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carlfoxmartenThe same theatre company that I was with for the pantos is currently in rehearsals for Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap, in preparation for a mid-March run.
No, I didn't get a role, but I am helping out in a useful way.
Our stage manager is currently busy (with classes and other shows), so I've been filling in to a small degree.
Thus far, and probably as far as it'll be, is being "on-book", which means I keep the actors from forgetting lines and prompt them when they ask.
It was a rather important task last week, when we had several actors trying to be "off-book" (not carrying their scripts with them) and really shouldn't have been.
Yesterday it wasn't such a big deal, as we were working on much smaller scenes in the script to get the overtones of nuance right, so they were able to remember their lines well enough through the sheer repetition we went through.
We'll see what happens in future rehearsals, as we get our stage manager back next Saturday, then she's away for the Sunday after that, and after that she's fully available.
Aside from all that, the production team is really big on "real" effects for shows like this.
For example, they wired up a classic doorbell in the style of what they'd have used back then, with the bell that's constantly rung while the button is pressed, and it'll be screwed to the back of the set where the front door is apparently set.
It even has a bit of a glow on the button so the actors can find it in the dark.
The telephone will also be somewhat remotely controlled, ringing its own bell when triggered, and getting cut off when the handset is lifted.
They also hope that they can wire the radio for sound, so the radio broadcasts will seem to come from it as well.
No, I didn't get a role, but I am helping out in a useful way.
Our stage manager is currently busy (with classes and other shows), so I've been filling in to a small degree.
Thus far, and probably as far as it'll be, is being "on-book", which means I keep the actors from forgetting lines and prompt them when they ask.
It was a rather important task last week, when we had several actors trying to be "off-book" (not carrying their scripts with them) and really shouldn't have been.
Yesterday it wasn't such a big deal, as we were working on much smaller scenes in the script to get the overtones of nuance right, so they were able to remember their lines well enough through the sheer repetition we went through.
We'll see what happens in future rehearsals, as we get our stage manager back next Saturday, then she's away for the Sunday after that, and after that she's fully available.
Aside from all that, the production team is really big on "real" effects for shows like this.
For example, they wired up a classic doorbell in the style of what they'd have used back then, with the bell that's constantly rung while the button is pressed, and it'll be screwed to the back of the set where the front door is apparently set.
It even has a bit of a glow on the button so the actors can find it in the dark.
The telephone will also be somewhat remotely controlled, ringing its own bell when triggered, and getting cut off when the handset is lifted.
They also hope that they can wire the radio for sound, so the radio broadcasts will seem to come from it as well.
