Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Stagecraft: From Script to Stage - Volume V


This will be a continuing series of blogs that will cover the development of the play I am working on. Inspired by the Production Diaries and Behind-the-Scenes videos on newer DVDs, I have decided to showcase some of the drama behind the dramas that are put up on stage.


For months the cast and crew has been working hard on getting things ready for the performance. It seemed that October was a long way away and that we had plenty of time before our first performance. But October has come and is already standing with one foot out the door. This past weekend was the first performance of the play up in Rockville and it was met with a lot of praise. For me personally it was a great sense of fulfillment having worked for so long on seeing this drama come to life. At one point it seemed that October couldn't get here fast enough, but now that the first performance is over there is a bit of sadness in that the fun that is always associated with a project such as this is partly over.

The weekend started for me on Friday night when the cast and crew gathered for a final rehearsal. Seeing as how it was Diwali that Saturday we had a bit of a celebration for that before heading down and doing the rehearsal. Everyone was relaxed and the rehearsal went off pretty well. Saturday morning started early as my brother and I picked up the cargo van to carry all our supplies to and from the theatre. We went to Virginia to pick up the sets we had constructed some weeks back. We then came back to Maryland and kept everything as ready as we could.

Sunday, the day of the performance, was busier still. We began early again by packing up whatever remained at the house and getting to the theatre around 11:00. Unloading everything we began assembly on the stage panels and arranging the furniture. Having never had a technical rehearsal we gave the technical crew some extra time to get their cues and their levels set. The cast and other production members began arriving and slowly all the preparation came together. There are so many details that need to be covered and with this being a volunteer group, we all do as much as we can to cover everyone else.

Props set, sounds ready, lights on, actors standing-by, video camera rolling and make-up finally touched up, we were all set to go. The performance went off well. I was on pins and needles the entire time. Although the audience may not notice little glitches here and there, having worked on this thing for months now, I could pick up the little things. I watched the audience though and I could hear the laughter and their involvement in the events on stage and I was proud to hear that they were applauding. It was a testament to the hardwork that the entire team had put in to helping me make this project come together.

I was quite proud to have my parents and my brother there with me. My brother made the trip all the way from California for this weekend. I was happy he could be there. There is still one more show to go. That means there's one more day to have that nervous anticipation of seeing the project come together on the day of the performance; a handful of more rehearsals to coordinate and attend and few more times to get together with a group of people who have become very close friends over the course of these past months during rehearsal. It's been a very memorable experience and I know I have learned a lot from it.

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2 Comments:

At 8:34 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

A pat on the back for a job well done and a round of applause for the team!!!

 
At 12:36 AM, Blogger Pooja Taskar said...

I always knew it would go well :)
Good to know that Amu was there .. all the best of luck for the next performance.

 

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