www.broadwayworld.com: It's Our Town, YOUR seats. Step into the heart of Grover's Corners with Stage Manager's Seats. Experience Thornton Wilder's timeless classic like never before, with exclusive onstage seating that surrounds the action. With just 30 seats available per performance, you'll be immersed in the world of Our Town, becoming part of the story in an intimate and unforgettable way.
3 comments:
When I was in high school, we did a one act festival where we turned our regular proscenium stage into a small blackbox, with the audience sitting on the stage in a thrust setup. Even just that change in setup made the space feel a lot more intimate and the audience felt more engaged in the action happening in front of them. I think it’s really interesting that Our Town will be offering onstage seats, and I wonder what that setup looks like –– how far are they from the action? Also it sounds like since there are only 30, there are regular seats available as well, so I wonder how the experience is for the audience that’s onstage since they are more visible to other members of the audience. It really makes you think about the line between performer and audience. Also, with 28 people in the cast, that’s almost the same amount of actors and audience onstage, which is interesting.
I have never been fortunate enough to see Our Town, however I am sure that with the interactive seating it creates quite the experience for audience members. Especially for fans who are looking for an interactive theatrical experience that gives them the rush of performing without having to perform. I believe that in the coming years this could become more common among Broadway shows as the clientele of patrons becomes more expectant of living in the world of the actors instead of just experiencing it with them in a theatre. This I am sure will cause some challenges with Stage Management and House Management, but I’m sure there are procedures already in place to help this show maneuver, having patrons and fans on stage while the cast performs and set pieces move. If I get the chance to go to NYC this year, I would want Our Town to be on my list of shows to see, just to see how the exclusive seating works with the show.
During my undergrad I stage managed a show also had the audience seated on the stage. This was an artistic choice made by the director due to the vulnerable and intimate nature of the script. Personally I thought it was a beautiful piece made better by the audience seating choice. As a manager it was a nightmare to call, I could barely see the actors on stage from the booth in the back of the house. When first reading this article I was a bit confused on the number of seats available, first thinking that there would only be the 30 "Stage Manager's Seats", however after looking through the ticket site I was pleasantly surprised to see the production does utilize the entire house with the addition of these seats. These seats are located as far stage left and as far stage right as you can go without being off stage with the seats facing directly across the stage. When selecting one I was prompted with a pop-up confirming that I knew the seats were on stage, there would be no late seating, if I got up at any point I would not be able to return to my seat, and I had to be 8+ to sit there. I'd be interested to see with situations like this what the protocols look like with house management. And what in the show might reflect that there are audience on stage, are they acknowledged or treated as if they are like the rest seated off stage?
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