When we experienced problems with one of our technical teams
in Grahamstown the cast I had the privilege of being part of started joking
about ‘i’ words, such as incompetent, irresponsible, illiterate, irregular and
my new addition..iLate. So, whenever we were challenged with a challenging team
we would make reference to the ‘i’ words...
If there’s one thing I’ve learned as a lecturer it’s that
you cannot please all your students. Never mind their parents (who I assume are
not aware that their offspring weren’t prepared for that test, didn’t know their
words for that dialogue…and what assignment again?). But for those who really
try its always amazing to see results. To see them grow in the space of the few
hours I’ve worked with them, or the few weeks that we had to perform a piece.
And very often in our field the only way to learn how to do something, is to do
it. Especially when it comes to a field such as directing.
As one of the drama lecturers at a local musical theatre
college, a colleague and myself encouraged two third year students, eager to
direct a play, to enter a piece for the local Student Arts Festival. The play
could also then serve as an assessment for them. But they had to direct it, plan it...do
it. And if they got stuck somewhere along the way my colleague and I were an
email away to fix, or help. We gave them a play text, we gave them a cast, and space
to rehearse during the holidays. They were to rehearse with their cast while I was away performing in Grahamstown. And
the deal was that upon my return I would view, spit and polish their show in
the two weeks I was back before the festival started. When no one replied to
emails while I was away performing I got worried. When emails were not replied
to once I returned I was even more worried. I informed them that I would be
viewing them on the Friday afternoon, as their first technical rehearsal would
be upon them soon. And then asked for a response. A day later I received from one of the 'aspiring' directors:
“I can’t make the viewing”
A single clause.
A number of email exchanges later, including excuses, and
resignation that they had been at fault, it came out that that they had not
started in time. Or in fact started.
I couldn’t believe it. The first of a series of 'i' words started going through my mind. How someone could not have started
working on a production less than two weeks before they were to go on stage had
me at wit’s end. The two directing students asked if they could pull the
production from the festival, and were willing to pay the penalties of doing so. I asked them to
call the festival manager to do so. Immediately. I figured if they didn’t learn from the
experience of directing a play, perhaps they would learn from cancelling it
themselves. I also asked for immediate action as time was in short supply. I
received an email of confirmation, so when the festival director phoned me the
next afternoon, as I was the contact person for the college, I asked if the students
had cancelled the day before. They hadn’t. And, at that point, it was
impossible to pull the show from the festival as the electronic system which
now dealt with ticket sales had been put in place. That Morning.
So, with a handful of outside students from a singing
lecturer at the college, and a handful of students from the college I put together a jazz
singing show. Mikes were organized, my colleague and I plotted lights (before
the show existed) and in two rehearsals, we had a show. It was chaos on the technical
box as I qued two frightened looking first year drama student sound and
lighting operators. And with what I considered to be a relatively decent
turnout for the first performance from an unknown college the first show was
done. I was relieved, probably not as much as the sound and lighting operators,
to have survived the first performance. The second performance was sure to go like
clockwork.
Wrong. Upon my glowing return to my flat I received an email
from the singing lecturer, informing me that all her outside students refused to perform again,
at 10:30 the next morning because they felt that the audience turnout was too
small.
I reread the email in disbelief, rather sure that some fever
must have caused me to hallucinate, as I have never heard of performers
refusing to perform a show because ‘there weren’t enough people in the audience’.
After confirmation of the facts on my second read a number of ‘i’ words flashed
through my head. I contacted the head of the school. And a couple of phone
calls later it was decided that we would make do with what we had. Add a few
more items that were in the repertoire of the three remaining students, and one
outside professional and I would just have to make it work on my own. Especially
as my colleague could not attend the show, and the head of the school was
leaving for France that day.
So the next morning I put on my professional director’s face
and headed off the theatre with all the fake enthusiasm and visage of calm I could
muster concerning my general state of panic. Especially as the ‘outside
professional’ (a term I use loosely, and carefully avoid naming him and using
words like ‘indecent’) cancelled that morning. In an sms.
So with three regulars and a friend who happened to be there
and who decided to help out, just because of the absurdity of the situation and
because she had a backtrack on her cellphone I put together another show. In the 45 minutes we had to move into the theatre
a song order was decided upon and a CD cut, the lights were replotted and so
was the movement of the actors on the stage, and the transference of
microphones. And, one of the performers had car trouble and arrived as we had
to open the doors for the audience to enter.
I was in a state somewhere between panic, chaos and
directorial autopilot but the show went on. On time. Incredible.
.JPG)
.JPG)