Senior Project 2005 summer

It's all over but the shouting.

The second weekend of "Black Comedy" was not as good as the first. We had very disappointing audiences. I think we averaged about 60 every performance with the high point being 120 on the Sunday Matinee July 24.

The performances were off as well. I don't know why but the acting seemed very flat on Friday. Particularly Miss Furnival, who normally turns in a focused performance. The other performances were slightly forced which is never good for a comedy. The audiences responded with polite laughter. Some really enjoyed it. Others, I'm sure, did not.

It's a problem in community theatre: no one wants to critique your work constructively. You rarely get any feedback but the positive kind. There doesn't seem to be many people willing to tell you how to improve.

However, there are a couple of things I think I would have improved.

Timing: The pace of the show was slow at times. I don't really know how to correct this. I could have given more notes on pacing, but then I could have been adding to the communication gap. Sometimes I think shows go too fast and meanings are missed. I don't really know how to solve this. It's an individual thing, I think.

The line problems seemed to lessen as the dress rehearsals and performances wore on. But I heard from some of my actors that other cast members weren't getting their lines verbatim. This may not seem like a big deal, but it is when it is your cue. I could have pushed harder, but I felt like my individual relationship with each actor was more important as we neared performances. Perhaps I should've looked at the situation more closely. Although I truly don't know what I could've done.

Technically the show suffered a great deal. The set was good but the set decoration was atrocious. It didn't fit the show in any way. It also distracted from the show in some ways.
The lighting was well done, just not what I had in mind. I couldn't complain (Even though that is my right as a director) because I felt my relationship with teh lighting designer was tenuous. He was a high schooler. WHo was looking to add to his resume. He got to add, but he really only had a week to prepare. In the end, the light was not the real issue that kept the show from being a masterpiece. The real problem was publicity. There wasn't very nuch. Despite having a billboard on Washington Street, the support of a pretty large organizational board, and community calendar announcements, our turnout was dismal, in my opinion. It's very tough to do theatre to a small audience, especially in our big house at Ben Davis that seats 450. Small audeinces are harder to get laughing. Small audiences are more difficult all around.

We never got a newspaper review, which upset me. It seems like the local newspapers (Indianapolis Star and Nuvo) could've been supportive. At teh same time, I wonder whether the show was good. I mean I think it was, but maybe I am biased. Sure, there are places the show could've improved but for a community theatre production of a very professional play, I believe it was well worth the $10 admission and made for a very nice evening.

Next year ---- Shakespeare!

Well, the audience reactions have been varied and I'm not sure why. After a successful but unenthusiastice opening on Friday, we dipped to the depths of hell on Saturday. The crowd of about 65 just sat there. No laughter at all. It was very hard to get them to laugh at any verbal jokes.

I checked to see if the actors could be heard and there wasn't a problem with that. On Sunday, I talked with my parents who were in the audience with my uncle and they said they couldn't understand anything. It was the English accent.

Wow! That threw me for a loop. They said that they couldn't understand all the words because of the accents. I worked really hard on the accents. I even brought a person in during the fifth week to see if the accents were good or needed some work. The consultant said for the most part, the accents were very good. He was particularly impressed with our Brindsley and his Liverpool accent.

I struggle with the accent. My theatre professor, Arthur Feinsod told me in an e-mail later that he rarely uses accents because of the comprehension gap. I still feel like we had to use an accent, but I think we could have flattened it out and made it closer to our own language. We would have lost some of the colloquial jokes but people would have been able to identify with the characters and situation easier.

There is nothing I can do at this point in the process. I cannot tell the actors to cut the accent because that could ruin the rhythms of the show, make them self-conscious, and lose me a lot of friends. Their confidence is more important than my vanity. So I keep the info to myself.

On Sunday, we had the best time, and the best audience. Nearly 120 people came to see the show and they laughed almost all the time. It was amazing and quite satisfying.

After the Sunday performance, someone came up to me and asked where I got the play because they wanted to do it somewhere else. That's very nice to hear.

This is what makes theatre and all the hard work worth it.

Well we finally opened! I can't believe that it is basically all behind me.

My primary communication with the actors are notes after the run throughs, but I'm done with all that.

The paintings were hung at the last minute, but everything went down OK.

It was a sparse crowd of about 60. The laughs were difficult. I'm not sure why. One guy laughed the entire time, but I understand that he does that at every show.

I'm too exhausted to care. I will analyze the show later. Now I will enjoy my accomplishment and sleep for a very long time.

Well the rubber is finally meeting the road. All the work that has been done up to now, begins to gel and a performance is born!

There has been lots of communications between me and the cast; me and the crew; me and the executive director of the Wayne Township Education Foundation; me and my family; and me to me. Each one of these relationships must be fostered with appropriate communication of expectations and an honest assessment of the outcomes. I am primarily concerned with the communication between the play and the audience. It is a comedy so I want the audience to laugh and have a good time.

We have polished the show but there are still some rough spots. We are staying after to correct the problems. The other issue is getting all the props and making sure the set is painted and decorated. This is falling in my lap because no one else is doing it. I've had help from the actors but they need to focus on the show and their lines. This is my problem and I will deal with it.

The process gets harder on my wife and my parents because they are taking care of Luke while I am taking care of theatre stuff. My classload is light this semester, but I just added to ISU classes, including the Comm 495 project. Things always get hairy during this period. It's expected but it can be stressful.

We open in two days.

This is very important to the process. We must keep repeating the acts over and over. During the process of running scens and acts, the actors become confident about the play and their part. This is especially important to Black Comedy because it is very physical. Each part or actor's performance hinges on another's. Especially the scene where Brindsley is moving all the furniture from his aprtment to Harold's. There is a lot of action that must be timed. Plenty of tining involved in the jokes and lots of "business" that neds to be discovered. As a director you can tell exactly where the cast is unsure of themselves. It is very easy to tell where things need to be worked. Notes are very easy in this period.

At the same time, it is a bit overwhelming because you must make sure that the actors understand that a lot of work is left, but give them the confidence to know that it will be achievable.

This week, we ran the acts and the shows. We paid particular attention to scene six (the moving scene) which I dubbed "What you don't see won't hurt you" to impress the blindness aspect on the actors. Black Comedy depends on audience supension of disbelief. Even though they know that the stage is full of actors that can see each other, it is important that they suspend that "truth" and allow themselves to believe that it truly is pitch black and that Brindsley is getting away with moving furniture from his apartment to Harold's apartment right under the noses of everyone. It truly is a lot of fun.

Notes were extensive and they are several actors that are struggling with lines. I truly don't know what to do about actors and lines. I understand that learning lines is a difficult process. It isn't made easier by work and family cluttering the actor's mind. Still, memorization is part of the process. Everyone knows it before rehearsals begin. SO there should be no excuses. But I am put in a touchy situation. If I complain about the lines too much, I risk spoiling a working relationship by turning it into a employee/employer relationship. At the same time, I am alienating the actors who do know their lines. They are concerned that they won't get their preceding lines correctly and then it will make them look bad.

This is nothing new in community theatre. I just wish I knew how it could be solved.

Here is a proactive blog. I'm contemplating my next speech to the cast.

We all have had a long weekend. Some had five days, most had four days off. I enjoyed my time off immensely!

I'm not sure how to proceed from here. I know that the cast will continue rehearsing to become more comfortable with the script and the actions, but there needs to be something more.

It's a touchy area because I feel I've already pushed them pretty hard to begin. But faint heart never won fair ladypegs, as Carol would say. But here is what they've already have going.

1. English accent.

2. Blocking (where the actors move onstage). The tricky thing about blocking is it must be motivated not just movig for the sake of moving.

3. Characterization -- This is the way a character moves, the way a character talks, the little quirks that makes everyone unique. In a comedy, these are usually exaggerated to the point of being funny. Each of these actors has some sort of character. Some are working and some need work. Some I'm not worried about, some I will be asking to separate rehearsals.

3. LINES!! For some reason this is the toughest part of community theatre, but something that is done in 99.9 percent of productions. I too have problems memorizing, but at least I know it. I work hard at it, but when I try to put all three together, I usually go blank.

Now, on top of all this, I want to add more comedy. This show needs to be funny all the time. The actors need to be trying all the time to be funny in a character/motivated kind of way.

There are some things the cast can do right now to make it funnier.

1. Increase the stakes exponentially. For these people, these are high stakes. For example:
*Brindsley -- This is his whole life flashing before his eyes. If he fails this night, he will probably view himself as a failure for the rest of his life. For Brindsley, It's NOW or NEVER!
*Carol -- She's young enough and dumb enough to believe that this is all there is. If this night fails -- in other words, her father does not approve of the marriage, then for her, life is over.
* Miss Furnival -- Scared to death. She is afraid of the dark and afraid of never having enough power to overcome her fears. That is why she drinks. She is driven because of her fear.
*Colonel -- He is losing his daughter. It's a sad night. He hates this, but he realizes that this is what she wants. However he is convinced that Brindsley is all wrong for her. He must prove it to her tonight or else lose his daughter to a coward.
*Harold -- Tonight, Harold's heart will be broken in several pieces. He will learn that his camp ways are not good enough for him. Something that has worked for so long will abandon him. He will be severely hurt to the point where he must hurt back.
*Shuppanzigh -- Is the smartest electricity repair guy in all of the world. Must maintain his customer service skills or risk losing his job. He must make them feel good, or else it's back to communist Germany for him.
*Clea -- She must have Brindsley. Sex with him is the best. She must return to the safety of the relationship or else risk going it all alone and that's not something she is willing to do. Therefore she must expose Brindsley for the fake he tries to be.

2. What if Carol had a funny way of getting through the dark? What if Miss Furnival had a silly way of going through the dark?

3. Add stuff to Scene six.

4. Miss Furnival needs to be more scared. Frightened to death. Holding on to things and not wanting to let go.

5. More bits!!! Must have more bits.

6. Brindsley should change speeds during the course of the play in navigating the dark. Most of the other characters should remain fairly static.

Telling the cast about these funny bits could put too much pressure on them and make them feel like we are never going to get it all done before opening night on July 22. But we have to make the show funnier!!

The show has to be hilarious on a lot of levels.

So I must craft a speech that is at the same time aware of the work ahead, but full of confidence and optimism.

That ain't going to be easy.

Another productive week is finished in rehearsals for farcical "Black Comedy."

This week I seemed to be behind on everything. The cast ran the show twice and we worked specific parts. However I was preoccupied with getting a set built. I finally called a guy that will do a fine job and he is actually taking the time to do it! I can't believe it.

I'm tracking down the last few items of furniture. I know that pretty soon I will have to work on the little stuff. The set decorations that really make the set. I also know that I will have to make little additions to the set like the curtains and stuff.

My set builder is also an employee of the school so he can come in anytime to work on the set. Plus, he is an excellent designer. I'm lucky to have him. I just wish I had been able to give him more time.

I went around looking for props and furniture this past weekend. I didn't find exactly what I was looking for, but I will survive. I did have a short communication with the manager of a second-hand furniture store. The store was in the Ben Davis area and had the prefeect couch.
I asked if I could rent the sofa for a few weeks and then give them free mention in the program. I couldn't believe it when I was turned down. I guess some deals are too sweet.

Next week will really test all our mettle, because the cast is supposed to have their lines memorized. We'll see.

Gus

The second week of rehearsal went well.

I am discovering the pros and cons of being the group leader. First, it is a lot of responsibility. Because there is no one else to do it, I am also the show's producer, which means I'm responsible for everything off stage as well as on stage.

I have a great costume designer. I don't have a lighting designer, but the show is not really lighting intense. I have a production stage manager who is the best. He also knows how to work the light board and is very professional.

The biggest piece missing is the set designer. I don't have one. Here's where communication broke down. I thought I would be able to use the same designer that built teh set for the first show of the summer -- "The Music Man." However, that person declined to do the show. Then, my costumer told me she had someone that would do it. I called him and left messages three times; he never returned my calls. She contacted him and set up a time to meet at a rehearsal. She even came to the rehearsal to do the introductions, but he did not show. So now I'm seeking a replacement and I meet with one this week.

Communications lesson: I have learned that being an ultimate power is not the best thing in a collaborative art. Now I have never given the, "Do what I say or I will can your butt" speech, but my cast has been reticent to correct me.
For instance, I passed out rehearsal schedules and realized more than two weeks later that I failed to schedule any rehearsals for the week following July 4. No one pointed out the ommission. No one questioned it. They just thought that I was busy or something. There have been other mistakes like that. It bothered me that no one thought they could ask my reason for doing things like that.
I believe my failure was setting up an atmosphere of collaboration at the beginning of the process. Don't get me wrong, I have never tried to give off the impression that I know it all and don't need anyone's help. That's just the way the people interpreted my behavior I guess.
Non-verbally, I try to act confident because no one wants to go through a project without a clear vision of what's going on. Apparently, that has come off as cocky and unwilling to listen.
It affects the whole production because I need my actors to feel free to experiment with a character. I may not agree, but at least I will have something to work with.

Luke learns to eat! February 2005 

Daddy with a sleeping Luke in February 2005 

After read-through, my task was to set up a rehearsal schedule that would give us enough time to create a good show and not kill the cast, all of whom have day jobs.

I also had to get blocking for the show completed, find a set designer, find a lighting designer, find some rehearsal props, tape off the auditorium stage to mirror the theatre stage which we won't get until July, create a working floorplan, and anything else that I could imagine. Most of the pressure was on me so early in the process because the director needs to give the actors an idea of what to expect so that the actors may be able to visualize the blocking and make a smooth transition to the other stage.

Usually, I would spend months doing this, but I was caught off guard with the show change. I also thought I had my design team, but the set designer was not properly asked and my lighting designer, a student from ISU, has disappeared off the face of the earth and isn't answering his cell phone.

I called the local civic theatre -- an institution that has been around nearly 80 years -- to borrow some furniture props. I talked with the technical director who was very receptive to letting us borrow stuff. Unfortunately, they didn't have exactly what I want, so I will have to go out shopping soon. For now, I've got some passable rehearsal furniture that will do just fine.

The first two weeks of any rehearsal process are boring and tedious. Blocking is the process of positioning the actors and basically telling them what to do. Actors really depend on a director to put them in just the right place at just the right time so they can do they're stuff. Blocking is one of the more challenging aspects of directing to me. You have to begood enough to give them a good idea of where they will be in a given scene, but you also know that if a better idea comes along later in the process, you must give in to it, almost always. The trick is communicating that with confidence to your cast. Most of the people in my cast have worked with me before and are aware of my style. Collaborate until opening night!

We rehearsed Monday through Thursday. Monday, we sat around and talked about characterizations and objectives, scene and overall, and obstacles to these objectives.

It's called table work at ISU and it sets up the work ahead. It basically puts the director and the actor on the same page as far as characterization. Working toward similar goals is always important. It also saves a lot of heartache later. Tuesday and Wednesday we blocked a few scenes.

Thursday we worked on projection of vocals. This show will be done without body microphones or lavaliers. Therefore it is imperative that the cast be able to speak loudly and clearly so the entire audience may hear the story.

We also worked on physical aspects of the show. This is a very specific type of show. The audience will only see the actors when the lights are off or the actors are blind. Having been through a few power outages in my life, I know that your movements in the pitch dark are very specific. They are also different than if you were an actor portraying a blind person. So we did a lot of exercises blindfolded. I would give them a target to reach and then place obstacles in their path. I asked the cast to pay careful attention to how they hold themselves when they are relying on the other senses to steer them around the room. Many thought it was a good exercise.

The last time I directed this show, I did this, but not enough. I thought I could've have done this more. This time I dedicated a whole rehearsal to it.

This week is all blocking. We will be joined by the rest of the cast who have been out, unable to attend.

The second rehearsal was a new approach for me. In my former directing stints, I would usually begin with blocking right away. We would discover character through repeated viewings of the script. But I had a change of heart with my advanced directing class I took Spring 2005 semester with ISU Theatre Department chair Arthur Feinsod. I learned about table work which was a new term for me. I was doing a little table work but Arthur convinced me that for a full-length show, you could spend several days just sitting around a table discussing character motivations and angles that the play can take.

It was beneficial to start the process of discovering a character from very early in the process instead of "discovering" it during the final dress rehearsals. Granted, these were early shadings, but at least it was a starting point and everyone was on the same page. It was interesting from a communications standpoint because there was an implicit contract formed this evening between me and the actor. There was no misunderstanding as to what I wanted and what the actor was expecting in getting. It set up expectations without any pulling of rank. (Pulling rank is also difficult in a volunteer setting.)

The entire cast was present and I talked with each actor about their character and their motivations. Thes were group talks. Everyone listened. I did that on purpose because I wanted everyone to know what all the other actors were doing. This helps the collaborative process.

For instance, Mark Meyer and I determined that Brindlsey's character would avoid confrontation at all costs. He would lie, cheat, steal and would do ANYTHING to avoid a confrontation. He had no morals, no scruples. It's a very hard part because the audience shouldn't like him, but I stil had to try and gain sympathy for him. I had to make the audience want him to succeed. So can you imagine how crappy the other characters have to be?

This worked well. I think everyone enjoyed to group discussion and realized that this was a very serious approach to community theatre. It was not a place to blow off steam and have fun. This was going to be work.

First time the whole cast is getting together.

This is where the whole process begins. It is a big day for me as the director because it is really important that I establish some expertise in being the director for this project.

The director/actor relationship is similar to the thearpist/patient relationship in that I must convince the actors that I am a trusted and skilled professional in my approach to the play.

This is covered very well in an article by Sydell Weiner, Ph.D. and theatre professor at California State University.

The comparison is great because it is necessary that in order to get a proper emotional performance the actors must trust that I know what I am doing. WHile our first encounter was the audition process, this is truly where the rubber meets the road. Also added to the dynamic is the whole "Laughter on the 23rd Floor" fiasco. So everyone there was either called by me and told that the show they auditioned for was not the show that they wer cast for. It was the ultimate, artistic bait and switch.

The only thing I had going for me was the fact that I worked with several of the actors before. Mark Meyer, Dan Snyder, and Brandi Collins had parts in a show I directed in 2003. I had worked extensively with Alyssa Johnson in several other projects and she already was confident in my abilities.

My assistant was my niece so she trusted me, (I hope). I had not cast one small part but I wasn't to worried.

The read through is the first time many of the actors get to hear the play out loud. It is the first time many of the cast members get to meet with who they are going to work with intently for the next six weeks. Black Comedy is also a very visual show and the stage directions are important in order to understand what is going on.

I began with a short speech and announced that we would be doing the play in British accents. This was the toughest decision because normally community theatre actors are not very good at accents. But of all the accents in the world, British is about the easiest for us, next to southern. The decision to go with accents was twofold: There were several references to British idiosyncrasies such as prams for baby carriages and torches for flashlights. There were several "bloody" lines and reference to the London Electricity Board. Plus I felt like many of the jokes were funnier in the cadence of British accents.

I gave each cast member a CD of British accents and accent teachings. One character was a German Immigrant. He got a different CD. This was to make them feel more comfortable in learning the accent. I also told them to begin using accents now so that we didn't get into any bad English habits during the process. That worked well and put them all in the same boat. Many felt that their accents were horrible and they were embarrassed to let the others hear them, but most cast members had to work on their accents, at least a little, so it was a confidence-building exercise because it isn't very hard to get a British accent.

After the read through, I asked them to give me thir impressions of the play and then I told them a little of what I thought the play was about. I gave a couple of cursory suggestions like one character needed to be cattier or camper. Then I asked them to read the play over again and come to rehearsal on Monday with an overall action or through line for their character.

Several books on acting and most of my training at Indiana State stress the importance of a through-line of a play. It is also commonly known as the arc of a character as seen through what the character wants. This helps develop action for each scene and makes it easier to direct.

I also give a little speech about the important qualities of the process and how I work. According to the teaching text this is establishing the rules by which the group will operate. I told them that all of the communication is two-way (dialogic) and that I expect them to contribute as much to the process if not more. This put more responsibility on them to come up with a workable action in each scene. I, and several others, call it a collaborative process, wherein everyone has a say in how the show evolves. This doesn't absolve me from my responsibility. To the contrary, it is even more challenging to try and fit all the pieces together for a coherent show that is entertaining.

After auditions for Laughter on the 23rd Floor, we deciede to change the show, but I felt like I had seen enough in auditions to be able to cast Black Comedy without holding new auditions.

So I called everyone who auditioned and told them of the change in shows. Some I offered new parts to a new play, several had their hearts set on the Neil Simon show and were not interested, but several were game to be in any show! That's good for me!

I did have to hold additional auditions to cast two women's parts since not enough women auditioned. I posted the notices for emergency auditions and then promptly ran off to Branson, Missouri. Lots of fun!

When I returned on June 6, we immediately auditioned four women for two parts. All were very good. The two I picked were for physical reasons (did not fit with the casted lead) or for plain old preferences.

By June 8, we had a read-through. This is the first meeting of the cast with the director. It is a very important meeting where the tone is set for the next six weeks. It is the first real test of my small group communication skills. The way western theatre is established, one person takes on the task of arranging the actors and having a vision for the play. This is the director or in small group terms, the leader. It is a formal role set up by custom.

I also wanted to convey to the cast that theatre is a collaborative art where all input is valued. This put me in the role of opinion seeker.

Of course, the planning and scheduling fell on my shoulders. This made me the coordinator, too.

As a project, community theatre is a unique animal. The end result is to portray a successful show that will entice the community to pay $10 a head. This raises money for a good cause (the Wayne Township Education Foundation) and garners applause and praise from audience members.

Read through was fabulous! It was fun and sounded good. One of the challenges to performing Black Comedy are the English accents the script requires. But I was able to copy off several examples of accents and make CDs for all cast members. So far this has not yielded the desired results, but it's getting better.

Read through is also a rallying cry for esprit de corp. Both were pretty good if I may say so myself.

Rehearsals began Monday!

I'll go into that this weekend.

Ta,Ta for now.

This is a weblog about theatre. It is my first entry in to this new phenomena.

I'm preparing this for a senior project and my advisors.

My name is Gus Pearcy. I am a returning student at Indiana State University. I originally went to college at ISU in the 1980s but did not graduate. By the time I finish my requirements, I will be 43 years of age.

My senior project was originally approved as directing a community theatre play. I intended it to be Neil Simon's Laughter on the 23rd Floor. But, as you will see, that did not work out.

Now I will be directing Peter Shaffer's Black Comedy, a delightful farce that should have audiences rolling in the aisles. (Hopefully).

This weblog will act as my journal that I submit weekly for credit on my senior project.

I also hope that it will act as a sort of guide or diatribe on directing a play.

For years, I have been a performer. I have acted in several productions and even tried theatre as my major in my first try at ISU. In all I have directed probably 10 plays and been in three times more.

I have had a career as a journalist for a local weekly and 13 years in radio around Indiana.

My wife, Lesley, and son, Luke, live in Danville Indiana, about 25 miles west of Indianapolis.

Now I am a communications studies major at Indiana State University.

About four years ago, me and a friend of mine - Scott Cline - approached the Wayne Township Metropolitan School District about producing summer theatre in the brand new theater that seats around 450. In order to gain favor with the school districts and to reduce overhead, we proposed that the plays raise money for the Wayne Township Education Foundation. This organization awards grants and scholarships to teachers and students that enhance learning.

For Scott and I, it meant we could do avocational theatre in a real professional space. That is something else. I have produced and directed two shows there - The Diviners and Scapino!

When I decided to return to school, I asked the faculty if I could turn this year's directing duties into a senior, independednt study project. They were nice enough to agree.