Slug: Theatre Production

• CASTING--Among the most enjoyable parts of the process, and maybe the most important. Casting decides who you will be working with and molding for the next few months and who will consequently be responsible for painting the pictures you have in mind with your piece. For our particular festival, we saw 125 auditioners vying for the parts in 30 different plays, all to be viewed at the same event. Every director looks for something different while they're trying to cast their play, depending on the physical demands of the characters, and the emotional stress each actor will be under while putting on the show as well. For my play, this initial audition served to weed out the physically inappropriate people from the people who could fit the script. For example, my script demanded that the actress playing the leading lady be taller than the actor playing the leading man. This limited my selection pool greatly. Also, the character of Doc had to be played by an actor who could be believable as an old man. Being an auditioning group made up of only college students, this type is extremely hard to come by. Unfortunately, a lot of the times, casting is based on these basic truths about the script rather than just about the talent of the actor, the quality of their performance, or their choice of audition material.
• CALLBACKS--The callbacks is a sub-category of casting, in that it is the second phase of auditioning that some directors require to finally cast their show. For me, it was helpful to hear each actor's voice in the role, and to see how each auditioner interacted with the other actors I had considered for the other parts in the show. This was the most surprising part of the casting process for me. I called some people back, never really thinking they would be able to pull off exactly what I was looking for. On a few occasions, though, people came in and made some acting choices that I hadn't even considered myself. Some people absolutely blew me away. And those were the people I chose for my cast.
• REHEARSALS--Once the cast was in place, it was time to start the rehearsal process. Considering my play was only 15 minutes long, I didn't really think that this process would be so grueling and demanding. It turned out to be quite the ordeal. There are 4 characters in my particular piece, all of whom speak throughout the entire play. Trying to get them all to converse and interact without major train wrecks was more of a challenge than I had anticipated. No matter what I did, someone's back was facing the audience. Obviously a big no-no. Actors forgetting their lines was the bane of my existence for a long time during the rehearsal process since it broke up the flow and discouraged me. Even getting actors to the rehearsals in the first place was challenging enough. Everyone's schedules conflicted with everyone else's and as soon as they agreed on a day, I couldn't be there, etc etc. It was a never-ending battle to find rehearsal space and time. Once everyone had their text memorized and the scripts out of their hand, we could finally start working on character analysis, and trying to decide how the actors should play the scene. This has to be a collaborative process, between actor and director, so everyone can compromise and feel comfortable with the final product. On average, my cast rehearsed about three times a week, for a total of six hours per week. Three of my other cast members were involved in other plays, sometimes more than one other, which is often the case both in the collegiate setting and in the real world, so this can create both scheduling hassles plus the possibility of the actors' brains getting overloaded with too much material. Throughout the rehearsal process, the director is constantly meeting with the technical staff of sound designers, lighting designers, set designers, costume designers, hair/makeup designers, and stage crew to communicate what it is he/she will need for their particular show. I changed my mind several times when trying to design the lighting plot for my show, opting to use two spotlights at the very end rather than just have the stage lights up for the entire time. I thought it would produce a more dramatic effect but this had to be communicated to the lighting design team so an adequate number of crew members could be designated for my night of performance. Also, the propmaster was in charge of obtaining any props I might need so that list had to be submitted to her very early on in the rehearsal process. There is so much organization and cooperation that goes into putting on a festival like this one. Everyone has so much responsibility, and about six other things that they are involved with, so the more punctual and understanding you can be as a director, the more you're going to get what you want.
• TECH WEEK--The most stressful part of the process, in my opinion.  This is where all of the elements of production come together. This is the first time that all the lighting crew, stage crew, sound crew, and stage managers combine to make the total package. The director has a chance at this point to tweak minor details and decide to change last-minute cues, but for the most part, by tech week, the show is out of the director's hands. This was a nerve-wracking experience for me. So many of the elements I had pictured in my head as looking a certain way ended up not looking the way I wanted them to at all. The new lighting and sound cues threw the actors off pace a little so the performance aspect of the show took an unexpected downturn during the first tech rehearsal. We ran the show twice through with complete lighting and sound before our time slot was done for the night. My cast was disappointed with their performance and was afraid that I was having second thoughts about casting them or putting on this show at all. Although I was nervous about how it would all turn out, I was still thankful that I had such a piece that I had poured so much work and time into. And certainly wasn't sorry about who I had in my cast. The next night we had another shot at it. This time, we had my stage manager calling the lighting cues from the lighting booth set above the stage, and again, all technical aspects were set to run. We only got one run-through this night, so it had to be perfect. It was important to me that my actors do well tonight because otherwise, their morale would be shot for the upcoming weekend of productions. This night went worlds better than that first disaster and the cast felt rejuvenated and enthusiastic for the opening night ahead.
• PERFORMANCE--The culmination of all of the blood, sweat, and tears. The house was packed, not an empty seat in the place. My cast was ready and excited, but I could tell by their nervous pacing that there were still resounding fears from that tech rehearsal two nights ago. I gave my cast a pep-talk before sending them out there about how much confidence I had in each one of them and how proud I was at all they had accomplished. I'm not sure my words were enough to calm their fears, but they seemed appreciative at the attempt at least. At last, it was time to go onstage. 4 a.m. (Open All Night) was scheduled to be the fourth play on the program for the evening, and the last one right before an intermission. I stood in the back of the darkened auditorium waiting for the cast to enter the stage and found myself more nervous than my actors. I have never felt that helpless or out-of-control. I realized in that instant that if any of my cast members wanted to scream obscenities in the middle of a scene and storm offstage, there was absolutely nothing I could do to stop them. Of course, I knew that that wouldn't happen but by the time of performance, the show is so out of a director's hands that it can cause a great deal of anxiety. Opening night of my play went without a hitch. The actors had more energy than I had seen since the first rehearsal and they hit all their marks. The audience around me really seemed to respond to the messages inherent in the play and laughed at the right parts. The ending of my play is so controversial and upsetting and I was thrilled to see it have the desired effect on the audience around me. After the show was over, my actors got a standing ovation and call me selfish, but I felt that some of it was for me. 

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