Over the past few weeks I have seen 4 pieces of theatre where there needed to be repairs. Or at least from my perspective as a slightly informed theatregoer and professional observer there seemed to be something seriously amiss. Can you repair an aircraft in flight ? I ask this to get opinions and thoughts, especially from Assistant/Staff directors, Company Managers and Producers. These are the people who are slightly distanced from the action on the ground which is created and inhabited by the actors and the director/designers.
Here are four slightly anonymised examples and I’d welcome thoughts. I hope I am not connecting this blog to any actual show because I don’t want to cause any offence. They are not my shows. I was just a paying punter like everyone else – who in the main were cheering at the end.
- What happens if the piece that you thought you were producing appears to have had none of the fixes which were talked about in the rehearsal room, and as you watch it you know it is flying low and in danger of crashing ?
- What happens if there is a seriously weak link in the acting company and you kick yourself because in audition they seemed the perfect fit (or maybe the only choice) and now you are in danger of flying with one member of the team potentially dragging the others down ?
- What happens when you watch a show which felt so good in tec and someone alerts you to a real flaw in the design decisions that had been made on your watch and there is a danger you are flying without adequate visibility ?
- And what happens if one night a number of the audience report that a member of the cast is just dreadful – walking it, missing cues and clearly doesn’t or shouldn’t be on the flight deck that journey.
All these things I have witnessed recently and I wonder whether there are different challenges now from when the old Rep system and funding systems for the arts existed. In days of yore, actors would have had an array of weekly and three weekly rep opportunities to hone their craft, and show their work ethic, before they were picked for a high profile gig. In days of yore, there were understudies. In days of yore, maybe, there was less pressure to get a piece of work up there and more time to test it before a major run (…even I’m not sure that’s true…). And maybe in days of yore, there were tougher producers or directors or actor managers who would have ‘read the riot act’ and found ways to get the flight repaired. Or maybe I am just a jaded theatregoer who expects too much (…but I don’t believe that either).
I just hope Assistant and Staff Directors are strong enough to say what they are seeing each night. I hope the Gods of that theatre company are sensitive enough to listen and consider what action can be taken. And I hope Producers and Assistant Producers are close enough to seeing what the audience sees to notice problems at an early stage; and then work with directors, designers, actors and others to fix it before opening night. And I hope that the same producers are close enough to the audience during the run to see any decay in the mechanisms and team which could affect the flight for the next group of passengers embarking for the next 7.30pm flight.
For reference. As a paying customer, in each case, I have taken some actions myself. I have spoken/written to the theatre with my impressions. I have read the reviews carefully to see whether the critics had the same experience. And I have spoken with other members of the audience at the time and later to see whether it was just my impression or there really was an ongoing problem. Sometimes my extra research proved it was just a bum night – and those I trust spotted no problems at a previous or future performance.
Theatre is a live medium. It is a massive team effort every night. When it all works together it is magic. But when one element is left unfixed, just as in my over-extended metaphor, it can be be a very bumpy ride.
Hope you don’t mind my asking for thoughts on this. Love reflections – BUT please be kind and keep them general and not specific to some show you have seen or was part of. This is about the wider exploration of the challenges for those who nightly watch over a show.
