The Theatre Question Amnesty Thread

Oh gosh. Imagine you've been dropped into a small but perfectly formed town at twilight. Shops, houses, a bar, a chapel, a woodland, maybe a cinema (and more besides). You can go anywhere. You can rifle through drawers, explore cupboards, examine artwork, discover hidden passages. Now imagine the inhabitants of the town are all characters in a dark tale of hidden sinisterness and sexual jealousy. As the audience member, you can focus on uncovering the mysteries of the set, or you can follow any of the characters as they play their part in the story (usually by the medium of modern dance, so you don't have to get aggressively close up or worry about missing tiny nuances during a scene, also this sort of accounts for why music plays at all times and in all spaces during the show), or any combination. Imagine that in spite of this town being a fully detailed 360° environment, you are wearing a mask that makes you feel that you still have the protection of the fourth wall so there's no need to feel self-conscious or inhibited about exploring or following anyone. Some of the characters may be aware of your existence. Some of them will seem terribly alone. All of them will be interesting, with fully realised stories of their own, even if they're the most minor character in the source material, even if they rarely interact with other characters, and you know there's never any risk to you, even if you're alone in a small dark basement room with a character who scares the crap out of you.

Then imagine the sorrowful/intense young dancer whose story you've been following with interest turns and makes direct eye-contact with you. They reach out their hand, you take hold of it, and they whisk you away through a previously-locked door to a secret room that is no less lavishly decorated than the public spaces, just the two of you and no way for anyone else to get in. They remove the mask from your face, maybe offer you a drink or a sweet, whisper some private words into your ear, maybe other things happen, then they put your mask back on you and push you back out into the twilight, leaving you slightly reeling from your experience.

The sets really are that beautifully detailed. It really is terribly easy to get completely emotionally invested. The 1-to-1 scenes really are very personal and moving. They add an extra layer to a trip, though never fall into the trap of thinking you can't have a powerfully emotional evening without any 1-to-1 experiences. Explore. Watch. Listen. Allow yourself to get swept away.

(And if any other theatre companies describe their work as immersive, take it with a HUGE pinch of salt. They're either using the term inaccurately (most of the time) or are doing properly immersive stuff, but nowhere near the Punchdrunk level, so going in with lowered expectations will only ever serve you well. Actually, you should probably go into Punchdrunk with lowered expectations too, it's very difficult to get a proper sense of the story from only one trip. You can have a tremendous time with only one trip, but if understanding is your jam, then you either need to avoid them all together or get ready to go at least 3 times, probably more.)

((Also proceed with caution if you're scared of the dark. Punchdrunk cured me of my fear of the dark, but wow it was a flipping intense time while I got used to them. There are places in their earlier shows I physically couldn't bring myself to explore, and I'll always wonder what I missed. And the show is best experienced alone, so thinking you can hold hands with a buddy is just a no-go from the off.))

I'm pretty introverted and I've done the Sleep No More experience twice. (For what it's worth, I've never done any of the other Punchdrunk shows.) I've never had a 1:1, but I've had a great time walking around, following characters, letting them go and following another, and rifling through papers. What I really admire is all the care and detail put into the environment. I don't really care about getting a 1:1 experience with any of them, though it'd be nice to see what people keep talking about.

Maybe what I find a bit of a relief is that this is/can be interactive theatre, but without all eyes on you and no obligation to speak!

Genuinely pleased to hear quiet people can enjoy their shows too, 49thand8th - I got rather freaked out by someone describing a one-on-one experience with an actor in an immersive show (disclaimer: might not have been Punchdrunk!) and it sounded a wee bit uncomfortable in a sort of threatening-as-a-woman-on-your-own way.

I do wonder how they allow for people's safety (including that of the actors) when people are wandering about, often masked (so I gather), from room to room.

There are guides dressed in all-black, with black masks, standing in corners of rooms. Maybe every room. What I've seen them do is gently put their arms out if you ever wander anywhere you aren't supposed to (like too close to an electrical panel, a staff door, a dancer, etc).

You are correct! It is called a pre-set.

Ah the hours I've spent in these...it varies so:

National Theatre: Filmed for their own archive since the mid 90s (some audio recordings before that and the odd film as well) ANYONE can go to this archive and watch what they like and/or look at any archival record they like. You just fill in a form/send them an email. Many directors etc go there to watch recordings, academics (like me!) for research and the general public. They had quite a run when the Cumberbatch fans discovered it for example! (they are lovely welcoming people and live next to the Old Vic) Generally the films stay there but sometimes get used in exhibitions and a few more reccently they've liscenced to schools for rental. 

V&A: Collates recordings from West End venues and a few others. Again public can go and view but you have to fill in a couple of forms, give notice of request etc. Usually researchers and directors etc. 

Broadway: The New York Public Library has been collecting in the Theatre and Film on Tape Archive since I think the late 70s early 80s? (someone correct me on this) They have recorded every Broadway show religously since around then, and a collection of Off-Broadway as well. They however are fairly strict on access, in the sense you have to fill in forms and be 'approved' and that they have a weird 'Can only watch a show once in a lifetime' rule. They do however have a gloriously full archive. And I once sat next to a Grey's Anatomy actor there, but that's by the by. 

The RSC also record for their own archive I believe, but I've never used it/don't know about access to those. 

Long story short, they record for their own records, for general historical record and for future creative types. Mostly the public can after a fashion also see them but not for wide 'general consumption' 

Apologies, theatre archives are a nerdy specialism! 

ETA: They generally aren't released because a number of people hold copywright-actors, designers director etc and you need to get permissions across the board and from what I understand it's complicated. Also it can happen (as is the case with Frankenstein at the NT) that despite big demand the creatives involved (in this case fairly heavyweight ones) didn't want it released so it never was. It's also I believe to do with the original performance rights and the particular writer/estates involved there. 

Productions will often get recorded so they can be refereed back to in future. Obviously this is very useful if a show is revived, but can also be useful if say the director 10 years into the future goes "We had a similar moment on show x, and we had this sound and lighting thing that worked perfectly" they can just go look at the recording without trying to half remember what happened before. 

They aren't released as payment has to be negotiated with the writers, creatives, actors, and often they want more than the film company is willing to pay. Additionally they are normally very basic recordings (one camera, basic audio) and they don't want to hamper ticket sales of a future revival or fringe production etc by offering people an alternative way of viewing the show. 

Apologies if this question has already been answered.

I've always been curious as to how they assign understudies to shows. I understand that actors usually audition for male/female ensemble roles, and the ensemble/swing roles are then assigned to them upon casting, but how do they decide who understudies what role? Do the ensemble actors have to showcase their suitability for the roles at the initial audition, or is it figured out later? So, do they cast ensemble actors based on their suitability to understudy the lead roles or does it work the other way round (they cast first and figure out who understudies what later)?

I notice that quite often the understudy for Hamlet also plays Laertes, so I assume casting people must decide in advance which smaller roles are going to be played by people who are also more than capable of smashing the bigger roles, and offer the smaller role + understudy package accordingly. I can see it being different for musicals though, as you don't usually have a chorus to draw on in a play, so it might require a little more forward planning with regards to casting structure.

Additionally, a production that is done the same multiple times (e.g. Wicked with Broadway, London, US tour, UK Tour etc) will have set tracks so that Ensemble Member X will always sing in numbers 1, 2, and 4, carry on the chair at the top of scene 8, and understudy the lead, as that's what the person did in the original production. Then when auditioning you take that into account. Obviously there are basic rules for that selection: gender and vocal range being the key two qualifiers, but everything else is flexible and a compromise.

Well maybe.

It's Italian meaning booklet or small book.   Use in the theatre comes from Opera which has no or very limited spoken word, pretty much everything is sung.

In a musical you have Book, Music and Lyrics.  So I would include the Book and the Lyrics in the meaning?