IMFourPlay

Three Lessons Learnt from FourPlay: Part One

The first rehearsal is only a day away now, and as I'm assembling all my materials like a good little director, I thought it would be appropriate to consider what could/should be learnt from the last run. So here it is: three random reflections in no particular order:

1. We're not dancers (generally speaking)!

While I'm still committed to the concept of an "impressive" musical theatre opening, the start of the show last year nearly killed half of us! As there was very little time for pre-production, there wasn't enough play time for this component: my collaborators gave me everything I had asked for, but I may not have asked for quite the right things. For those of you who saw the show early and then later in the run, you'll have noticed that after a bit of good prodding, I trimmed the opening number down a bit. I've continued this trend this year, and gotten rid of the patter lyric that practically no-one had memorized and even less of the audience could understand. (Rooky lyricist mistake 101: lines that look good on the page may not communicate well on the stage.) Heather, our lovely choreographer (she's my wife - I'm contractually obligated to include a cutesy prefix in all blog references!) is also simplifying the choreography so we don't lose the playfulness, and Jim is helping us breathe with some well placed musical vamps. (No seriously, I nearly died.) I'm hopeful that will get us back on the right page. So lesson number one: if you don't want a bunch of playful improvisers to start a show in their head and secretly swearing at you, don't give them an opening number that sucks out their playfulness... Hmmm, so simple when I put it like that.

2. This is an almost schizophrenic form.

I don't want to bore those of you who don't know the show well, but simply speaking, act one consists of four episodes that sequentially introduce the four characters obtained from the audience. While the content is completely improvised (I promise), there are structural guidelines that help move and shape the action in such a way as to provide variety (five slow ballads in a row, for example, might just about kill the average audience member). Last year I discovered that each of these four positions demanded certain skills that fit specific improvisers better than others. During the original rehearsal process -- before this had become clear to me -- I had tried diligently to juggle everyone through the various spots in order to make sure they got to try them all out. Sounded like a good idea... but instead of everyone becoming comfortable with all the spots, many ended up feeling a lack of confidence in any of them. I am a firm believer in making new mistakes in life, rather than repeating old ones, so this year, I am assigning "home positions" right out of the gate. This should, hopefully, give everyone a greater sense of how to make it through the first act with less confusion. Some will also "shadow" a second position so as to guarantee good casting combinations once we get into the performances, but even this choice halves their act one work load. Sadly, act two's structure will still remain a little overwhelming initially, but that is a story for another blog. Therefore, lesson number two: if you don't want a company of improvisers to become schizophrenic, then you shouldn't ask them to think of a structure through four different lenses as they start a rehearsal process. Again, so simple when I say it aloud.

3. Twenty songs seems too many if we don't use them well.

The concept for FourPlay was and still is centered on the notion of creating a very song-intensive production, along the lines of Sondheim and the modern rock operas that have very little (if any) spoken word - think Rent. As I knew this was a LOT of songs, much of last year's rehearsal process centered on devising and practicing a wide variety of song structures and styles - ways of putting our voices together so that every song wouldn't sound the same. This is still, unavoidably, a large part of what needs to be done this time around; however, I'm also hoping that we can concentrate a little more on what is said and achieved dramatically through these songs. Songs happen in musicals to push the story forward, complicate the emotions, draw out backstory, throw characters into trouble, and a whole bunch of other things. Again, perhaps a natural repercussion of our incredibly short rehearsal process was that many performers were still concentrating on the form of the songs rather than the content. Don't get me wrong - there were a LOT of great songs in the last run, but if there were even three or four in an evening that seemed unnecessary or forced, it tended to slow the pace of the show and require some patience from our audience. This often happened a little by the end of the second act, once we were all sung out, so I'm also specifically looking to build the climax of the show in a different way. Although I still need to make sure we're up on these song structures, I also need to pay closer attention to why the characters are singing and help the ensemble pursue stronger lyric choices. It follows then... lesson number three: strong songs emerge from strong stories with strong characters fighting for strong wants while pushed up against strong obstacles.

There are many other lessons that could be included here, but that's a good start. As we don't have Jim on Sunday, I've inverted my original plan to start with narrative exercises and then move into solo songs. However, ironically, that may give an opportunity to start contemplating this last issue right at the very first rehearsal.

Well, I need to go and do some reading and preparation...

Your backward contemplating but forward-looking director, David C.