Okay, let’s be brutally honest: the actors all could’ve been Broadway level professionals and this play still would’ve been diminished. The original idea for the show was to be transferable to the courtyard according to the director. There’s a flaw with that logic though, as the outside courtyard has three evenly sized, equally leveled and having an equal vantage point with a large set of stairs behind the stage which could be incorporated as a dressing room area or exit space. In the Black Box, however, there are four sets of audience seating, each only has the ability to see one side well, and occasionally over to the opposite side.
I guess that last point is where my train of thought starts careening towards a crashing point. I saw the play on two separate nights; one for watching my friends and seeing the show and it’s acting, the other for doing my critique and taking my notes. Seemed reasonable at the time, but as I sat in the theatre looking for things that might distract (a crucial part of stage design would be to center the attention of the audience) I got distracted. I was distracted while looking for things that distracted me. I didn’t know that was possible. I look for any issues with lighting and sound equipment and I find myself looking at a woman in the first row of the audience with what appeared to be pink hair. The stage itself leans towards serious blocking issues as is, I've only seen one show where the actors managed to overcome the four sided stage. I think it would've been a better choice to go with the less ambitious three sided stage.
For instance, if they had considered the three sided stage, it would've eliminated one issue I had almost entirely. On opposite sides of the stage, lets call them North and South, there are two benches (painted a metallic color for some reason, I can only guess to indicate a higher status) where the actors may sit. Many intimate conversations are held using these benches and that means that the actors are having an extremely personal conversation from across the room, something you'd never do in real life, or right next to each other with both backs to the audience, something you'd never do in theatre. Sadly, both rules are broken, making more problems than I think anyone was ready for. People went there looking for a sorrowful tale set in a grand palace in Thebes, instead they got lots and lots of backs.
I will say however that the stage area was beautifully painted and the light posts were interesting and new, though they were also a bit distracting (the one that Antigone is handcuffed to nearly toppled over during the Thursday performance, not to mention that they obstructed the view of the action at times) but proved to be a wise decision. I would’ve, however, changed the way the lights were presented in the Black Box area. Hanging paper lanterns or some form of suspended lights so that the issue of blocked areas of the audience isn’t as prevalent an issue. The scenery actually could’ve been complimented more with additional pieces of furniture or a backdrop piece. Something that said "this is a royal court," rather than, "we're doing a play. And I know the crew could create one Hell of a backdrop if they were asked.
I can only say that the production crew was a little over-ambitious with this show. With a show like Antigone it can be great or it can be sub-par. Unfortunately Antigone turned out to be the latter on quite a few levels. Working with the stage they had, it was almost unavoidable it seems. Thinking back, if I was told at the beginning of the production my first thought wouldn't have been "Oh cool," or "Good to see a classic," it could've been surmised in two word segments: "Uh-oh..." It would've been wiser to have started using the four sided black box stage for different shows and working forward to bigger ones like Antigone. Like many things it can't just be rushed into. As it was, the play should've been called Icarus rather than Antigone, because like Icarus they set their aspirations to high and unfortunately it all suffered because of it.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
A few notes:
1) Unless I am mistaken the benches were supposed to be made to immitate marble, as that would show the higher class of the Greek family portrayed.
2) As stated, it is a theatre in the round. No matter what, some one will be getting the actors back at any given moment. There is just no help for it. And with the bench scenes, you already had problems with how some of the scenes were blocked, so imagine how unrealistic it would have looked if we made sure that no two actors faced the same direction the entire time.
3) The thrust stage would have taken away from the itimacy of the play, not to mention it is more realistic in the round. Life doesn't take place in 3/4 viewing and so the round helped create the mood.
4)You can't have much as for as set and scenery go when doing theatre in the round. The few things we did have, namely the benches and lamp posts, you said already caused sight issues, so more would have made it nearly impossible to see.
Oh, and it was supposed to be modeled after tradition Greek theatre, which was done in the round.
The biggest question to ask yourself, Mike, is "What were the artists trying to do?"
You've pointed out how the play's setting didn't work if they were trying to do a traditional Greek play.
They weren't trying to do a traditional Greek play.
I think the evidence you cited as the play's failure is actually its success.
I saw MHCC's "Antigone" as a piece of theatrical experimentation, trying to engage the audience in a new way, making them purposefully aware of their experience through the use of an arena stage.
It worked for me.
Mike I agree with you, the arena was really confusing with the play as a whole. I would of liked to see it in a thrust or even a proscenium arch. the blocking would become really difficult on this so.. the arena wasnt suited as I would have done.
Post a Comment