Behind the Curtain

By Julie Senger

As you and your fellow audience members come into the theatre, take your seats and quietly converse amongst yourselves while awaiting the heavy curtain to be drawn open, bringing you into another world for an hour or two, there is much that has gone on behind that temporary barrier that keeps what lies behind it a mystery until show time. Months of preparation and hard work have gone into the experience of which youre about to become a part. Part of what separates live theatre from film is its inclusivity; rather than a series of moving images for you to view, you get to feel the intimacy of what its like to be in the room while the action takes place. Theres always the chance that something wont go as planned, and actors must improvise on the spot in order to try to make the show seamless. Therefore, shows are like snowflakes or fingerprints no two are exactly the same. This is the stuff you dont get to see:

Auditions
Depending upon the production, auditions will either be open-call or by invitation only. Open-call means anyone can audition. Actors will bring a headshot with their rsum affixed to the back, which will contain their most recent, relevant, performance experience. Auditions usually consist of a prepared monologue and a cold-read. A monologue is a solo character performance that is acted out for the casting director. A cold-read is when the actor is given a portion of the script from the play for which he/she is auditioning that they must briefly review and perform. This portion of the script is not given to the actor until just before they must perform it. If auditioning for a musical, the actor will also be asked to prepare a portion of a song which best shows their vocal range, and they will be asked to either prepare some choreography, or to learn some basic dance steps so the casting director can see how well they move.

Rehearsal
Once a show is cast, scripts are disbursed, and rehearsals begin. This is where the cast and crew spend a couple of months learning lines and blocking, as well as music and choreography if the show is a musical. Blocking is stage movement; its every physical action that you see an actor make that isnt dance choreography. Blocking is the element that most people dont consider when they think of what goes in to a performance. Most people dont think about the fact that almost every movement, gesture, step, entrance and exit an actor makes has been strictly dictated to them by the director. Blocking must be memorized so that actors are in the right place at the right time, or so that a certain movement or gesture is made in order to convey specific meaning. Rehearsal is where all the elements must come together to create each scene. Actors will walk around with their scripts in hand for the first few weeks, penciling in notes next to their lines as to what they are supposed to physically be doing during a scene. A few weeks before the show, the actors are expected to be off-book, which means they must have all of their lines, blocking, music and choreography memorized so they can perform it without their script.

Hell Week
Hell week is the week before opening night. Its called hell week because its where all the pieces of a show must come together, and everyone is expected to stay until it does; in other words, the actors and crew may not leave the theatre until well after midnight each night. During this week, the stage set is assembled, and actors begin dress rehearsals so they can practice any costume changes and begin to feel the flow of the entire show. Up until this point, the show has most likely only been performed as separate scenes and acts.

Hell week is also when the stage techs come in and begin setting the lighting, testing sound, and rehearsing the places in which they must use specific spotlights and supply sound effects (phones ringing, babies crying, music, etc.). These technicians must know the show almost as well as the actors in order to time everything perfectly.

On with the Show
For each performance, the director will give the actors a call time. Call time is when the actors are expected to arrive at the theatre in order to get into hair, makeup and costume. It is usually 2-3 hours before show time. Once actors are in costume, they may check with stage hands to ensure that any item they need for the show is in its proper place. Stage hands work back stage to assist actors with costume changes and facilitate set changes. Actors will want to make sure any prop they will need is where it is supposed to be for a scene, and they will want to make sure that any quick costume changes they must make are set up on the appropriate side of the stage from which theyll enter once they are changed.

When the director announces that the house is open, meaning the theatre is now open for audience members to begin taking their seats, then actors will often stretch, perform vocal exercises to warm up their voice and review their choreography, blocking and scripts backstage to make sure they are ready. When the director calls places, the actors will go to the position in which they open the play; the curtain will open, and the show will begin!

Take a Bow
After all that goes on behind the curtain, the actors will leave their fingerprint on the stage for the night. If successful, their audience will walk out of the theatre affected in some small or profound way.

In the theatre world, a shows production is sometimes compared to an iceberg. Seven-eighths of an iceberg exist under the surface of the frigid water. This massive portion is equated to all of the shows preparation that is never seenin other words, you only see the tip of the iceberg.