The first dress rehearsal for A Number this past Sunday (4/12) was preceded by Ron’s notes for the actors. Charlie and Graham ran through a few scenes that still needed some work during which Ron asked them how they felt about certain moments or lines. I was able to observe earlier during the time when the actors’ movements were carefully planned and thought out. Now, the sequences of their actions are effortless as though they were not premeditated or discussed, but are spontaneous. Each individual move is not structured, of course, but staging is difficult because of the arena style seating in the theatre, referred to as “in the round”. There is still constant questioning and revisions of the staging due to this seating arrangement choice. Ron watches closely to the actors’ movements and placing making sure that they are not obstructing audience members’ views for long sequences. Changes also occur in smaller ways which drastically alter the effectiveness of a scene. Sometimes the actors run through a section and it works cohesively, then go through it again and it feels wrong to either them or Ron, but they all typically agree when they sense that something isn’t working. I find often that after I watch them run through a scene it looks perfect from my perspective, then Ron changes a minor step or one of the actors decides to change their tone of voice and I realize how much more natural the same scene appears after their revisions. It obviously takes experience as an actor/director to know how to recognize these feelings and to know when something looks or feels right. It felt satisfying to watch the first dress rehearsal and view the entire play including lighting and sound from beginning to end. Transitions between scenes are an effective aspect of the play as well. The music suits the tone of story unerringly. The lighting design during transitions reminds me of watching a rhythmic dance. The light rotates in and out from the stage to the back of the audience changing hue while gliding with the music. The sound and lighting designs are both features to admire in this performance.
The night before the opening of the show, NC Stage hosted an event welcoming contributors, members, and many others in the Asheville community to view an invited dress rehearsal. With nearly every seat in the house filled, the acoustics in the theatre sounded much different than they had in the dress rehearsal on Sunday. I noticed that a higher level of emotion came out in Graham and Charlie who both performed brilliantly and intensely. After the show, Ron went over his notes with the cast and crew. They discussed small staging adjustments as well as modifications in lighting and sound refinements. They then ran through the areas that required corrections. The play has its first "Preview" tomorrow night (actually tonight considering I am posting after midnight) and the actors definitely seem prepared and comfortable with all of the elements of the show. Ron, Charlie and Graham will continue to rehearse in the afternoons this week until the official "Opening Night" this Saturday. Just a reminder, dates for A Number are April 15-May 3. This is a unique and powerful performance that is sure to usher contemplation and compassion.
-Elizabeth Dacy
And from the director...
Friday night's performance will be followed by a "talkback" discussion with me and the cast... more info is available at www.ncstage.org.
Also, there's a new "Student Rush" price and policy: a limited number of seats may be purchased at the box office by students with ID for $5 beginning one hour before each performance during the run of the production (subject to availability). Shows are Wednesdays-Saturdays at 7:30, Sundays at 2.
-Ron Bashford
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