What It Takes
New York, NY, Sept. 22 – Perfectly synchronized lights. Accompanying sounds to each scene. Seamless character changes. Excellent, well choreographed acting. These are a few things seen by the millions of people who attend theatrical performances around the world today. But does this all happen by itself? The directors, stage managers, and other key individuals that make the plays and musicals we love as good as they are would most assuredly disagree. A closer look into what it takes to make a production come alive can really make one appreciate the joys of modern theatre.Blind Mouth Singing, which made its New York premier at the Baruch Performing Arts Center, was a wonderful example of a well-managed, well-performed theatrical production. Produced by the National Asian American Theatre Company and in collaboration with Theater Mitu, Blind Mouth Singing showcases the talents of Asian American actors with the artistic direction of Theater Mitu’s Ruben Polendo and stage manager Hilary Austin. Behind this production is an array of components that come together to form one unified play. These components start out from a simple idea and develop from there. The first thing that takes a play from dream to reality is money.
The cost of producing any sort of play is tremendous. For example, one of Broadway’s newest musicals, The Little Mermaid, has an estimated production cost of over $5 million. The average Shakespeare in the Park production comes in over $300,000. In comparison, estimated costs for Blind Mouth Singing are only $60,000. How do Theater Mitu and NAATCO, both non-for-profit companies, come up with this amount? Director Ruben Polendo explained that core funding is divided among three areas: individual donations, grants from foundations, and state and national funds. Other forms of capital intake come by event, such as fundraisers, and ticket sales. Corporate sponsorship is probably the least likely to support a small theatre production, Polendo said, because of the lack of exposure a corporation could get in comparison to Broadway-based performances. Overseeing spending habits and work progress is the Board of Directors, comprising of a conglomerate of people from many walks of life. But this is only the beginning.
The most important element that either makes or breaks a production is the people behind it. Their responsibilities are tremendous. To begin, a play starts out with a director and an idea. In the case of Blind Mouth Singing, the director was Polendo, and the idea was the play itself. Why he chose the play, Polendo noted, is because of the emotional response he had to reading the script. This translates into auditions, comprising a short excerpt from the play being performed by a given candidate for the position. After the cast has been chosen, rehearsal begins and lasts for a mere four weeks. The fifth week comprises of technical rehearsals including costumes and sets. This aspect of production is controlled and coordinated by Hilary Austin, the stage manager. She is single-handedly responsible for recording all of the actions made by the actors and actresses to ensure consistency night after night. During the play, Austin directs the actions of almost everyone involved though close to 900 cues, which include cues for lighting, sounds, prop positioning, and performer’s entry / exit of stage. She monitors the whole play at all times. After this, preview performances are held for friends, family, and others to gage the reaction of the audience. It is only after all this that a play is ready to be seen by the public.
After all is said and done, there is no guarantee for resounding critical acclaim. It is not written anywhere that the play will be a hit. But, if it were not for all the hard work, the risks taken, and the trouble averted along the way, there would be no theatre. And what a shame that would be.
Theatre is alive and well. It is amazing to get a glimpse, albeit a small one, of just what it takes to make it thrive.