I don't want people to come.
I don't want them to come if the performance is going to suck. Yeah, acting wise we're pretty fine, and we've got the entire master plan figured out.
Good job, the thing is, theatre is a precise art. Precision is necessary in almost everything. Not really acting though, but theatre is so much more than acting.
Where you stand matters, cause the lightsman has about 60 lights in front of him. And they're not arranged in a very cute and easy to understand way. Its almost random, so he has to try out all 60 lights and then mark down where they are on another sheet of paper.
So it means if you're not standing where you are, and the spotlight is somewhere else then...too bad.
If you're frozen then the spotlight won't move to you, it can't move.
If you're relying on the lightsman to find another spotlight where you are then....its down to luck.
You can modify your lines quite a bit when you're acting, as long as your co actor is fine with it of course.
Thing is he's not the only one following your cues.
Lightsman!
Oh yes, if you mess up your cue and your lightsman isn't super familiar with the play, don't be surprised when a spotlight doesn't come on or off. Its just not going to happen.
Next, props.
Yeah, I'm talking about the shtuff you move on and off the stage. The maybe 20 items you move for each scene.
Who's going to bother about which side of the stage its going to be. Who's going to bring what on stage. Who's going to bring what off stage. Where do you put it in the darkness. How do you do it all in ten seconds or less.
The only way around all of that is practice. And yes, you have to assign people to props one by one.
If you don't you might end up with an extra table, a missing chair, huge clanking noises during the blackout, an extremely long pronounced and uncomfortable blackout or horrors upon horrors a stagehand caught on stage as the lights come on.
Zzt.
Luckily we have a full dress rehearsal.
But by the time our dear director realises whats happening, it may be too late.
Labels: rant
