Rush, Discovery, and Anticipation: A Manifesto for the Theatre

**As a final project for my Directing class this semester, we were given the assignment to write a Manifesto for the theatre. The prompt was riddled with questions like "Why is theatre important? Why do you do theatre? Why should theatre be seen?" It is a broad topic with many answers - and tons of theatre artists are constantly discussing it. But on a personal level, this essay was a great exercise in articulating the reasons why I do theatre - why I think it's important. And the assignment came at the perfect time - right before I make my journey east to New York City to explore the world of theatre... This is a document that I will come back to in a year or two - most definitely to revise. After all, my perception of the world always evolves with the more things I see. But here it is for now! Enjoy, and feel free to respond with your own thoughts!**

***

            Before I even put words to this page, I looked back at a handful of other pieces I had written about my musings on the theatre. They were mostly comprised of old blog posts from the blog I started the summer before my sophomore year. I intended to see if I could use sections from a few of them to comprise this manifesto; after all, how much could my thoughts and beliefs about the theatre change in a year and a half? A lot, apparently. The only adjectives I could think when reading my past self was naïve and idealistic. I had written about the rehearsal and performance processes in vague terms – commending the fantastic work the cast and crew was doing on each of the productions and praising the beauty of the production process. But there was no real depth. I avoided the difficult parts of the production process, or if I acknowledge them, I tried to justify the hardship by saying, “we love theatre!”

            So, okay, we love theatre, yes. That’s why we do it. But really why? Why does theatre matter? Why can two people instantly bond when they discover the other is in the theatre? Why do theatre artists keep going back to the exhaustion and stress of tech week, the pressure of tightening deadlines, the frustration at the stack of line notes at the end of the night, or the impulse to tear your hair out if that one scene isn’t perfect yet?

            Every theatre artist has his or her own answers to those questions; but for me, it is the end result: the performance. So I’ll write my manifesto backwards, in a sense – from the performance to the first meeting with the director.

            Theatre is a rush. Backstage, before “Places!”, everyone is in jitters – actors and technicians alike. All with one goal in mind: to put on a great show. One that is powerful, one that shocks, one that hits home, one that gets laughs, one that inspires, one that entertains. We all want people to leave the theatre saying, “wow! That was a great show.” But if not – if it offends – we want to encourage people to wonder why (it’s the reason so many new works have talk backs nowadays). Whether the play is purely for shock value or the message is clearly in your face, we are always asking, “What does this play mean? Why is it important?” And there are hundreds of answers; different answers for each play, even. And that’s okay. It gets people to discuss, to wonder, and to share. Theatre is about people – humanity from all spectrums and walks of life. That is what the audience sees. Theatre artists thrive on that moment when they can finally share their humanity with the rest of humanity. In fact, that could be said of anyone – not just theatre artists. Everyone on Earth is trying to express their humanity in their own way.

It just so happens that performance is what gets theatre artists excited to share their humanity. That moment when the lights blackout and a mass hush runs through the audience is priceless. It is in the performance where we get to share all the hard work we’d been doing for the past several weeks; where we get to invite the audience into this story. For two hours or so, time and space outside the theatre is irrelevant. What matters, what is real, are the people on stage – those characters. Whether those characters are people you would aspire to be or people you would never associate with, they are real for that moment – until the final curtain.

            Theatre is discovery. That is what the rehearsal process is all about; discovering who the characters are and how to make the concept of the play’s world real. If theatre is an expression of humanity, then the rehearsal process must determine what makes the characters human and what grounds their world in reality (no matter how surreal the play is). We, as humans, cannot fully wrap our head around a piece of art if we cannot relate it to our humanity in some small way – it’s a natural impulse to try to justify the unknown in terms that are known.

If performance is the why, then rehearsal and production are the how. How do we reach the place we want to be – the emotions, the actions, the moments, the message we want to present with the audience? What is the most effective way to represent the theme through performance and presentation? Will it be more effective to deliver this monologue on the high platform or down center in front of the audience? What happens if we go into the audience? Then there are all the questions we ask ourselves; how the play affects us, as opposed to the audience. What does this play mean? Why are we performing it? What makes it important?

All these questions are asked with a desire for detail; the detail that makes the humanity we represent effective. Less attention to detail, less effective play (even in a minimalistic play – then I think you have to pay more attention to the people right in front of you, as opposed to the elaborate scenic transitions). If we want the audience to share in the experience in a full way (notice I didn’t say positive or negative) then we must focus our energy in the production process to discovery. Discovery calls for an open mind. Coming into a production with a closed mind creates a close-minded play. Theatre artists who begin with open minds create an environment full of possibilities – full of things to discover.

Theatre is anticipation. That first meeting with the director – as an actor, designer, technician, or stage manager – is rife with anticipation. The initial stage of a production can be boiled down to one thing: the vision. What is it? Why that? How do we conceptualize it? The vision is the culmination of What, Why, and How. The vision (the director’s vision at the helm, fed by the visions of all the other members involved) is what drives the production. It is this one pinnacle that we want to share. This is why our work should be shared. The vision of the play is personal, real, and relatable; it breathes life into the words on the page, if you will. Having a vision – a scope, a trajectory – allows the humanity of the play to be realized. And that all begins in the first meetings when the director explains why he or she decided to perform this play at this given moment in time. From there, the play springboards into production with everyone driven by the anticipation of sharing their discoveries with an audience in the rush of the performance! (Was that sentence tacky? Oh, well! I liked it!).

Whether a theatre artist takes on a project that purely entertains or that packs a poignant punch, the characters portrayed in the play are human. The audience is human. The actors, the technicians, the designers, and the director are all human. Theatre is our way of expressing that humanity; sharing it in a way that make us feel important – just as anyone’s passion makes them feel important. And whether an audience member is moved to tears or laughter, pleasure or frustration, we can be comforted in knowing that we shared our humanity with them. Theatre is a witness to the truth of what it means to be human – the good, the bad, and the ugly.

I do theatre – no matter how tame or ludicrous – because I believe in humanity. I believe there is good, bad, and ugly in the world. There are so many people who come from different places, believe in different things, and cope with life in different ways. That is one thing I can say is true. There is so much talk about needing to fix other people – that there are good people and evil people, intelligent people and ignorant people, or right people or wrong people. But I have learned that one person or group of people cannot fix another – it may be possible to change another’s mind, but that is different than fixing someone. And changing a mind takes a lot of courage, understanding, and empathy.

What is important to remember is this: the things a person says or does don’t make them any more or less human than their neighbor. And that truth is seen all over the theatre. Theatre represents the human being trying to belong, to understand, and to live.

            

Playboy: The Perfect Storm

Hey, woah! So, a month and a half ago I was just beginning rehearsals for Playboy of the Western World; but here we are – opening weekend came and went, and we have four more performances of this beautiful play.

            I’m actually not quite certain how to update my lovely readers about what we have been doing for the past month… On opening night, Dylan and I were surprised how smoothly the process went. Sure, rehearsals were long and some nights were difficult for cast and crew alike (and as always, Tech Week was crazy exhausting), but there were really no huge fiascos.

            I guess all I can say is this production was a perfect storm. The cast was eager and excited to explore the musicality and poetry of Synge’s words; the designers collaborated keenly to create a beautiful Irish countryside; and we had a strong leader at the helm of the whole project.

            My gratitude towards Rich and my fellow stage management team exceeds all bounds. The vote of confidence from Rich in combination with the trust we built within the stage management team motivated me to dive head first into my work – without a worry at all.

            Seriously.

            I know my job, I know my strengths, I know my challenges, and I know who I am. And I couldn’t say that so confidently if it weren’t for this production.

            There was a time last spring when I thought I would not be involved in a production this fall. I thought I had stepped so far off the path that the department wouldn’t trust me with that responsibility for a long while.

But I sit here in the theatre again with a whole new outlook. From day one, I resolved in myself not to go into this production feeling the need to prove anything to anyone. Placing that pressure on myself would just create stress, doubt, and hesitation. No, I couldn’t do that. That’s what got me into trouble in the first place. No, instead of theorizing, I just did. I did my work. I offered up my whole services without the least bit of hesitation. I knew my role – after all, I’d done it before. And I just went for it and asked nothing of anyone but myself.

Perhaps in this familiar setting, I didn’t learn anything strikingly new about stage management, but a perfect storm is always unique. Every production always has its lessons. No, I didn’t learn anything new about my job, but I did learn something new about myself: I learned that I can. I can. I am capable, knowledgeable, and anticipatory. I am a stage manager.

But really, that is not completely true either. I didn’t really learn something new about myself, but I relearned something that I had forgotten. I’ve always had confidence, courage, and passion in stage management; but it just so happened that last spring was an unexpected challenge that took time and a new opportunity to bounce back from.

            This culminating year has shown me how truly debilitating doubt can be. But more importantly, the year has shown me how necessary and empowering perseverance is. I can say that this is my greatest lesson yet, and thankfully it won’t be my last.

Always get back up again. Always.

Playboy: “A Daring Fellow”

September kicked rehearsals into full gear for this fall’s production of The Playboy of the Western World, by J.M. Synge. What’s that, you may ask? Don’t worry, we all asked the same thing when the department announced this year’s season. Here’s the short version: we open on a small pub in County Mayo, on the west coast of Ireland. Early 1900s. Pegeen Mike, our heroine, berates her father, Michael James Flaherty, for planning to leave her alone during the night while he travels to a wake in the neighboring town. Her bumbling fiancée, Shawn, won’t agree to stay on as her guardian (the priest wouldn’t approve), but luckily Christy Mahon appears on the scene. He comes from far off in the fields with a wild story: he’s just murdered his da! But instead of locking the man up for patricide, the people become enthralled with the courage, mystery, adventure, and romance that Christy brings to this simple idle town. Christy spends the remainder of the play discovering himself as a new man, having gone from zero to hero in a matter of hours. Of course, there’s a twist in the plot – but I don’t want to ruin a good show, so you’ll have to see it for yourself!

So, my rough sketch of the play casts the story in a comical light, but this piece is really not satire at all. Please, please, PLEASE don’t poo-poo the play just because of patricide! It’s really not about that. Synge paints beautifully endearing characters full of life and poetry –especially Christy. More than patricide, it’s a play about love, mirth, loyalty, and identity.

I am so excited to be serving as an assistant stage manager for this production. The rough months of last semester I painstakingly wrote about are behind me. I am jumping into the fall with a new outlook and revived motivation. I know what I am doing. I have no doubts about my role as ASM here at Hope. The routine is old-hat by now. I am also focusing on flexibility – fitting into the mold of a role; becoming the employee, team member, partner (or what have you) I need to be in any given circumstance. Jumping up and saying, “OK! I’m here! What do you need of me? I’ll do it. I’m up for anything.” Being open and available. Saying yes.

The production is a phenomenal platform to test my re-found confidence. For one, our stage management team ROCKS! My dutiful SM is one of my close friends I met just before our freshmen year – Dylan. He’s a fantastic and efficient stage manager. The two of us haven’t had a chance to work together yet, and we were so excited when we found out that we get to play together this year. When rehearsals began, we clicked into rhythm beautifully. We play off each other, bounce ideas back and forth, and can predict the other’s next move. His role as SM and my role as ASM are expected, assumed, and delivered without question (we have both stage managed before and I made it clear at our preshow meeting that I did not want to step on his toes, and he had license to smack me if I overstepped his authority). My fellow ASM is a freshman named Aaron, and he’s the bomb! He’s a fast learner, has good humor, and is incredibly eager to learn the ins and outs and offer his services. I also am privileged to be working with the theatre department’s newest faculty member – Richard Perez. He is now our new managing director at Hope Summer Rep and one of Hope’s newest professors, teaching the Directing I class (which I am currently taking!). As a long-term artist in the professional theatre scenes of New York City, Bloomington, and Chicago, Rich has a wealth of knowledge for us up-and-comings. When I began working for him over the summer, he became a great support for me and encouraged me to set my trajectory on the right path for the coming academic year – to stay positive. In the past month, I’ve told so many of my peers that I owe a lot to Rich for helping me shape my new attitude this semester. As I keep learning from him, I’ll probably just owe him more! Working with Rich, I am learning, along with the cast, to focus on specificity, deliberateness, intuition, and exploration. Each one of his students is encouraged to take risks and challenge themselves to exceed their best efforts.

One of my favorite lines in Playboy is, “a daring fellow is the jewel of the world.” I took that quote to heart as the summer closed. For many, the fall is dreary; doors are shut, and everything is cold and dying. But for me, this fall means new beginnings, rejuvenated motivation, and an exciting adventure. What’s past is past. I have nothing to prove to anyone except myself. So, why not take a risk? Go big or go home! It all starts now.

It's In! (And Now, We Wait...)

Hello Friends!
I just wanted to post a quick update. My application to the New York Arts Program next semester is sent! After spending the first month of classes revising old essays on contemporary theatre, compiling SM docs from the past year, making good impressions with professors who were writing letters of recommendation, and generally running around like a chicken with its head cut off, I handed my application packet to Hope's program rep last Friday and he sent it off early this week! The program site states that applicants are notified of acceptance by mid-November, so I have at least a month to breathe and wait.

But I won't be sitting on my hands for the next 6 weeks! No, sir! This semester I'm serving as an assistant stage manager for one of our fall productions, as well as trying on my director's hat in the "Directing I" class. I'll be keeping busy, for sure!

More posts to come soon!

"Tell Me and I'll Forget"

"Tell me and I'll forget. Show me, and I may not remember. Involve me, and I'll understand."

Two weeks ago, a wise lighting designer at HSRT shared this Native American proverb with us at a company meeting, and it has stuck with me ever since that morning. I had had a revelation:  truly the most beneficial way to learn is to be involved.

I don’t use this quote to discredit the value of gaining knowledge through listening and observation – these are two of the most important tools in learning – or to say that I am an unreliable person (please, please, please don’t believe that!). Instead, I use this quote to further validate the significance of productivity. In my eyes, active learning is the best way to solidify a new skill set and overcome a new challenge.

I am constantly told of better ways to command a rehearsal space or run a performance; I am always shown different styles of stage management documents. But there is no way to prove that I’ve taken this advice to heart unless I get involved and do it myself. If someone else does it for me, then how can I learn?

After all, theatre is an art; the arts are interactive. It is not enough for budding artists to sit in a lecture hall and learn about design technique and the great artists before them (which, of course, we do when studying arts in school). Knowledge of execution and history is important, yes, but to be a true artist you must execute – demonstrate the knowledge that you’ve gained by creating art yourself.

Action, involvement, execution are what being employed in the arts (and anywhere else, for that matter) is all about. Even the job selection process is involved; when a theatre artist goes in for an interview or audition we present work that we have done and can do – auditions, portfolios, prompt scripts, or even actual props or costumes pieces we created – all physical demonstrations of the talent and work we put into a previous project. Managing directors do not hire employees on the sole basis of their knowledge about their theatre or season of plays, but on the skills and quality of work they have to offer to the company. In an interview we present our capabilities, but when hired we must follow through. Landing the job doesn’t always mean you keep the job.

As terrifying as that thought may be, that fact just instills determination in me to put my best foot forward on every production I am involved with. And if I stumble, I have a fierce drive to remedy any mistake immediately. Following my debrief meeting with the theatre department last semester, I told my director that all I ever wanted to do was give him a good production – something that he could be proud of. I’ll say that I was the most disappointed in the room that I was not able to live up to full expectation last semester. But I am taking this disappointment as a challenge to remedy the past and be better than myself in the future.

This same director recently sent me an email as I began gearing my mind toward New York City. He reminded me, “that these people are not teachers in the conventional sense; they don't take people on unless they can be assured it will be worth it for them.  I have heard several sponsors say that they cannot stay in business without interns (aka ‘free labor’).  In return they allow Interns to participate in a professional situation, to observe and learn by doing.” I really take this advice to heart and I agree completely. Professionals in the theatre world of New York City are not there to baby-step interns into the business. They mean business from the get-go. If accepted into this program, I’m going to be thrown head-long into an existing and thriving theatre company, and am going to be expected to keep up.

Luckily, that prospect is incredibly exciting for me! I’m ready to take on that change of pace – even if it’s a rapid one. And perhaps admitting that I had a difficult few months with a production isn’t the best career move, but honesty is my number one value. So I won’t lie. I’m not perfect and I still have much to learn and experience. I’m also not going to dwell on the negative, but move forward and keep my eyes set on the positive. With inspiration from my mentors in my mind, I am taking these next several months focusing intently on the execution of my work – making every moment an opportunity to “learn by doing”. If I’m going to make it in New York, I have to be worth it. And I know I can be.

A Revisit, A Recap, and A Revamp

Can you believe I haven’t posted since November? I hope none of you thought I disappeared completely. But don’t lose faith in me! I’m back and eager to write, write, WRITE! But first, I owe you all a little update.

Revisit. This blog. I spent the morning rereading each post on my page, recalling my thoughts and experiences in the theatre since last summer. Some posts made me smile; others had me wondering why I even started them in the first place. The hour spent with my blog made me miss writing again. Nostalgia aside, there was one thing struck me as I read. I could use this blog not just for personal musings or readers’ entertainment, but as a contemplative tool in an educational and professional setting. You see, I have a big plan ahead of me:  I will soon be applying to the New York Arts Program through the Great Lakes College Association [http://nyartsprogram.owu.edu/]. If all goes well, I will be spending my spring semester in New York City interning with an Off-Broadway theatre company. As a capstone project, each student is required to present a piece that represents their experience in their given field and individual internship. So many different artists participate in this program; in addition to fellow thespians, I will be learning alongside visual artists, musicians, dancers, writers, and even architects. With managerial work, however, it is more difficult to present a physical piece representing my experience – especially if I get a position as an ASM and will not necessarily have a book to document all my work. While all things are still up in the air, this blog could possibly be my piece if I wrote constructive and critical reflections of my work in the city. But we’ll see. Everything is still open.

                This brings me to my recap. I have almost eight months to fill you in on! I’ll give you the short, honest version of the story. I left you dear readers at tech week of Sweeney Todd: it opened, it was a hit, major house counts each night! Come spring semester, I was asked to stage manage Hope’s production of George Kaufman’s and Edna Ferber’s 1930s play, Stage Door. “Good for you, Jackie,” you may be thinking, “You’re moving up!” Yes, well, unfortunately it was a difficult production to oversee. With a cast of 30 students – many of them new to the theatre department and many of them taking night classes – it was difficult to get the entire cast in the rehearsal hall at one time every night. Missing two, five, even eight actors every other night made rehearsing an ensemble driven play quite tough. Nonetheless, we opened. It wasn’t quite a big hit as Sweeney Todd, but our audiences generally enjoyed themselves. After we closed, I had a debrief meeting with my professors – as is custom for stage managers at Hope – and it was not the best review. A lot of factors went into this difficult critique, but in lieu of blaming anyone other than myself, I’ll simply say that I did not meet the expectations of my professors. I’ll take that full responsibility, yes, but I would be lying if I said that that meeting didn’t shake my confidence.

                With this on my mind, I began a stage management internship in May with the Hope Summer Repertory Theatre [http://www.hope.edu/hsrt/]. I went into this summer with a mind to improve – to take my critiques and do things differently this time around. My goal for this internship was to grow, to strengthen my abilities, to observe and learn new ways to better myself as a stage manager. I have to say that I am truly reaching that goal. I have been assigned an ASM position on three of the seven productions this summer: The 39 Steps, The Light in the Piazza, and an original cabaret piece titled I Am Woman. The company spent the first half of the summer rehearsing 10 hours a day in rotation; in the morning I would be rehearsing one play, in the afternoon another, then jump back to the first in the evening (or the third depending on the daily schedule). It was a busy, busy whirlwind of a month full of its new challenges and lessons. Last Friday, we opened the final production in our season and are now in the final stretch of the summer: rehearsals are over and we are just performing in rep for the next three weeks – what company members call Rock Star Camp.

                Now that you’re all caught up, it’s time for a revamp. A revamp for me, that is. After a difficult semester and a challenging summer (yes, it took blood, sweat, and tears to make it to Rock Star Camp), a handful of my peers and family members were asking me if I was ready to throw in the towel. To that I respond, “Absolutely not!” Just the thought of giving up an entire career – an entire dream – at 20 years old seems completely ridiculous to me! After all, this summer is first time I’ve worked in a professional theatre company. I’ve only just begun. One rough year is not reason enough for me to start rethinking my entire life. Trust me, all these challenges have not gone to waste. I am using the tough critiques I received in the spring to be a better ASM this summer. I’m seeking advice, feedback, and critique from my new mentors and peers at HSRT; correcting myself when I need to be corrected; observing and adopting the methods of my stage managers that are stronger than mine; and letting my voice be heard. I’m learning. Whether positive or negative, I consider every experience an opportunity to learn. As long as I put the lessons to use, I will improve. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, right?

                I’m not done yet. My knowledge and capabilities as a stage manager have expanded this summer, and this is definitely not my last stint in the theatre. I still have much to say, much to do, more to learn, and even bigger goals to accomplish. You haven’t seen the last of me.