Curtain call, behind the scenes

It’s been a little more than two weeks sinces closing night of my latest play, Noises Off, with the Bay Players company. It’s weird having my nights back. Even though it’s nice to have more free time, I do miss my cast mates, and the show did create camaraderie. In this follow-up installment, I’ll look back on the performances, and whether it was all worth it.

Tech Week

So, let’s rewind a few weeks to Tech Week. This is the time before a show opens when all of the technical elements are added to the acting process — the lights, sound, costumes and set changes. The first night was a little rough. The tough part of this particular play is that the entire set is rotated twice during a performance.

The actors worked with stage manager Tom to accomplish this in a quick and orderly fashion during the two intermissions. It was tiring to both act and move an entire set around, but once we got used to it, the process wasn’t that bad. My favorite part about tech week is watching the play come to life. It’s easy to get some people together and learn lines, but once you add all of the technical elements, it truly becomes a show.

I was feeling under the weather for most of tech week, which added to my own personal stress. My life was literally (professional) work, then rehearsal and then sleep. I tried desperately to get better in time for opening night. I was so worried that I’d lose my voice like I did during a play last year. Luckily, that didn’t happen — thanks to a nice mix of cold meds and hot tea.

Opening Weekend

This is it. This is what six weeks of rehearsal and sacrificing my social life amounts to: Opening Weekend! We started every show with an “Energy Circle,” where all of the actors and our director Ray would join hands in a circle and say, “Energy, energy, energy.”

I know — sounds weird right? But I think it really did help to get us in the right mindset.

The first scene went off without a hitch, and I had a feeling it was going to be a good show. Then our first of several “live theater” moments happened. A fellow actor skipped an entire section of Act I. Offstage, all we could do was hope the actors onstage would keep going without a hitch. They did — and the audience never knew. That’s the beauty of live theater — it’s a different show every night, and if you skip a line or a section, you just keep going.

Then the big moment arrived — it was my chance to step on stage. It felt good. I was ready. I said my first line, and then I looked out and saw my roommate in the first row. I was excited to see her, but it dawned on me that I couldn’t look that way anymore. She’d either make me want to laugh, or I’d get nervous. I don’t really like to make direct eye contact with any audience member during a show.

The audience was responsive, which is vital to a good performance. They definitely got more responsive as the show progressed. Act I was a little quiet. Act II was a little louder, and by Act III, they were really into it.

Overall, it was a great show. No one fell on stage (unless it was part of the script), and the technical elements all worked without a hitch. I did fall backstage on my way to curtain call, but the audience never knew, so I’d say it doesn’t count.

After the first show, we had the traditional cast-and-crew night out at Aliota’s in Whitefish Bay. It was fun to share some drinks with everyone and get to know the entire crew better.

Closing Weekend

Time to do it all over again for a second weekend. We had one rehearsal during the week to stay fresh. Physically, I felt much better the second weekend, but everyone else in the cast was getting sick now. Despite this, I think we put on our best show the second Friday. It was fast-paced and full of energy. I had a couple friends in the audience, which made it very lively. As an actor, it’s easier to get immersed in the role if you have an engaged audience.

The most laughs came during one of my scenes with a plastic ax. We had a “prop malfunction” when the top of the ax flew off across the stage — which wasn’t supposed to happen. I didn’t know what to do, and it was hard not to completely crack up onstage as my fellow actor was smirking.

It’s such a great feeling to make an audience laugh. Even if something happens that’s not scripted, you have to go with it and make the most of it. As long as you own it, it’s OK.

Saturday was the final show. The last night is always bittersweet; it’s anti-climatic to have it all come to an end after devoting your life to it for more than a month. It’s also sad to say goodbye to cast mates. We all promised to keep in touch, but deep down you know that you probably won’t see each other again for awhile.

Another depressing part about ending a show is taking down the set, which volunteers worked so hard to build. It’s called “set strike,” and we all work together to tear it down after the final show. It took several hours, but it’s almost cathartic to work together to end what we all started together.

Of course, we had to cap off the final performance with some drinks at our favorite watering hole — The Village Pub. We had fun talking about the show and recalling favorite moments. It was also fun to talk about life outside the play. The girls in the cast became pretty close, so it was fun to go out and talk about boys and to just be silly together.

Upon Reflection

In the weeks since the play ended, I’ve talked to a few of my cast mates. I’m glad I made some new friends during the show, but it’s good to be back to normal life for awhile. I get to see my roommate and friends more, which is nice. I also finally had time to go on a first date with a guy I’ve been talking to for about a month, and we had a great time.

So, I think I’m done acting for a few months while I catch up with other aspects of my life. But mark my words — I’ll start missing theater before year’s end. I just can’t stay away for too long from my theater family.