HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES - Blog Post #2

Dying is easy, Comedy is hard:  Casting the Show

Casting for almost all the shows at PTE (and for most theatres in the city) takes place in the Spring. Actors refer to it (not-so-fondly) as Audition Season - a highly-pressured time when actors are busy reading all the plays that all the theatres have announced, looking at casting breakdowns, figuring out where they may fit in, and finally preparing for individual auditions. That explains why actors look a bit haggard and stressed between March and May.

Gordon Tanner,
photo by Ian McCausland

A director is also very busy during Audition Season. My job is to get to know the play as well as I possibly can before holding auditions, because the choices I make in casting can really make or break a production. There’s a saying that casting is 90% of the director’s job - this may be a bit of an exaggeration, but if a director can cast well, it sure makes things fall into place in the rehearsal hall.

Toby Hughes,
photo by Ian McCausland

The casting of The Hound of the Baskervilles -- this extremely funny re-telling of the Sherlock Holmes story by a crackerjack team of British comedy writers -- required actors with excellent comedic chops. Comedy IS hard. It requires courage, vulnerability, generosity, and a mental/verbal/physical dexterity. Comedy is also very technically complex in terms of timing, physicality, and clarity. However, it can’t be forced or ‘muscled’ -- the actor needs a lightness and technical precision to execute the scene. At the same time, the actor must be completely and totally open to anything happening, ready to respond and go with it, no matter where it may take them. Although we spend weeks rehearsing together for a precise and prepared production , that element of play and spontaneity absolutely must be present at all times.

Aaron Pridham,
photo by Ian McCausland

An excellent comic actor also has an ability to sniff out the comic potential in a script, which was something I looked for in the auditions. Anyone can read a scene in an audition. A great comic actor needs to be like the Hound with Sir Henry’s missing shoe - at the faintest whiff of a comic moment in a play, they are ready to pounce. For instance, in one scene in The Hound of the Baskervilles, the character of Stapleton finds Sir Henry and Watson on the Great Grimpen Mire - a dangerous moorland bog. Stapleton says to them “Follow my every move”, followed by stage directions which indicate simply “They follow him precisely.”  If that stage direction is ignored, it’s an ordinary bit of staging. But, a good comic actor will recognize that the playwrights have offered a little whiff of comic potential by including the word ‘precisely’. A good comic actor will sniff that out, pounce on that stage direction and start digging.

I feel like I hit the jackpot when casting The Hound of the Baskervilles. Gord Tanner, Toby Hughes and Aaron Pridham are all excellent actors with fabulous comic chops. And, as was clear to me in the auditions, when it comes to sniffing out the comic potential of this play, our three actors have excellent noses.

Next:   My sides hurt from laughing:  In the rehearsal hall with Gord, Toby and Aaron

THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES - Blog #1: Picking the Play

Now blogging: Ann Hodges, Director and PTE Artistic Associate

Welcome to my first blog entry!  Through this blog, I’m hoping to let you take a peek into the process of how a play goes from selection to full production at Prairie Theatre Exchange.

This season, I received a grant from the Canada Council to be in residence at Prairie Theatre Exchange (shout out to the Canada Council!). The residency is primarily to learn about some of the elements of creating theatre that I don’t often come in contact with as a freelance director. So that means that, between my regular freelance gigs this season, I’ve been spending a lot of time at PTE working with Bob and the rest of the staff. 

A big part of my residency so far has been spent reading plays for Bob to help him choose next season. It’s kind of like planning a dinner - what dishes will go together to create a varied and satisfying meal? It’s been a fascinating process - both to get to know the many plays and writers out there, and also to witness the heartbreaking reasons why some very good plays get bumped off the list -- just like with menu-planning, we can’t have too much of this or too much of that, and we also have to work within a budget, of course. But, ultimately, the aim is to provide a fabulous and varied theatre meal for PTE audiences over the course of a season.

At PTE from April 9 - 26, 2015

The production I’m directing at the end of this season at PTE satisfies the “make ‘em laugh” part of the menu. The Hound of the Baskervilles, based on the suspenseful (and truly scary) Sherlock Holmes story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is a hilarious enactment of that story, created by a British company called Peepolykus. (Say it aloud. And by the way, the ‘lyk’ part rhymes with bike....) Peepolykus produced this theatrical version of the Holmes story, written by Steven Canny and John Nicolson, finessed and honed it, and performed it all over England -- including a successful run in the West End. It’s a lightning-fast, extremely funny and also incredibly accurate re-telling of the original story, performed by only three actors. The original British creators have now released it to other companies, and it’s receiving new productions all over the world. It’s a play that requires super-skilled comic performers -- which leads to the next step in bringing a show to the stage....

Next blog:  Dying is easy, comedy is hard:  Casting the show

Now blogging: Kelly Rae Jenken, Apprentice Director of Vigil by Morris Panych, on at PTE November 19 - December 7, 2014

November 12 - Merry Tech Week (one week and counting)!

The Brian Perchaluk's set before
Scott Henderson's lighting
has been added.

Hi! You’ve caught us in the middle of a lighting levels session. Oh, and it’s now officially tech week. Welcome! This is an exciting time in the rehearsal process. I don’t know how others feel about tech week, but I love it. Tech week is Christmas! Yes, the days are long, the tasks are tedious, and everybody is stressed and exhausted, but this is when the show really comes alive; this is what we’ve been working towards!

Michael Spencer-Davis &
Doreen Brownstone in the Rehearsal Hall

For the past 16 days, we’ve been enjoying the work the actors have been doing in the rehearsal hall. Now we get to appreciate the work of the all the other artists involved with this production.

 



The set with one of the multitude
of lighting cues.

 

 

As I said, we’re currently having a lighting level party, and Lighting Designer Scott Henderson is our gracious host. He’s sitting about 3 rows back, mumbling into his headset something about dimmers and channels. “Can I get 25 at 50%, 34 though 36 at 40. 45. 50. Great. Record that as light cue 17.” "Lighting levels" is exactly what it sounds like: Scott is deciding where he wants the light to hit the stage, and at what intensity. More than that, he’s also creating “looks”, as in a “daytime sunny summer” look versus a “spring evening raining” look. Vigil is a tricky little play: Scott has the task of lighting 39 different scenes (39!!). He has to deal with the changing of seasons, weather conditions, time of day, and he only has two level sessions to do that in. You see where I’m going, when I say tech week is stressful.

In the next couple of days, we will be treated to the  music that Greg Lowe composed for the show, the set will get its final touches, the actors will have their “spacing rehearsal” where they work out their blocking for the first time on the set, and then soon enough, the actors will be in costume. Basically, for the next three twelve-hour days, not one of us will see daylight (unless Scott programmed a daylight look into one of the scenes). And then my friends, it will be show time! (Already!)

This week's rehearsal fun fact: Set &Costume Designer Brian Perchaluk is often seen running around the theatre with arms full of strange objects to add to the set as “set dressing”. Every time I walk into the theatre, I see something new on the stage that I’ve never seen before. Today’s discoveries include: a "Judy" dress form, Japanese parasols, and a contraption that has a frying pan and an anvil attached (you'll see what it's for when you see the show).

Now blogging: Kelly Rae Jenken, Apprentice Director of Vigil by Morris Panych, on at PTE November 19 - December 7, 2014

Michael Spencer-Davis

November 2 -- Well…here we are! Blog number one at the end of rehearsal week one! What an amazing week with a group of amazing people! Everybody’s brains are ready to explode from information overload. There is so much going on in this play and the amount of work the actors have done in a mere six days is incredible.

Stage Manager Melissa Novecosky,
Michael Spencer-Davis,
Doreen Brownstone, Kelly Rae Jenken
& Assistant Stage Manager Leslie Sidley

Let me tell you a bit about our Vigil family: Doreen Brownstone (who is 92 years old!) is an utter delight as Grace. Michael Spencer-Davis plays Kemp. His dedication, work ethic, and specificity in the role is extraordinary. Both he and Doreen offer a plethora of hysterical moments in rehearsal, and we all laugh bunches! Melissa Novecosky and Leslie Sidley make up our Stage Management team. They're those two people who are busy pre-setting all the props, making schedules, watching blocking and lines (just to name a few of their many, many tasks). We would all be lost without our Stage Managers; they're the greatest. PTE's Artistic Director, Bob Metcalfe, is our esteemed director. There is no better person to direct this play. That man knows his Morris Panych.

So I guess that leaves me…who am I? I’m Kelly, and I’m working as the apprentice director on this production. What does that mean? Well, every apprenticeship is a learning experience, and every apprenticeship is different, depending on the show. Two years ago, when I worked on The Dishwashers, one of my tasks was to choreograph a tango. This time, I’ve been tasked with blogging, and doing some research, like creating a complete timeline of Kemp's life to support the backstory of the play. I also spent some time before rehearsals doing prep work. During rehearsals, I take notes, watch sightlines, and I learn from Bob’s professional directing experience. This particular directing apprenticeship is very special to me, as Vigil has been my favourite play for many years. I am honoured to be a part of this rehearsal process. 

This week’s rehearsal hall fun fact: As part of her character, Doreen has been wearing these adorable knit booties (which she made herself). The other day, she gathered us all around and presented each of us with our very own pair of knit booties to match hers. Mine are purple. They are the best. 

Larry Isacoff Called Me a Liar

Now blogging: Ellen Peterson, who plays the role of Birdy in the world premiere of Daniel MacIvor's new play, Small Things, running at PTE from October 16 - November 2, 2014.

 

Larry Isacoff called me a liar

Actors are frequently asked "how do you learn all those lines?" Learning the lines is not really the hard part, though I notice that I am not so fast at it as I was when I was, say, twenty-nine. Castmate Alissa Watson is twenty-nine and she had her lines down stone cold by about the fifth day. We kid her that that's because all her character ever says is "yeah" or "right."

A more appropriate question for an actor might be "how did you learn how to say the line that exact way while carrying a loaded tea tray off a moving revolve and get it right every time?" Or better yet, ask "would you like to lie down?" You can memorize anything. But what we learn in the first two weeks of rehearsal is how to use the lines the playwright wrote to tell the intended story. We never just say a line. The line has to be said with the right intention, the right tone, the right shade of meaning. Every line in the play has to ring true to the characters' circumstances and relationships. Listen for it in your own life: there is a world of difference between how one says "have a good day" to a child on the first day of kindergarten and the way one says it to the cashier at the grocery store. When we are doing it well, it doesn't sound like we're spouting a bunch of stuff we memorized. When we do it well, the audience understands and enjoys the story. You could read the script by yourself at home; our job is to make it way more fun than that.

During rehearsal, we are also concerning ourselves with blocking (the pattern of movement on the stage) so that it, too, supports the story. There is an infinite number of ways to exit a room. One of them is perfect for the given scene. Find that one. The movement must also allow every seat in the house a full view of the action, which is a special challenge on PTE's thrust stage.  We are also busy figuring out what is the best kind of cake to use, if the earrings should be in a box, who should take the wine glass off stage and a million other details. It is meticulous and demanding work.

Speaking of meticulous and demanding work, Stage Managers are unbelievable. Simply fantastic. Friday October 10 was National Stage Managers Day and we felt really bad we didn't know about it until, of course, our Stage Manager told us. We are especially lucky to have with us Karyn Kumhyr and Candace Maxwell, veterans and geniuses both. They are the people that keep us on schedule, on track and (sometimes) on topic. They write down every move we make so that if you are not twenty-nine any more and forget what you did two minutes ago, they can tell you. If you see Small Things and I am on the stage, it is because Candace Maxwell is standing exactly where she needs to be to hand me what I need to wear/carry (thanks Candace).  When the revolve goes around, that's Karyn driving it from the back of the theatre. She knows where to stop it because she is watching the backstage edge of it on an infrared camera. Really! If she drives it too fast, that tea tray and I are toast. There's toast in this show because Candace makes it. Etcetera. You might not ever meet a Stage Manager because they are like some elusive, nocturnal creature. Seldom seen but ever-present. But if you ever do meet one, you can go ahead and ask her if she wants to lie down, but I bet she won't have time.

So after those fourteen or so days in the rehearsal hall, we move to the theatre for what is called "tech." If you meet anyone who works in theatre and they say they are "in tech," it's probably best not to ask questions. Cookies are greatly appreciated. During tech, all of the elements of the production come together. In rehearsal, we practice the play. In tech, we build the production. All the time we've been rehearsing, and for months beforehand, there is another group of artists planning the lights, sets, costumes, sound, props and so on. In tech, you work three twelve hour days in a row if you are an actor, and if you are a Stage Manager or other crew member the days are even longer and there are more of them in a row. It's kind of brutal, but there is a camaraderie that develops and for the actors, it is a chance to become comfortable on the stage and there is something playful and freeing about it. Several successive runs of the play gives us a fresh understanding of the story and a new kind of confidence. Everyone is bone tired, it can get a little hysterical and occasionally tempers are lost. Not all that often, considering. I absolutely LOVE tech. I said that to Lighting Designer Larry Isacoff and he called me a liar. Maybe not everyone loves it, I don't know. 

Now, having said that I love tech week, and having gotten a little sleep since I wrote that part, let me be clear: I am 51 years old and still capable of feeling mildly enraptured by the mere idea of doing theatre. I said in a previous post that I love table work. Clearly a hopeless case. But let me say in the interest of balanced reporting that last Tuesday evening I quit theatre forever.  (See you at Opening.) So I have to be careful about what I'm willing to put up with. Like dating someone who would be perfect if it wasn't for the fact he's a) married  b) a moron or c) both. So when I say I love tech, what I love is all the people bringing the play together. But I am not completely starry-eyed. I know this is actually no way to make art. We have been doing it like this for a long time and it is a work pattern based on traditions and financial constraints. Though none of it is contrary to labour laws, one wonders: is this humane? Driving home Saturday at midnight my blood alcohol level was 0.00 but I still shouldn't have been driving. Strange that people smart enough to put this show together can't think of a way to do it and still get a weekend.

But tech is like a wedding of many partners: the playwright's story, the director's vision of how it will best be told, the artistry of the designers and craftspeople, the crew's precision and the very best efforts of the actors to be present, remember everything and not drop the damn tray. The play is a gift we give to the audience, and tech is when we wrap it. We hope you like it.