It’s getting close to show week.
Just a little reminder that no matter how well your cast is prepared, crazy
things can happen. Here are some tips how to “go with the flow” if the
uncontrollable happens on stage.
True stories, guys. Story number
one. One year ago, I was sitting in a high school auditorium in a small city in
Upstate, New York on a cold rainy night in early April waiting for a production
of Les Miz. We were literally just seconds from opening curtain. In fact, the
director welcomed everyone and asked us to silence our cell phones. Then it
happened. A fire alarm. Everyone grabbed their stuff and headed for the door.
That meant cast and crew too. There
we were, outside in the pouring rain waiting for the fire department to give
the all clear. We at least had our coats on and if lucky, umbrellas. Cast was
in costume and make up. Turned out a smoke machine used in the opening number
set off the alarm. Probably twenty minutes passed before allowed back in and
the show resumed.
The first thing that came to mind was
the many skating performances I’ve witnessed over the years. A bad fall at the
beginning of a program can take a skater in two directions. They will either
get up or continue with an over the top phenomenal performance, or they will
literally fall apart and the program will continue with fall after fall.
I felt the same that night. These
kids would come back in cold, wet and rattled and the production would sink.
Or, they would perform the musical of their lives.
You guessed it. They knocked it out
of the park In fact, they won best musical that year.
Fast forward one year later. A cast
of Addams family was nailing their first act. All of a sudden, silence. The
orchestra stopped playing. The orchestra leader took off her head phones and
signaled all the actors on stage to leave the stage. The curtain closed with an
announcement of a technical failure. Returning shortly.
Turns out all their sounds system
suddenly went down including special effects sounds. We waited what seemed to
be forever but actually just five minutes. Then the curtain opened, the
orchestra began playing and the players literally picked up from where they
left off. Did not skip a beat. Fantastic rest of the show.
I mention these two shows for a
reason. Crapola happens. It’s going to happen. Missed lines. Forgotten lyrics.
Scenery falls. Drops don’t work. Curtains stick. Props break, and wardrobes
(yikes) malfunction. It’s all how you handle it. If it’s a small mistake, you
will need to cover. I will tell you now, most audience members don’t notice a
missed lyric here or there, a line or dance step.
If it’s something big, sound or
lights go down, power failure, scenery or major malfunction, just listen to
your director. They will give directions on what to do. Remember the audience
wants to see you do well and perform a great musical, so when you do return to
the stage after a major malfunction, smile, take a deep breath and continue.
