We're three nights in and have three to go.
I'll admit to feeling some small anxieties before we started about the quantity of prompts flying across the fourth wall. But it seems that the actors were just tricking me and they're actually coping with a masterful aplomb with being live and promptness. There's some fluffery for sure but no catastrophe. (As yet.) And they're all acting astonishingly beautifully. I shouldn't say they get better each night as tonight, then, the bubble will burst. But to date, this holds true. The miracle of having an audience.
The technical side of things on the other hand could do better. I say this comfortable in the knowledge that I have only myself to blame. I'm on the sound desk and also responsible for cueing the lights.
On the first night, I started the show way too soon. No actor was ready to come on stage. So three cars arrived, two car doors banged, three car headlights roved over the stage and a shot was (accidentally) fired before anyone set foot on stage. I'm sure it added to the overall sense of menace - or totally disorientated the audience. So the reviewer was being kind when she spoke about first night hitches. Unless we were producing a play about gang warfare. Also, the actors choked on my noodle-ridden chicken soup. Lesson learnt.
Tuesday night, I started the show way too soon AGAIN (with fewer SFX but the same absentee actor problem) and the projector / camera sequence failed.
Last night, we had to make an emergency change to the set when an audience member turned out to be allergic to a peace lily, I was trigger happy with my SFX and played "tape recorded" things several times before the appropriate character had "pressed play" and we had a bit of a strange botched curtain call.
But people don't come and see SFX. They come to see people and (from what I can see) the cast are getting a lot of love and debate and discussion only over the director's poor decision making. Which is well deserved as they continue to work and work on the lines. Hats off to them.
Three nights to go, one of which features the reviewers for the Amnesty International Freedom of Expression Award for which we've been long listed. Wish us continuing luck.
I'll admit to feeling some small anxieties before we started about the quantity of prompts flying across the fourth wall. But it seems that the actors were just tricking me and they're actually coping with a masterful aplomb with being live and promptness. There's some fluffery for sure but no catastrophe. (As yet.) And they're all acting astonishingly beautifully. I shouldn't say they get better each night as tonight, then, the bubble will burst. But to date, this holds true. The miracle of having an audience.
The technical side of things on the other hand could do better. I say this comfortable in the knowledge that I have only myself to blame. I'm on the sound desk and also responsible for cueing the lights.
On the first night, I started the show way too soon. No actor was ready to come on stage. So three cars arrived, two car doors banged, three car headlights roved over the stage and a shot was (accidentally) fired before anyone set foot on stage. I'm sure it added to the overall sense of menace - or totally disorientated the audience. So the reviewer was being kind when she spoke about first night hitches. Unless we were producing a play about gang warfare. Also, the actors choked on my noodle-ridden chicken soup. Lesson learnt.
Tuesday night, I started the show way too soon AGAIN (with fewer SFX but the same absentee actor problem) and the projector / camera sequence failed.
Last night, we had to make an emergency change to the set when an audience member turned out to be allergic to a peace lily, I was trigger happy with my SFX and played "tape recorded" things several times before the appropriate character had "pressed play" and we had a bit of a strange botched curtain call.
But people don't come and see SFX. They come to see people and (from what I can see) the cast are getting a lot of love and debate and discussion only over the director's poor decision making. Which is well deserved as they continue to work and work on the lines. Hats off to them.
Three nights to go, one of which features the reviewers for the Amnesty International Freedom of Expression Award for which we've been long listed. Wish us continuing luck.
posted by Claire at 8:19 am
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