new challenges

I’ve been reading the newest American Theatre magazine with its focus on the challenges facing theatre both economic and artistic across the country. Some theatres are trying to find the biggest box office show titles to bring in more earned revenue. Other theatres are cutting back on staffing and pre-show and post-show events that cost money but don’t bring in income. What is interesting to me are the theatres who are looking for alternative ways to operate and changing the dynamic of the very nature of theatre.

Many of the theatres are incorporating technology more and more into the fabric of the production. They are using digital projections and sound as an integral part of the play. Playwrights who have grown up in this technological age are already writing into the scripts elements that include technology.

Over the past couple of years you have seen digital imaging used on the Market House Stage. The majority of the MHT youth shows now contain digital scenery. This not only allows us to jump from one location to the next in an instant it is much more cost effective. On the mainstage it is primarily the musicals that have incorporated digital imaging Beehive, My Way, Oklahoma, Beauty and the Beast. The most effective use of multiple imaging was in our holiday production of a Christmas Carol. We used multiple projectors and not only was the scenery digitally projected but the character of the ghost of Christmas past was live video of an actor in real time behind the stage performing for a camera interacting with the live character of scrooge on the stage.

With Ramona Quimby coming in March and the Wizard of Oz coming in June we will expand our use of digital imaging again. I’m currently thinking about the many scenes in the Wizard of Oz that will incorporate technology. Over the holidays I spent time with my sister in law who is using Apple’s Garage Band software to create her own music. You don’t have to be able to play a musical instrument to create music. I purchased a low cost software package to play with this to see if I could create music and digital sound effects for some of the Market House Theatre plays. It sometimes takes weeks for an idea to percolate in my head. That time is very important for creative ideas to develop. Sadly most of the time in production is spent more in the I need this yesterday kind of creativity.

Southern Comforts is in rehearsal. I’m going through the scripts for Sugar Bean Sisters and the Wizard of Oz looking for audition scenes and preparing for the auditions next week. It will be a new experience to have 4 shows all auditioning on the same nights. Even our auditions process is evolving and changing.