. The actual four walls that will hold the show for the next five weeks. There is a couch and a bed and a desk and paint on the walls. Red paint. Lots of red paint. It’s starting to look like an actual show. We’ll have to wait until the actors take the stage to see if it’s the same show I’ve been bragging about as of late.

 

Tech week is usually the most frustrating part of the whole process. It’s where all the magical elements come together. Lights and sound and scenery. But they don't just appear, oh no, you have to go through every cue to get the timing right. The first night is the night when everyone holds their breath and hope it all goes off without a hitch. So far we’ve been lucky. Load in was super easy. But then, that was just the techies doing their thing without a bunch of actors getting in the way. Tonight will be a whole different story. If we’re out of here before midnight I’ll be impressed.

 

7:15pm: We get things started. Everyone is here and the Stage Manager is giving us the rules of the space. One of the fun aspects of being an itinerant theater company is that we have to respect whatever space we find ourselves in. This is our first time in National Pastime Theater, so we don’t want to do anything that would make the owners think twice about having us back. However, one of the rules is “no food in the theater”. Tough one. Especially during tech week.

 

Tonight will be all about cues. Sound cues and scene transitions. Tomorrow night will be lights. We have a couple of large set pieces that need to move around during the show and it’s the actors that have to move them. We want it to look as smooth as possible, so everyone will be hating this by the end of the night.

 

We’ve also discovered that the couch and bed that we borrowed is covered in cat hair and two of our actors have severe allergies. So we’ll either be covering them or steam cleaning them or both. The Stage Manager steps up to the shopvac and gets to work removing what he can. Everyone takes ten.

 

 

 

8:00pm: Ten turns into forty-five and we are ready to begin. There’s a lot of down time for actors during tech week. For a play that wouldn’t exist without them, they have to take a back seat until the final dress rehearsal. Even then it’s about making sure all the cues work properly. So they just say their lines and stand where they’re supposed to. Reduced to fleshy furniture. Such is the life of an actor.

 

We set up the first scene to prepare for the first major transition. It’s like planning a football route. A table and backdrop have to leave the stage, while three chairs get shifted around. As a writer I didn’t even think about the logistics of all of this. Of course, I didn’t envision ten foot rolling flats either, but that’s part of the beauty of producing a play. And I have to admit, they're pretty damn cool.

 

But we’re moving right along. Mainly because the actors are pros and are staying focused. They've danced this dance before and they don't want to be here any later than is necessary. But it’s early. The punch-drunkness and boredom will slowly eat at them and I’m sure The Stage Manager will have to raise his voice before the night is over.

 

 

 

8:30pm: We learn that the bed needs support on both sides. We learn this as everyone gets off the bed, leaving Sean on one side to roll off. If only it fit in the show, it would be a very funny bit.

 

Another thing that tends to change during tech week is blocking. In rehearsals they work with stand-in furniture and props and they are never the same size or weight as the actual items. As they work with the rolling flats they are discovering that people are suddenly hidden behind them. Things like “find a reason for your character to move” are said. Which begs the question, how important is the blocking to begin with? Does it need to be set? Should it be fluid and ever-changing? There are many schools of thought on the subject. Or at least two.

 

I’ve worked with directors who have every step mapped out beforehand. They tell you where to move and when. As an actor is can be very stagnate and really not so much fun. Part of the excitement of doing the same show night after night is the possibility that things might be different from the night before. You can’t do everything like that, obviously. Fight choreography wouldn’t work so well if you didn’t know exactly what was going to happen each night. One time, playing Romeo, I had to actually defend myself against an overly zealous Tybalt. Armed with a real sword. Moving entirely too quickly. Each night differing from the night before as he tried new tactics to beat me. Each night I wanted to stab him in the throat. But I survived. I only got my knuckles busted once.

 

 

 

9:00pm: We’ve almost made it through the end of the first act running transitions. We still have to run everything again with sound cues. Why didn't we do sound first ? Hmmm. The Costume Designer is here to work through some issues as well. People are going to start to get grumpy soon. But it’s something you have to do. They don’t call it “Hell Week” for nothing.

 

Oh no. The first casualty of the cat-hair-covered-bed is Sean. This sucks. When you're working with a teeny-tiny budget you take props and set pieces where ever you can get them. The cheaper the better. So when people are willing to donate furniture you're always grateful. But it's no good if you have actors that have to avoid those set pieces for fear of breaking out in hives.

 

That would put a different spin on the show; The Leader covered in a rash, with oozing hives, his eyes swollen shut. I'm not sure what we'd be trying to say there, but it might be a neat look. Maybe next time.

 

9:37pm: Somehow we blew through Act II. And it’s time for a break. As I’ve been sitting on my ass for the last hour and a half I will be standing and hoping to get some feeling back in my left cheek.

 

 

 

9:55pm: And we’re back. Doing sound. And I was wrong. It was the Sound Designer who was the first to raise his voice. But in his defense, his job is sound, so if there is chatting and “bits” going on it makes it a little hard to hear.

I love the sound for this show. The pre-show music is all 80s music. A lot of the cues are either pieces of 80s songs or the songs outright. These dudes rock. If you have the means, I highly recommend you pick them up. If you can tell me where the score under some of the scenes come from, I’ll buy you a drink.

 

10:30pm: Still on sound. The punchiness is starting to manifest itself in quirky line readings and silly walks. There is lots of giggling and yawning. I’m beat myself and I’m just sitting here. Not sure how much longer I’ll be able to keep my eyes open. I have to give the actors credit, hell everyone really, if they're crabby they aren't being outwardly noticable about it. Me? I'd be looking at my watch and sighing loudly about now. But since I'm just sitting here, snapping the ocassional pictures and "borrowing" someone else's wi-fi, I won't complain.

 

11:10pm: We've made it through the end of the first act. The powers that be are discussing whether we'd be better served to stop here for the night. Pushing on might cause a revolt. Everyone is dead tired. This is also the week that people almost always get sick during a show. You're dead tired, you're eating crappy food and the viruses love to take advantage of the situation. 

It seems like we'll be wrapping up for the night. Good decision. I've never seen a group of people throw on their coats and exit a building so fast in my life. They're probably afraid that someone might change their mind and decide to soldier on through Act II.

I'm happy to go home, myself. Nothing takes it out of you more than spending a full work day sitting at desk, staring at a computer, only to head to the theater for four more hours of the same. But we'll be back tomorrow for more of the same fun. God willing and the creek don't rise.