Making theatre happen

Judy.  Two hours after our plane touched down in Atlanta from Santiago, Chile, on March 19, I was on a shuttle headed to Columbus, Georgia, to begin rehearsals for DRIVING MISS DAISY.

Most of you know that I’m an actor (or actress, if you prefer), but it occurred to me that you might not know much about the process of getting a play off the page and onto the stage, so I thought I might give you some insight.

Digital sign in front of the theatre

The "Dot",  where we performed

As a member of Actors’ Equity Association, the stage actors’ union, I am given a contract on or before my first rehearsal, which stipulates the rules, the hours of rehearsal, number of performances, and my weekly salary. As an out-of-town hire, I’m also entitled to housing and a per diem. All this is spelled out between my union, the artistic director or managing director, and me. It’s good to get the business out of the way so we can concentrate on getting the show on its feet.

The Springer Opera House is a terrific place to work. Once you’ve worked there, you are considered family. I haven’t performed at the Springer for several years, but I was welcomed like a long-lost sister, and spent much of my off time catching up with staff members who are dear friends. The month before my arrival, a city pipe had broken and flooded the basement of the historical theatre (started in 1871), causing a myriad of problems, so EVITA, the show before ours, had been moved to a nearby theatre, and the cast, normally living in actor housing in the building, were moved to Airbnbs nearby. That meant that for the first week of rehearsal, our cast was, as well.

I was in a historical Airbnb about three blocks from the theatre—a great walk to and from to get the blood circulating. I was also right behind a soul food restaurant, and for my first meal, returned to my roots with a vegetable plate of turnip greens, blackeyed peas, fried okra, green beans and cornbread. “Baby, it’s free fried chicken leg day today. You want one?” You bet I do!

We had two and a half weeks of rehearsals, eight hours per day, with one day off per week. I had memorized most of my lines before the first rehearsal, which is a good thing, as we had some very specific work from our director.

The first rehearsal consists of a “show and tell” from the designers (set, costume, sound, lights) and a discussion with the director about how s/he sees the story to be told. Then we jump right in with what’s called blocking. All the movement we make on stage, standing, sitting, crossing, etc. is carefully orchestrated to make the story easy to follow, and the meaning of the lines clear. Chris, our director, had specific ideas about exactly when we would move, and what he wanted our actions to be. All this has to be written in the script, or book of the play, and memorized along with our lines. It took two rehearsals to block the play, and then we began text work.

Text is the lines as written, and subtext is what you’re thinking, no matter what you say. For example, I could say, “I love your hair,” but I might be thinking I hate it, or that I wish I had hair like that, or even that I need to get home and cook dinner. Or I might mean I love your hair. All that has to be clarified, along with what my character wants in each scene and how I am trying to get it.

As this becomes clearer, after three or four rehearsals, we begin detail work—what might help me get my point across more clearly, or making sure I HEARD what my fellow actor just said to me. What s/he said, and the subtext, both influence my reaction. It’s also important to listen and react quickly (and honestly) and use pauses judiciously so the audience believes you are hearing the lines for the first time.

We were fortunate to have a great cast. Keith, who played Hoke, and Bob, who played Boolie, are both seasoned actors who know how to “give and take” onstage, listening and responding as called for. This may sound trivial, but believe me, acting with someone who looks you in the eye and listens to you is a gift!

A scene with Hoke

Publicity shot with a 1947 Packard!

Our stage manager, Meaghan, made sure all went well in rehearsals, from setting up the stage as it needed to be, correcting our missed lines, and finding whatever we might need for rehearsal. In addition, once we open, she “calls the show”, telling lights and sound and, in our case, projections, when to go. It is NOT an easy job! Jasper was her assistant, working backstage with us to get props to us or helping with issues that arise.

By this time, we had moved from the Airbnbs into the upstairs theatre housing, and only had to run downstairs to the rehearsal hall to work.

Initial rehearsals usually take place in a rehearsal hall, with the set suggested by tape on the floor and a few pieces of furniture and props (things you carry with you or handle—telephones, newspapers, etc.). Toward the end of the second week, we moved into the theatre proper, where the set was built, and the lights adjusted. A couple of days later we had our first dress rehearsal, where we wore the costumes we’d wear in the play.

Our costume designer had some beautiful vintage clothing, and lots of it! There were so many “quick changes” where we had seconds to completely change clothes that we had several rehearsals just of the changes. This resulted in several pieces (ties, jewelry, shoes) being tossed and the changes streamlined. I had a great dresser who helped me with the changes. Sometimes I had two! Melody had done this often, and had some great suggestions, like “underdressing”, wearing two dresses at once so I could drop one offstage and have the other ready to go. Sometimes she clasped a necklace while India clipped on my earrings, and I put on my hat. Crazy!

Our final dress rehearsal was performed in front of staff members and ushers of the theatre, to give us a sense of our audience.

 

Jasper, Meaghan, & dresser Melody take a break

And then it was opening night. The show went well, the audience seemed to enjoy it, and Chris, the director, celebrated with us with champagne and crab cakes. The next morning, he left town for his next job as a director, and Meagan took over the show.

The crew: Jasper, Meaghan, Kat, India, and Kate

Then began the run of the show, the dates we perform. In this case, we only performed Thursday through Sunday for two weeks. We were full every night, which is always more fun than performing for a small audience, and we had daytimes to walk along the Riverfront by the Chattahoochee River, or meet up with friends, do laundry, or just rest. Ted came for opening night and brought his sister Kathy the second week. It’s always a comfort to hear him laugh!

One of the loveliest evenings was when friends from the theatre program in our high school in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, traveled from four different states to see the show and spend time with me. Church friends from Gwinnett County drove down the first weekend, and the last Saturday a former student and her mother came to the show. These are such blessings.

The Tuscaloosa gang in Columbus

We closed the show last Sunday and bid a hugging farewell to each other. It’s always a bit sad, but too many times I’ve wept with other cast members only to find myself rehearsing with them in a new show a couple of months later. It’s an odd way to make a living, stepping into a character’s shoes, becoming close to the cast, then watching the whole ephemeral thing disappear at the strike, where the set is torn down and put away. But that very ephemeral nature of theatre is part of why I love it so. It’s living in the moment at its finest!