McCarter Theatre: Backstage Tour
Posted by Dave Plucinsky on April 21st, 2009 Backstage at McCarter Theatre. Photo by Kristina Plucinsky. |
On Saturday, March 28, McCarter donors were treated to a backstage tour of Twelfth Night. Very well conceived and presented, the tour added to the pleasure for those of us who witnessed the performance, and for the few on the tour who were yet to attend the show, the appetite was whetted.
The morning began with an introduction from Tom Muza, General Manager, who provided a brief history of McCarter and background on the production. The show was co-produced with the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, DC, where it originated and then moved to McCarter.
Tom handed the group to Alison Cote, the Production Stage Manager, who provided insight into how an elaborate staging appears so seamless to the audience. From her seat at a “tech table” set up in the house, she told us of the little tricks she uses to run the show, among them signal lights controlled from her panel. These cue musicians, actors and, frankly, just about everything that we take for granted. During the course of the show, Alison’s voice is audible throughout the backstage area but inaudible to the audience. What struck me most was the coordination involved in each performance. It is easy to assume the actors walk on stage and say their lines; clearly there is much more involved than simply memorizing and speaking words written on a page. I wish Alison had more time to speak, she was so fascinating and, I suspect, had more secrets to divulge, but time was of the essence and we moved onto the stage itself.
Stage Supervisor Steve Howe spoke of the delicate construction of the flooring, advising us to step only on the carpet laid out to accommodate our feet. I was amazed at the slope of the stage (frankly I still marvel at how Tom Story [Sir Andrew Aguecheek] did not roll off, or how Veanne Cox [Olivia] managed to traverse the incline in those fabulous gowns). I was also impressed by the technology of the cascade of red rose petals that fell from the rafters in volumes. Steve confessed the key parts of the pedal-dropping gizmo came from Home Depot. It makes me want to renovate my house, forget the builders, just hire the McCarter Stage crew! For those of you obsessed with the rose petals, you may be interested to learn that initially the actors complained they smelled like cat litter! This was no longer an issue after the petals were laundered.
Director of Production David York seemed to be casting a wary eye and ear over what Steve was telling us. For a moment, I was concerned he was worried that Steve would convey some very special secret that no person on earth should know about staging a play. Instead, there was a seamless hand-off as David moved us into the depths of McCarter, no further dark secrets to be learned. As I left the stage to view the epicenter of the theatre, those areas beneath and above, I wanted to run up and down it. Fortunately, instincts took over. I had less a fear of lawsuits, and more a worry about harming the stage, thereby denying the next audience a chance to see such a first-class production, taking away the lesson that the stage dictates and he who messes with it, messes with a key heartbeat of the production!
 Backstage at McCarter Theatre. Photo by Kristina Plucinsky. |
Dressing rooms visited, we next met with Cynthia Abel Thom, Costume Shop Manger. We had arrived at the home of THE DRESS. Cynthia gave us insight into how costumes are “built” but all were focused on THE DRESS. At this point I draw your attention to the accompanying picture of one of THE DRESSES, taken by my daughter Krys, who did a photo-shoot of the tour. Cynthia told us that Olivia’s dresses consumed some 2,500 hours of labor to create; the petticoat was the same for all dresses (cost concerns); and horsehair was used in the hem of the petticoat to ensure it hung properly. A number of women have fantasized about wearing THE DRESS, however worrying that it may be too heavy and impede their elegant entrance. As I watched the performance, I marveled at how easily Olivia moved in the various dresses and now I understand why. Of all the things that impressed me, this was the most astonishing as I was sure she was laboring under the stress of a massively heavy garment. However Cynthia proved how light the dress was, demonstrating a further skill that goes into the production: ensuring that the actors can focus on their most important task of delivering their lines to the best of their ability without, amongst other things, their costumes inhibiting them from doing so.
As the group moved from area to area, other tidbits of stage production know-how were unearthed. To the professional, these were as natural as apple pie and motherhood; to me, a lesson in things I may wish to employ in my life. For example, every prop, stage right or left, was marked so that the actors had no doubt as to what was to be used, when. On the stage, every placement of furniture outlined with luminescent tape, invisible to the audience. Had Wall Street employed such vigor in the pursuit of their livelihood, we may not be in the credit crunch plaguing society today.
All in all, the backstage tour was a great event, and I look forward to repeating the experience. I am certain the McCarter production team have more “tricks of the trade” to expose, especially about the workings of the trap door!
Posted by McCarter Theatre Patron Dave Plucinksy
