www.cmu.edu/news: Carnegie Mellon University's School of Drama will conclude its 2015-2016 season with "The Plague in Venice," opening at 8 p.m., April 8 in the Philip Chosky Theater and running through April 23. The production is based on a scenario by Flaminio Scala and adapted and directed by movement mime and mask specialist Sasha Iliev, a guest of the School of Drama.
4 comments:
I am currently on run crew for this show, and I just finished my fourth day of being a spotlight operator for the tech week. Today, we finished running through the show in its entirety for the first time. This show has gone through a million and one changes these past four days, and it will definitely continue to develop until the show opens, and probably even after that. Since the play is devised, the actors are more or less improvising their lines at several points in the show. This is really interesting to watch as it develops, and to see how the actors revise what they say and how they interact. It is also interesting to see how the lighting design changes as all of the cues are being done within the show's context for the first time in tech. I am very excited to see this show in its final form, since I am sure it will be very different every night that I see it.
As a wardrobe crew member for the show, even without having worked on deck yet, I am so excited to watch the fast-paced nature of this innovative style of theatre play out. As a costumer, what I love about working backstage is how it keeps me on my toes. From quick change to quick change, I am never as awake and alive as I am from the time the curtain rises till the time it falls. That clear, decisive, every-second-makes-a-difference thinking that goes into making actors look good on stage within a matter of a few transition bars is what I live for. Plague is projected to be approximately 70 minutes of pure, continuous, ever-changing action, and I love going in knowing that some of the quick changes we will be doing should not be possible. The fact that I will be challenged is all I need to know. I could not be more excited to see how this production unfolds and how the costumes bring the characters to life. "Devised" is indeed the operative word, and I am so grateful to be a part of making this show happen.
Unlike the other commenters, I am not on run crew, yet I am still very excited to see what this show is about. Despite sitting through intents and insights, reading this article, and asking other students, I am still not sure exactly what this play is about. My only experience working on this show has been through the set, which I must say is gorgeous. It is dominated by these reaching, organic golden swirls. The director and scenic designer were strongly influenced by the similarity and symbolism of water and mirrors, resulting in a breathtaking creation. The few rehearsals I have glimpsed have been absolutely enchanting to watch. The actors seem to glide from place to place in an elaborate and organic dance, clothed in these almost ridiculous outfits which inexplicably fit into the very fabric of the show. I suppose this is the beauty of a devised piece. The set, costumes, lights, and direction grow with the script, they are intrinsic to its creation. I cannot wait to see a performance
I am also not on run crew, but I did attend the Intents and Insights conservatory hour session for Plague in Venice, so I was able to be exposed to the world of the play in some manner before opening. When I first heard that the show was majorly based on improvisation, I cringed a little. After the designers showcased their ideas and their designs for the production with such beauty in the drawings and such order in their paper work, I was kind of discouraged to know that there is hardly a script for this play. Don't get me wrong, I love improv and think it is so fun to watch, but I just feel as if there is a lot of experimenting being done on the part of actors and performers, and all the designs and technical aspects are very thought through and executed with meaning. I just really want the performers to give the world of the play justice and put forth as much effort to "not screw up" with the amount of performance freedom they have, and leave the technical elements on the stage as an extra detail in the show. I hope their improvisation is able to mix well with the scenery, lights, sound, and costumes and make this a well rounded production.
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