Friday, September 02, 2011
The Show Must Go On
TheatreFace: My friends at the Weston Playhouse this week have been suffering through a heartbreaking scenario: the very weekend they opened the world premier musical, Saint Ex, about the life of the author of the book, The Little Prince (a production which was, by all accounts, simply stellar), Hurricane Irene tore through Vermont, causing the West River—running immediately behind the playhouse—to overtop its banks and flood the theatre.
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First, an aside - Rich Dionne's blog! Rich was my Director of Production at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey this summer.
Rich brings up a really great thought about the wonderful nature of theatre - if you're faithful to the story and supporting the storytellers, the scope of show and the designs of the show can vary wildly depending on your available resources and still pull off the show. I'm reminded of a similar situation to this one when the French Woods Festival (Hancock, NY) was hit by a rainstorm that entirely flooded the arena stage where I was set to perform Dreamgirls. We picked up what we could in the hour before the performance and moved it to the orchestra hall, which had no lighting control (all fluorescents all the time) and a proscenium seating bank rather than the in-the-round staging of the arena. While frantically reorienting the dance numbers to face front, a camaraderie developed among the cast and crew with the common goal of presenting as faithful a production of the show as possible. And response from the audience and director was strong - commitment to the storytelling superseded the missing technical elements. I present this not as a heartwarming anecdote, but rather an objective comment on scope and the ways to overcome it - when we didn't have lighting to draw focus to one group over another, the actors picked up the slack and directed focus over. So I applaud Weston's "close to the original concert production", and appreciate the tenacity of our industry to make the show happen even through difficult circumstances.
I am always amazed at the level of dedication that goes toward putting on a show, even despite natural disasters. I wonder if it was the hard work that the workers put into cleaning/repairing their theatre that led to the helpful donation mentioned in the article. I'm not sure where the phrase "The Show Must Go On" originated, but in this industry it truly is something that everyone takes to heart, and it's nice to see that even with the country's economy where it is right now, and despite the terrible weather that parts of the country have been getting, there are still those willing to donate and be involved to keep theatre alive.
First off, this article shows the magic behind theatre and the dedication to an art form that can touch many individuals. I could say that the Weston Playhouse should have prepared more to save parts of their production like people are saying about Williamstown's props storage, but that is not the point of these articles or in good spirits. Without joining TheatreFace, its interesting to see how an article that tells a story over a news report (which let you know how hurricane Irene affected them basically), can have comments which are more sympathetic and informed. This article along with the Williamstown article let me know that everyone deserves help and works hard. The show must always go on and the dedication of both places should be recognized whether or not your season is starting or ending. Rich puts the magic of theatre and the ever changing art in great terms through this piece.
I too have been following Weston Playhouse's clean up efforts from afar. I interned at the theater after my freshmen year at CMU and have always thought that the company's strongest aspect is the support it is given by the community. Weston, VT is a town of approximately 800 year-round residents. At it's peak, the playhouse employs approximately 125 people. The people of the playhouse and the theater it makes is a defining characteristic of this small New England town.
The response of the community to the Playhouse's pleas for help were extraordinary. Volunteers helped staff sort through sopping props, costumes, and set pieces, as well as the theater's basement-level restaurant. This underlines the importance theater and theaters can play in bringing a community together and giving everyone something they can support and be proud of in an age where our politicians are constantly trying to drive us apart, it is vitally important that something be bringing us together.
This is great to see the people of a town to come out and come together for any cause, theater or otherwise, but what these folks have been able to do in the face of a Hurricane Irene and still put on the show after all the flooding and destruction of various elements, albeit in a different format. I think the author's point about story is also especially nice to note. There are so many different ways to tell stories of different plays. Different interpretations, different ideas about what the play is trying to say, and how to convey that. There are many different ways to do that, as Weston has demonstrated, and as theater artists, exploring the different methods and ways to tell stories is important as theater continues to change and evolve
This is truely a testimony of the Passion and drive that theatre artist artists, managers and designers have for their work. I was unaware of the damage that was cause to the theatre, but due to the author's article I can imagine the amount of work which went into getting the musical back onto its feet. This shows team work, the basis of all good theatre at it best!
This is a direct example of a phenomenal use of camaraderie in the theatre. The way the entire company came together is amazing! Whenever something isn't going just the way you want for a show, we should all strive to think about these kinds of situations. If the Weston Playhouse theatre company could get through such a tragic disaster as this than why can't others do the same. You hear about these kinds of stories all the time, but they don't usually have as happy of an ending. I applaud the Weston Playhouse's dedication to their work and their upholding of the saying, "the show must go on!"
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