Set diorama was delivered last night and it should fit the bill exceedingly well - it's simple, uncluttered yet still spectacular in its vein. The Australian allusion I am looking for is carried as a visually consistent theme through set and publicity poster by the use of the Boab tree. This is a spectacular tree that occurs in the 'outback' and, as Indigenous folk tales allude to, they are trees who were so vain that they were shoved in the ground upside down as their punishment ... Try Google Images and have a look!
Also, the Boab on the set will be able to be used as an entrance/exit and it is hoped we can make its trunk transparent with lighting so that Puck and Oberon can be hidden yet still remain seen by the audience. Although it wont do justice to the set I'll post a photo of the diorama in the next few days (once I figure out how to do it!).
The thing I like about the vision of the set is its simplicity ... not a small consideration when your moving a herd of actors on and of the stage (including one wheelchair). As a director I'm a fan of simple yet metaphorical sets - I can't afford not to be. I'm also an anti blackout guy as much as possible which is a shameless opportunity to use music as much as possible to cover set/scene change overs.
Today we had to deal with some communication issues between the various groups of organisers ... now I'm going to try to be philosophical about this and say that this is new ground we are breaking all round. WWT haven't done anything like this before and the same is true for Altogether Drama. But the net result of the communication breakdown was that two of the actors required for tonight's rehearsals didn't show up because they had been told they weren't required without consulting me about what I had planned to do for tonight's rehearsal. So we're going to have to make sure the strings are tied to the tin cans a little better than they are at the moment.
Another issue to come out of today was how best to manage the energy limitations of our AD actors. The intensity and necessity for the many rehearsals can be taxing on the AD guys and we're trying to find a balance ... and I'm not sure how successful that's going to be. I'm a bit stuck in the mud about this; wanting this to be a quality production means not settling in the hope that an audience's sympathy will forgive us for things that we didn't have time to cover. As with all theatre shows there's no substitution for time and repetition - especially in this production. The AD actors have a range of capabilities but they can all contribute to making it an excellent production and I believe we can produce a quality show given the time and the commitment.
On a personal level (in the midst of spending some quality time with my PA ... errr, I mean my lovely wife on our wedding anniversary) today was a little difficult ... 6/10 on the p.i.a* scale. So all in all not too bad. How about some adapted Shakey to tell our story?
Two households, both alike in dignity,
In the fair 'Gong, where we lay our scenes,
From best of intentions stumble on rocky paths,
Maintain and endure to avoid falling upon thy arse.
Our misadventures courageous shall stand
To stir from the audience its gift of hands.
I was also reminded by the the journey of the day to reflect on serenity:
Deus, dona mihi serinitatem accepere res quae non possum mutare, fortitudinem mutare res quae possum, atque sapientiam differentiam cognoscere.
Or, in English:
God, give us grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, courage to change the things that should be changed and the wisdom to distinguish one from the other.
A philosophy with modern rhythms and as old as the Roman philosopher Seneca.
Well that's it for tonight ... I'm sure there's always more to tell.
* Pain in the arse.
1 comment:
Mate, I'm so glad you're blogging this. (Not only that, but you write well, too!) You'll be documenting with photos, too, no? Because there's a pretty good article forming up here for you.
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