Berkeley Rep Blog: Every Bay Area dweller has had an unsavory BART experience. So imagine, if you will, riding BART in complete darkness as you attempt to change your entire ensemble in under 50 seconds. That, my dear Berkeley Rep lovin' readers, is exactly what life is like for the cast of Chinglish.
12 comments:
WOW. All I can say is, I would not want to be in that costumers position...or maybe I would...hmmmm. That really is the magic of theatre. Im not entirely sure how those costume changes would be possible on solid ground, let alone, on two opposing turntables in the dark. Bravo for whoever thought up that one. I hope that all who leave that theatre recognize the brilliant work that went down off stage to make those transitions occur.
Props to the costumer in this case. To get that many quick changes in that small space. All that planning must be so well organized so that the costume is correct. I would be nervous that the costume would get caught in one of the turning pieces of the base. I can't imagine what would happen if the costume got caught between the set pieces as the actors crossed onto the stage.
Reading articles like this one bring me little sparks of inspiration that constantly renew my excitement in theatre. A costume change like that is certainly one to be fascinated by. It just goes to show that the art of theatre is something that goes beyond what is seen on stage. I commend those costumers and all others who work to make the more spectacular aspects of theatre come alive. They are truly magicians of their element.
I've never really imagined that a scenic designer would take into account the challenges of a forty second costume change, but it seems that every little moment matters for this production team. The fact that there are "secret passages" in place to make the dressers' and actors' jobs easier is commendable, and really speaks to the amount of care that went into the construction of the set.
From what I understand (and the single incident I've been able to spaek to a professional dresser), the act of changing a characters clothes is fast but intimate, frenzied but made to look effortless. Everyone involved--the costume designer, the construction team, the dresser and the actor him/herself--really has to be on their game to make what appears to the audience as trivial in their day to day life appear magical.
I was lucky enough to get to see "Chinglish" and observe the way the set was used through the show. Not only was the design of the set genius, but, the was in which it was used to help the actors and actresses make their costume changes easier was pure genius. This design clearly was very intricate and must have been difficult to time the rotations with set and costume changes all at once. The designers deserve praise and congratulations on a job REALLY well done!
That sounds a lot like what Kenny was talking about in costuming class, about things going on backstage being just a choreographed as what goes on on stage. Its pretty astounding that show after show all areas of the theatre are able to work so smoothly together. It also sounds like an interesting challenge not just from the costumers point of view, but also the set designer who not only had to make a believable set from all angles but had to put in discrete passages that were not obvious to the audience but could still get actors from point A to point B.
This is awesome! What I love is that the production/design team didn't have to sacrifice their vision for technical purposes. It seems like the whole team (and especially the actors) was willing to do whatever to make this unique set work. I'm sure there were some logistical nightmares to figure out during tech. I would love to see the contingency plans for this show- What happens when a turn table faults or when a quick-change isn't made on time? I'm sure the production team was thorough in preparing for the inevitable disasters that come along with such a complicated show. This show seems like an awesome challenge for management, wardrobe, and many other departments. I admire the creative geniuses who thought this one up!
Oh my goodness! I am so amazed- 40 seconds is not a lot of time to undress, even RE-dress! I, like everyone else am awed by the magic of such a production team. I also like what Shannon mentioned, it is really applaudable that such a crew of people didn't let technical details interfere with a creative vision, something that it so important and is the true spirit of what amazes me about theater. If there's a will, theres a way! Props again to the crew of people, and actors too- for so boldly deciding to do the quick change, and make it happen.
I like April's comment about how this article makes it clear that things backstage are just as choreographed as what the audience sees onstage. Going even further, this design has to be just as choreographed as the backstage track and the onstage action. To have the foresight to develop (multiple) secret passageways so that it's posible for the actors to get where they need to go is amazing. Reading articles like this that talk about the reality and the magic of being backstage of a show is one of my favorite things to do, because it's something that a huge portion of the population never thinks once about.
This was interesting to me to read about, since I've never heard of seen of a set up like this before, I do think it is amazing though. I like the collaboration between the design team that took place in order to make this be able to happen. The entire production team all had to be on the same page in order for this to be executed. This is definitely one of those elements that isn't appreciated or necessarily noticed by the audience but has a lot of thought and organization put into it. I'm sure they are amazed once the same actor is on stage 40 seconds later wearing a different outfit however, but don't think twice about all the work put into it!
We just covered quick changes in my costume mini today and last session and as Kenny told told many professional productions don't give people who do costume changes any time to rehearse the changes. All the changes seems stress full to the runner I can't even imagine doing all of these one the first night. However the amount of the costume changes must give a great representation of the world and a lot of insight into the characters.
I've always enjoyed it when media talks about backstage and what goes on back there. It's a world that isn't known by the audience and they are always fascinated by these glimpses. I've always found it more interesting to be backstage watching the show back there than what is being put on for the audience. Kudos to the people on Chinglish for figuring out such innovative ways to do these transitions.
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