Saturday, August 05, 2006
On Style and Substance: Performance Number Six
Another good house that included original company members James and Krisha tonight. Great to see them back in O-Town! Act one was pretty solid, although there were some focus/sharing issues in places and we ran a little long accordingly. Act two was more problematic, although there was still much enjoyment from the house. The show, however, veered a little from north in terms of its energy and style. I don't really want to re-hash it all again here as we had a lengthy chat after the show and I've just sent out my lengthy notes for the rest of the company. There were some good lessons to help us move forward though, and is often the case, when the show slips into territory that doesn't quite match my intent as the director, it helps me and the company further fine tune our definition of the production's overall goals.
And so, with that in mind, I offer some quick tid-bits:
1. The show is really an earnest attempt to create a "legitimate" musical (what exactly does that mean?) With that in mind, we need to fully commit to our characters and their worlds in order to enable a journey of note and interest. Needlessly commenting on the choices of others in the creative equation can steadily undermine the viability of this world and lower the stakes.
2. FourPlay is really an ensemble piece that demands a great deal of generosity on the part of all those involved: performers, musicians, technicians... We need to strive to support our fellow players and work to move focus appropriately throughout the performance while accepting offered gifts with good spirit and joy.
3. Laughter is merely one form of audience response, and while we surely want good doses of this (as it is a musical comedy afterall), we shouldn't be afraid of pursuing some softer or more sincere moments as well.
4. There is no substitution for passion and active choices. At the end of the day, we need to find and connect to our characters' drives and use these to fuel our journey. Over-the-top personas and choices create great energy and humor, but ultimately, they need to be in the service of something that is relatable to us individually and to the audience as a whole. This attitude also serves the notion that FourPlay celebrates that anyone's life, no matter how seemingly simple or unassuming, is worthy of being musically dramatized.
And that, I think, sums it up quite nicely.
Although we had a smashing gala opening by all accounts, I am currently unaware of any posted or published reviews. Does anyone know differently? Does anyone care to share an informal review of their own?
Your style-polishing Director, David C.
Another good house that included original company members James and Krisha tonight. Great to see them back in O-Town! Act one was pretty solid, although there were some focus/sharing issues in places and we ran a little long accordingly. Act two was more problematic, although there was still much enjoyment from the house. The show, however, veered a little from north in terms of its energy and style. I don't really want to re-hash it all again here as we had a lengthy chat after the show and I've just sent out my lengthy notes for the rest of the company. There were some good lessons to help us move forward though, and is often the case, when the show slips into territory that doesn't quite match my intent as the director, it helps me and the company further fine tune our definition of the production's overall goals.
And so, with that in mind, I offer some quick tid-bits:
1. The show is really an earnest attempt to create a "legitimate" musical (what exactly does that mean?) With that in mind, we need to fully commit to our characters and their worlds in order to enable a journey of note and interest. Needlessly commenting on the choices of others in the creative equation can steadily undermine the viability of this world and lower the stakes.2. FourPlay is really an ensemble piece that demands a great deal of generosity on the part of all those involved: performers, musicians, technicians... We need to strive to support our fellow players and work to move focus appropriately throughout the performance while accepting offered gifts with good spirit and joy.
3. Laughter is merely one form of audience response, and while we surely want good doses of this (as it is a musical comedy afterall), we shouldn't be afraid of pursuing some softer or more sincere moments as well.
4. There is no substitution for passion and active choices. At the end of the day, we need to find and connect to our characters' drives and use these to fuel our journey. Over-the-top personas and choices create great energy and humor, but ultimately, they need to be in the service of something that is relatable to us individually and to the audience as a whole. This attitude also serves the notion that FourPlay celebrates that anyone's life, no matter how seemingly simple or unassuming, is worthy of being musically dramatized.
And that, I think, sums it up quite nicely.
Although we had a smashing gala opening by all accounts, I am currently unaware of any posted or published reviews. Does anyone know differently? Does anyone care to share an informal review of their own?
Your style-polishing Director, David C.
