Sunday, September 23, 2007
There's No Cutting Corners In the Fichandler
washingtonpost.com: "As the recent boom in new stage complexes here and around the country proves, they don't build 'em like this anymore; the model seems too intimidating. Artistic Director Molly Smith says: 'It's thought of as a place that eats up directors and actors. They have to exert more energy to make it work.'"
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7 comments:
This theatre has something in common with another one I know... hmmmm, could it be in Purnell? Arena style theatre can be some of the most fun to work on and most challenging. I've never worked on a show in one, but the idea of having people in the action of a play is exciting. It brings an intimacy to the performance. It also presents a million more challenges for the actors and the designers to work together to overcome. That seemed to be one of the binding forces for this type of space, the collaboration between everyone involved.
The constant need for new and pioneering work must be extraordinarily difficult in the theatre business. Here they have created a 360 degree seating arrangement, which is astounding. This new style of staging probably has its throwbacks to some other historical theatre, but the with the advancements of better technology there is a lot more opportunities for innovative theatre.
I can't even imagine the logistical nightmare that must have been the first show there. I don't really think that I would enjoy working in the round unless it was the right show. I think you have to have the right show to work in the round. This article reminds me of the disaster that was putting the emmys in the round. You can't stick a show that has a set format and has been around for decades doing it the same way and suddenly shove it into a whole new space style and expect it to work without some really intense rehearsal.
Yes, we learned with Equus that putting a show in the round is incredibly hard and requires a lot of attention to detail and specific direction for the actors. From the same show, I can also say that voms suck, but thats just because I was stuck in one for the duration of the show everynight with nothing else to do. A space such as this one can inspire and push people to make brilliant work, or can intimidate people and kill the potential.
I (having never worked a show in the round) wonder how difficult it must be to keep the "magic" of theater when you have nothing to hide behind. For me, a lot of theater is about wondering how things happen, or even just being shocked by the unseen. But in the round, you can't mask much and everything is just "out there." Having audience members on each side must create huge issues for blocking, sight lines, scenic design and special effects. It would be a fun, difficult challenge.
I love Arena Stage. They do such amazing work sometimes and especially in the round. I totally didn't know they were renovating. $125 million? More reasons for me to hate that they don't do summer production internships. Lame.
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