Category: Asides

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More on that ‘moment’ we’re supposed to be in …

I’ve written before about one of those phrases tossed round by acting folk: being in the moment. I recall the brilliant Dawn French using it in that sweet comedy series The Vicar of Dibley. ‘Geraldine’ was directing the parish’s nativity play. She’d dropped her vicarly garb, and was dressed in requisite directorial kit. All was not going well, so she asked the cast to ‘take a moment to take a moment’ to get into character. Not sure how many general public would have got the nuances of the jargon …

But, being in the moment extends to more than just the actor as character in performance, something that ‘Geraldine’ understood, and which much acting training tends sometimes to over-emphasise. I’m reminded as I noted in that earlier post of how the moment is also filled by the actor’s constant scoping of what’s happening on stage … in the auditorium, drifting in and out of a character’s consciousness … those lovely, fleeting but deeply felt moments of ‘being a character.’ If you could run a video of the actor’s awareness it would most probably screen as a sequence of random, abstracted images with a camera’s point of view of the action; the soundtrack would consist of dialogue and probably the silent sub-text and interior monologues … those of the character and those of the actor as s/he preps a moment of action.

And of course that moment extends during the final dress rehearsals and performance season to the actor’s daily life … off stage. Fleeting, random snatches of moments, lines, notes to self , images flit through the consciousness. These can be distracting but they need to be accepted and seen in the context of the whole creative process.

And speaking of moments and creative process … I’m splitting my attention this week as I work for a few hours each day on another production with my students. It’s a first, major public production for them, and part of my job is to assist them to make the transition from acting studio to rehearsal room, and then the stage … to learn how to put their developing skills to work on the job. It’s a project I relish, and yes it is distracting me from that other mind-chatter that is demanding my attention … work on role in a production that opens this week … tomorrow in fact!

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Watching from the wings: Dress 1

Watching from the wings is one of those special perspectives only granted to the inner circle of a production. I’ve often thought audiences would be fascinated by what goes on ‘out there.’ You could sell tickets maybe! As an actor, I’ve been lurking a bit in the wings, soaking up the energy on stage and trying to absorb the events in the narrative to assist the scenes in which I appear; this is part of my prep. It is the production as a whole which occupies everyone’s mind right now … individual performances by actors, crew and musicians are geared toward the ensemble, and we draw energy and inspiration from one another. This is a thrilling time as we work towards the entrance of the audience.

And tonight? A great feeling at night’s end. Our energy is up, and the ensemble is clicking. To bed … adrenaline rush gone … tired but elated. The lines continue to run in the head … but the page has gone, replaced by faces, colours, movement. We have a play!

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Entering the stage world

IMG_0148Today begins the final part of the journey as we enter technical and dress rehearsal time. We’ll work through two days of technical rehearsals where lighting, sound and media are integrated into the live action and become part of the story-telling, and of the mise-en-scene of the production. Tech rehearsals can be a trying time for all involved; cues need to be finalised, scene changes and quick costume changes smoothed, and calling by the stage-manager (in the corner) timed to perfection. The actors generally do not wear costume or makeup, although shoes are required for safety reasons. In this production, a musical, the principals and some of the chorus are radio-miked and the voice/orchestra balance is EQ’d by the sound engineer. Continue reading “Entering the stage world”

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Tiny, wee movies and moving postcards

From today, the fabulous Flickr photo application allows pro users ($US24.95 a year) to upload up to 90 secs of individual videos to their site. Formerly users could submit still shots only.

I’ve been shooting and collecting images in a ‘theatres’ set on my Flickr page for a few years now. This morning I added a couple of little videos which will find their way into the collection. They were taken between 2005 and 2006 in London and show the interior of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre (above) and a walk along the South Bank in the evening: from the National Theatre to the Globe. The last is 30 seconds or so of the Love’s Labour’s Lost pre-show warm-up by the musicians at the Globe.

Be warned … no Spielberg efforts here, but shot with my trusty point and shoot Minolta and Nokia N95 still cameras. Editing done on iMovie.

Now I’m thinking this could be the start of a whole new kind of movie-making: 30 second tales, ‘moving postcards’ and so on for your iPod, iPhone etc.

Love Flickr!

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On musicals as social barometers and a publicity call

Bertolt Brecht „The victory of the reason can only win the sensiblesImage via Wikipedia

I did a radio interview this morning, part of the groundswell of publicity for Cabaret as we count down to the season’s opening next week. It was quite a relaxed 10 minutes or so in the late morning and on the national broadcaster ABC, but pitched to a more local, regional audience. These would be people with the time or inclination to listen to radio. Probably those not at work, but I wouldn’t begin to imagine the demographic! Hopefully they were also interested in theatre.

Anyhow, it was about musicals … how thrilling the experience is, how many I’d been in, and my favourite (Godspell for Queensland Theatre Company many moons ago). I was asked what would be different, and without really meaning to, I launched into my take on the power of musicals not only to entertain and to get the emotional juices flowing, but also to stir up the mud over various social issues. I hope I wasn’t lecturing!

Because of course, Showboat, generally considered the first modern musical stopped Broadway in its tracks in 1927 when it dealt with miscegenation. Many more in the same vein have followed, like South Pacific (racism) and Chicago (crime and the corruption of the legal system). Perhaps not as politically and socially conscious as others, there have been been musicals about the dark as well as the light side of the human condition: A Chorus Line and the agony for an artist of an anonymous line backing the star … Rent and AIDS … and yes, you can deal with these matters head-on vigorously and joyously … that’s the licence and the power of music theatre. Bertolt Brecht, the genius 20th century man of the theatre knew how to do it; spass (fun) first and then go for the jugular.

Cabaret has always (but especially in this production) focussed on responsibility … personal and societal. It’s set in Berlin over several months in 1930; the tide is turning and the Nazis are on the flood. The big question for the audience in this production is ‘What would you do?’ It’s a big question with no easy answer; I’ve had to step into the shoes of a character who is faced with a moral dilemma. Go with the flow, be swept along with the inevitable and survive, or risk being destroyed. It’s an old and a hard reminder: The only thing that allows evil to flourish is for good people to do nothing. And oh, the cost whichever you choose! Life really … it’s a Cabaret.