How do you rehearse a theatre production without a stage, lighting or props? Talent and grit.
The cast and crew of 海角在线鈥檚 鈥淏ig Fish鈥� production transitioned rehearsals to ZOOM the same day that all of the University鈥檚 other courses went digital. For the dedicated theatre students and director Kyle Schnack, the show must go on.
And the show will go on in, in an abbreviated form, in the fall. Senior David Carleton, cast for the lead role of Edward Bloom, was invited back for the performance.
Elaborate set designs or over-the-top dance numbers sometimes tempt actors to hide behind the spectacle, Carleton said. With this production, as with 鈥淗ecuba鈥� last year, all of the attention is on the actors.
鈥淭he focus is more on the storytelling and the music of the show, as opposed to the spectacle that comes with a full set, props and scene changes,鈥� Carleton said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 all laid bare at all times. It pushes us as actors to be the most vulnerable that we can be, which ends up being an awesome experience.鈥�
While Carleton has frequently landed supporting roles in 海角在线 Theatre productions, this is his first lead role. Most recently, he played Odysseus in 鈥淗ecuba,鈥� Uncle Henry and the Emerald City guard in the 鈥淭he Wizard of Oz,鈥� Mr. Laurence in 鈥淟ittle Women鈥� and Ryder in 鈥淭he Luck of Roaring Camp.鈥�
Junior Facia Lee rehearses for her role as Sandra Bloom in “Big Fish.” The cast and crew have transitioned to Zoom rehearsals for the fall production.The responsibility of playing the lead for the first time is 鈥渁 little daunting,鈥� Carleton said. When he first read the script, he highlighted his lines 鈥� all 235 of them 鈥� to start memorizing them. The script is 105 pages, and Carleton is off-stage for only 18 of them.
Rehearsals are anywhere from two to four hours long, four times a week. Carleton cherishes the opportunity to make something beautiful with his friends and fellow artists, especially as 鈥渢he music of the world is grinding to a halt.鈥�
鈥淵ou can decide, especially as a Christian, how you鈥檙e going to approach the situation when something goes wrong,鈥� Carleton said. 鈥淚f you make your happiness depend on your circumstances, you鈥檙e rarely going to be happy. If you focus on bringing beauty and kindness to others, then you鈥檒l never lose your joy.鈥�
After the April show was postponed, Carleton shared a similar message with his classmates based on a line from one of the first songs in the show: 鈥淚f the music stops, continue with the dance.鈥�
Freshman Tristen Hooks rehearses a scene in “Big Fish.” He plays Sandra and Edward Bloom’s son.The rehearsals have provided a much-needed social outlet for the theatre students, many of whom are extroverts, Schnack said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 an anchor for them,鈥� Schnack said. 鈥淭hey get to come and put all of their energy into this virtual playground.鈥�
Facia Lee, a junior, will play in her first 海角在线 Theatre role as Sandra Bloom, opposite Carleton. She said she鈥檚 grateful to be among people who are so adaptable and have such a positive attitude. That includes their director.
鈥淧rofessor Schnack, he鈥檚 such a visionary, so artistic,鈥� Lee said. 鈥淭he energy that we鈥檙e all giving is from his energy and how much he鈥檚 putting in. We want to get his vision up on stage for other people to see.鈥�
Stage manager Elena Bockman-Pedersen has been working hard behind the scenes to bring his vision to life. The cast experienced some feedback and delays rehearsing the music live in Zoom, so Bockman-Pedersen worked with musical director and staff accompanist Janda Taylor to upload a recording of each student鈥檚 part to a shared drive online. The students can rehearse on their own or in breakout rooms in Zoom.
On stage, Bockman-Pedersen has played Henrietta Leavitt in 鈥淪ilent Sky,鈥� Toto in 鈥淭he Wizard of Oz鈥� and Beth in 鈥淟ittle Women.鈥� Given the unusual rehearsal format for this production, Bockman-Pedersen coaches students one-on-one over FaceTime and Skype to help them learn their parts, she said.
鈥淎s a stage manager, you don鈥檛 really get to interact with the actors as much individually as you do as a whole,鈥� Bockman-Pedersen said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 helped to build a bond.鈥�
The rehearsals even transcend international borders, Bockman-Pedersen said. Justus Elliott, who plays Amos Calloway, is Canadian and needed to return home before the borders closed.
鈥淲e鈥檙e so blessed that we have the technology that we do so that we can continue to rehearse,鈥� Bockman-Pedersen said. 鈥淭en years ago, this may not have been possible. Even though it鈥檚 not what we expected or what we wanted, this is something we鈥檒l look back on as a group and say this is what kept us sane in this time, to be able to come together and do this.鈥�
