A backstage pass
This post is going to be somewhat scattered since I haven’t been able to do much blogging thanks to theatrical activities. First, I would like to thank all of you who have loyally kept my hit count up even thought I haven’t had the time or energy to blog for the last few days. I promise I will do better once the production closes next weekend.
Second, I would like to reward those who have expressed interest in what goes on behind the scenes in a live theatrical performance. I don’t intend to give away anything that will interfere with your enjoyment of live theatre, but there are some details that may add to your understanding of how we make magic.
Our first two nights were sold out. That is always gratifying. But it is tempered by the fact that we are performing at a university. The packed house was a result of professors assigning the performance to their students. They were there because there was going to be a quiz the next day. They were most attentive, but not very reactive. This was just another class for them and there was no chance that they could actually sit back and enjoy the theatrical performance. I knew they were out there because I could hear them snoring. Ba-da-bing.
“Spinning Into Butter” is, admittedly, a bit preachy on the subject of racism. The playwright, however, leavens her sermon with a good deal of humor. Our audiences on the first two nights missed it in spectacular fashion. The best lines elicited only a few scattered snickers. Needless to say, this is demoralizing to actors who have spent endless hours trying to develop subtle nuances that give life to the characters they play.
Lack of response from the audience feeds into the massive insecurity that is endemic to actors. We act from a deep-seated need to be the center of attention. That is a psychological phenomenon that I will save for a subsequent post. Suffice it to say that actors feed on audience reaction. When there is no reaction, we start contemplating a change of careers. Those who are less experienced in the craft may flirt with clinical depression.
Then Friday night rolls around and most of the audience is here by choice. They have heard that there is something magical going on and they are ready to be entertained. They have slogged away at thankless jobs all week and are open to whatever will transport them to a world wherein their problems are diminished or, if we do it right, will make that workday world disappear.
Often, they have gone out for dinner before enjoying an evening at the theatre. They have had a few belts and have lost their natural inhibitions about expressing their emotions. They don’t need someone to give them permission to laugh or cry.
Numbers are important. Any audience has to reach a critical mass before they can feel free to react to what is going on. Too few people in the audience results in a reluctance to react. This peculiar phenomenon engendered the odious laugh track that is necessary to television sitcoms. No one would laugh at the lame jokes on TV if that recorded hilarity didn’t prime the pump.
Our audience tonight was well lubricated and laughed at almost everything. This, of course, upset our timing because we hadn’t had that reaction before. Now, we have to adjust to a responsive audience. That’s a good problem for actors.
When you have rehearsed for months, you tend to lose sight of the fact that some of the lines are funny. Repetition dulls the senses. When the audience laughs at a particularly delicious line, it is shocking. Skilled actors will adapt to that and adjust. We did, to a certain extent. Tomorrow night, when we have another well-lubricated crowd, we will have made those adjustments and time our lines to take advantage of the laughter.
I am operating on pure adrenaline right now. Exhaustion will set in soon and I will be able to indulge the actor’s natural inclination to sleep late. I don’t have to face the day job tomorrow.
If tomorrow night’s audience is as live as tonight’s, I will have another adrenaline jag going. That will give me the energy to write more about what goes on backstage at a live theatre performance. Stay tuned.
1:07:43 AM 
|
