by Danny Harvey | Director
So...this blog is late for one very simple reason... time. Everything to do with theatre has to do with time. First of all, there is never enough time. We don’t ever seem to have enough rehearsal time, time with the band, time with choreography or time in the theatre before we open... not even close to enough time. Over the past 5 years that the Rose Theatre has been open, we have become time ninjas. We work around the clock..quite literally... to get the sound, lights and set into place.
We separate our rehearsal time into Music, Choreography and Blocking/Staging, We usually start with music. It's important that everyone know their songs and harmonies before we layer dance over them, if there is a dance number that is handled by our Choreographer, they shape the song with style and dance moves designed to convey the mood and story. Then I, as director, handle the blocking or staging, telling the story through planned movements on the stage. Every cross, turn, inflection,and accent is carefully discussed and considered. We lay all of these elements out, listen to each others ideas and then we repeat everything until it's second nature.
Timing also plays an important role in the storyline of Cabaret. This show is set in 1929 – 1930 Germany. This is considered in all aspects of design. For example costumes are mostly vintage. Many of the set pieces are antiques or reproductions built by our production design team. Props are authentic, to the tiniest detail. Our actors consider the time frame for how they move, interact, and present the customs of the day. Cabaret is a history lesson. Don't let that scare you though, it's by far the hottest history lesson you’re ever going to have. I love the feeling of this piece, its about the world losing its innocence and naivety.
Then there is the realistic timing of getting this show going. As our patrons arrive usually a half hour or so before curtain and enter to watch our show, it would appear that everything is effortless as cast and crew present the spoils of our labour. This is an illusion... Behind those curtains and walls there is a whispered organized chaos... all helmed by a genius with a clip board and a stop watch. The stage manager, half deity and half mental case, is the invisible puppet master. Every light change, every set piece, every entrance, every microphone turned on or off are all called by the stage manger in perfect time. If you ever meet someone in your life and find out they are a stage manager, buy them a beer... they deserve it.
Most of all, we create this work for one very simple reason, we want our audience to have an incredible time. That really is what this is all about... Theatre is not really as glamorous as we all thought it would be, but there is no better feeling than knowing you have truly moved an audience. Our reward is applause and knowing you have had an amazing time... because of course timing is everything.
So...this blog is late for one very simple reason... time. Everything to do with theatre has to do with time. First of all, there is never enough time. We don’t ever seem to have enough rehearsal time, time with the band, time with choreography or time in the theatre before we open... not even close to enough time. Over the past 5 years that the Rose Theatre has been open, we have become time ninjas. We work around the clock..quite literally... to get the sound, lights and set into place.
We separate our rehearsal time into Music, Choreography and Blocking/Staging, We usually start with music. It's important that everyone know their songs and harmonies before we layer dance over them, if there is a dance number that is handled by our Choreographer, they shape the song with style and dance moves designed to convey the mood and story. Then I, as director, handle the blocking or staging, telling the story through planned movements on the stage. Every cross, turn, inflection,and accent is carefully discussed and considered. We lay all of these elements out, listen to each others ideas and then we repeat everything until it's second nature.
Timing also plays an important role in the storyline of Cabaret. This show is set in 1929 – 1930 Germany. This is considered in all aspects of design. For example costumes are mostly vintage. Many of the set pieces are antiques or reproductions built by our production design team. Props are authentic, to the tiniest detail. Our actors consider the time frame for how they move, interact, and present the customs of the day. Cabaret is a history lesson. Don't let that scare you though, it's by far the hottest history lesson you’re ever going to have. I love the feeling of this piece, its about the world losing its innocence and naivety.
Then there is the realistic timing of getting this show going. As our patrons arrive usually a half hour or so before curtain and enter to watch our show, it would appear that everything is effortless as cast and crew present the spoils of our labour. This is an illusion... Behind those curtains and walls there is a whispered organized chaos... all helmed by a genius with a clip board and a stop watch. The stage manager, half deity and half mental case, is the invisible puppet master. Every light change, every set piece, every entrance, every microphone turned on or off are all called by the stage manger in perfect time. If you ever meet someone in your life and find out they are a stage manager, buy them a beer... they deserve it.
Most of all, we create this work for one very simple reason, we want our audience to have an incredible time. That really is what this is all about... Theatre is not really as glamorous as we all thought it would be, but there is no better feeling than knowing you have truly moved an audience. Our reward is applause and knowing you have had an amazing time... because of course timing is everything.
Summer Theatre Season -Set Designer Vaughn Davis on creating the perfect setting for The Drawer Boy
Thursday, August 04, 2011 |
| Carpenters Michelle Inksetter and Stephen Nixon |
First thing you have to think about when designing a show in the Studio Theatre at the Rose Theatre is how to arrange the room. The space has more of a Keystone shape so to maximize seating, there aren’t many options. We’ve decided to go with a stadium seating layout for “The Drawer Boy”. This lets us use the entire back wall to hang a sky drop which makes the playing area seem much bigger than it actually is.
Once we’ve decided on that, it’s time to create the playing space! The biggest Challenge on this show was to create a playing area that was large enough to incorporate the inside and outside of an old farm house while keeping the mood intimate for the actors and for the audience. This was achieved by creating a big contrast between both locations. The inside of the house is built on an elevated riser with solid cut away walls and a cut away roof that completely defines the living space. Once you step outside onto the porch, the cutaway porch railings push your eye towards Stage Left and UP which makes the sky drop and the tree seem to extended up past the ceiling of the theatre which (in theory) makes the outside space seem huge, but doesn’t affect the intimate feeling of the inside space.
Of course none of what is seen on the stage would ever happen without our amazing carpenters (Stephen Nixon and Michelle Inksetter) and our extremely talented scenic artists (Jaspal Birdi and Danielle Demeny).
Although there are challenges in designing a show in the studio space…they are challenges that make the job fun and interesting for everyone involved.
-Vaughn Davis
