clockwork

Mark Oram, here. I'll be playing "Knock," yes, the one who eats flies, bites people, and runs around town laughing maniacally.

Because I'm currently performing in another of Chris's shows (Pericles at BYU), I haven't had a chance to observe much of the rehearsal process yet. When I can manage to drop in towards the end of an evening rehearsal, I get to sneak in and watch the fruition of the night's work. Quite honestly, it's already unlike anything I've ever seen.

This play is going to be insane. In a good way. Not only are we re-creating a classic 1922 vampire film before your very eyes (no, I won't stop there!) - we're also splicing our live action performance with footage from the original! It's a mind-bending enterprise, with multiple camera angles and multiple sets being utilized simultaneously to create (we hope) a seamless experience.

Now you would think, or at least I would, that a bunch of freshmen would be incapable of pulling off such a feat - at least until the week of Final Dress. But, as I mentioned to Chris this evening - "it shouldn't be working, but it is." Everyone is alert, focused, and professional, and the play has already begun to develop a creepy, rhythmic flow. It's amazing to watch the discipline and precision that each of the cast and crew are putting into this effort. And I think it's because we all have got a sense of just how incredible this show can be if we pull it off.

this is the director speaking

Isaac Walters suggested a blog for Nosferatu, and I think it's a good idea. It's a nice way of documenting the process, especially when the process is particularly insane as it is here. If the show turns out to be a disaster we can at least look back and see where it all went wrong. And if it gets a few more people to come to the show, then, voila!

My idea for the show was inspired by the work of Katie Mitchell, a Scottish director who specializes in mixed-media. We saw a production of hers, Some Trace of Her, at the London National while on Study Abroad with UVU students this past summer. I didn't actually love the show, but I loved the idea of it. Conceptually, I thought it was daring. Mixed media is all the rage. Basically, I'm just hopping that bandwagon.

I love Halloween, and I love Nosferatu. I like the idea of mixing our footage with the existing stock - I've never seen that done before. I also think it's a wonderful education for our students to understand the workings of film. Even if it's super cheesy, over-acted, 1922 film-making. I guess that's part of the fun. I keep telling them in rehearsal to make everything bigger! More cartoonish! Every time I tell them to overdo their faces a little part of the Meisner angel on my shoulder dies. These are words I never thought I would say. It's fun to see them respond.

It's also tricky working without a traditional script. Basically, our script consists of storyboards from the film. We follow them very closely so we can recreate the original shots and blocking. It can be a little tedious, all this copying. I worry that the actors feel mechanized. But they seem to be having fun. Who knows what they are saying about me in the hallway when we aren't using them. It's a great cast. I'm excited to see the show.

I will try to be faithful in recounting rehearsals. But you should know right up front: so far, so wacky.