Playbill.com: "The new Arena Stage production of Lynn Nottage's Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Ruined, beginning April 22, marks the first time the play is appearing in an in-the-round staging. Performances continue to June 5 on the Fichandler Stage in Washington, DC.
Friday, April 22, 2011
Ruined Gets First In-the-Round Production, Starting April 22 at DC's Arena Stage
Playbill.com: "The new Arena Stage production of Lynn Nottage's Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Ruined, beginning April 22, marks the first time the play is appearing in an in-the-round staging. Performances continue to June 5 on the Fichandler Stage in Washington, DC.
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(Sorry in advance that this comment is not going to be about the cookie-cutter Ruined press release. Yay Ruined... moving on.)
I grew up working in an in-the-round theatre (before I ever stepped on a proscenium stage, actually), and seeing the fanfare with which this first in-the-round production of Ruined makes me think about the process of translating shows to this notably difficult staging style. Nearly every discipline has serious considerations to make - scenic creating elements that don't block too much of the audience's view (we won't get started on the production of Spelling Bee I saw in-the-round, gigantic bleacher structure and all....), managers have to make sure the same thing doesn't happen with actors blocking view of each other too much (diagonals are your friend), and everyone must consider every possible angle when planning their designs or fabrication. The other major issue is getting items onto the stage - unless your stage has traps or lifts to bring people and scenery into place, the scenery must be designed and the crew trained to travel down an aisle and onto the raised stage efficiently. The stage for the Country Dinner Playhouse in Denver was entirely on hydraulic lifts, so the stage itself rose into the ceiling to be set and then descend loaded with scenic pieces and actors, but that's not typical to theatres. Working in-the-round complicates nearly everything we do, and should be a part of your experience at some point here at CMU.
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