Small theater space, small cast, perfect conditions for delightful audience interactions. My sister and I went to see "The Play That Went Wrong" in a brand new theater. The Hale Center Theater in Orem used to do theater-in-the-round in a building that had been converted from a house. Now they built a a new, high tech facility with 2 theaters and lots of bells and whistles. I'm just glad that they still have one small theater that has the feel of that old very intimate theater space.
The show was face-paced, well acted, and very funny. Most impressive was the set design that featured lots of elements that went wrong like the elevator where the bottom fell out and it stopped halfway between floors. Or the balcony that kept teetering on falling down while people were still trying to stand on it. More and other dramatic "disasters" happened throughout the show, but the actors kept whispering to the audience assurances that no one was going to get hurt. That show was especially fun for theater folks who have done productions where things go wrong. It was filled with scenarios that we ourselves have experienced or perhaps even caused to happen during a show. We laughed a lot!
Last night a good portion of the audience was made up of teenagers attending a 2-week Broadway Theater Camp at BYU. Those 100 or so kids were so excited, they reacted instantly and audibly to whatever the actors on stage were doing. And the actors kept including them in their antics. It made the experience of seeing that show so enjoyable!
Getting instant audience feedback during a performance "feeds" the performers. As an actor, if you get good reactions from the audience through their giggles, smiles, gasps, and even sobs, you give a much better performance. Feeling that electricity from an expressive audience can really boost the power of the individual performers.
The show was face-paced, well acted, and very funny. Most impressive was the set design that featured lots of elements that went wrong like the elevator where the bottom fell out and it stopped halfway between floors. Or the balcony that kept teetering on falling down while people were still trying to stand on it. More and other dramatic "disasters" happened throughout the show, but the actors kept whispering to the audience assurances that no one was going to get hurt. That show was especially fun for theater folks who have done productions where things go wrong. It was filled with scenarios that we ourselves have experienced or perhaps even caused to happen during a show. We laughed a lot!
Last night a good portion of the audience was made up of teenagers attending a 2-week Broadway Theater Camp at BYU. Those 100 or so kids were so excited, they reacted instantly and audibly to whatever the actors on stage were doing. And the actors kept including them in their antics. It made the experience of seeing that show so enjoyable!
Getting instant audience feedback during a performance "feeds" the performers. As an actor, if you get good reactions from the audience through their giggles, smiles, gasps, and even sobs, you give a much better performance. Feeling that electricity from an expressive audience can really boost the power of the individual performers.
One of my shows, "The Adventures of Dick Whittington," was designed to include the audience as in Old English Pantomime. We primed the audience to give audible reactions to what what going on during the play and to even sing along on some of the songs. True, it was a daring experiment, but it worked. The premiere performance was at an elementary school with a large audience. Still, I got so many comments about how audience members were sitting up in their chairs ready and willing to engage in the show and eagerly anticipating the cues to sing along. So fun!
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