So we've performed the show three times now, and I think it's safe to say it's been a success. I mean, when words like "miraculous" and "impossible" and "perfect" are being thrown around by theater professionals like Peter Sham, you've got yourself a damn fine show. And although there is a bit of anxiety over whether the average audience member will even be able to comprehend the magnitude of what they see in Nosferatu, we've been assured that it's not lost on the people who matter.
These are exciting things to hear, especially considering the chaotic frenzy that was Nosferatu just hours before it opened on Thursday. I hesitate to even tell the story, but if we're going to brag, we might as well go all the way.
Because tech took longer than expected, rehearsals were extended to 6 hours each, with the final dress happening on Wednesday night. This was to be the first time running the show from beginning to end with all elements (lighting, costumes, makeup, sound, scenery, props, cameras, etc). However, when the cast gathered for pre-show notes, we were apprised of a shocking mistake. Somehow, every light cue for the entire show had been erased.
Every light cue. Gone. And we were opening tomorrow night.
We had spent a full, arduous, painstaking week setting the lighting for each individual shot. And now, with one night to go, the lighting team started over.
The following day, an emergency rehearsal was scheduled at 4PM, to accomplish what Wednesday's rehearsal did not - running the full show from beginning to end with all elements. But even in that run-through, set construction was still happening. Drills were running in the wings, lighting cues were being tweaked, and the final product of all our hard work remained an elusive mystery. Until finally, after a 20 minute break, the show opened to a record audience.
And yes, it was a miracle. Yes, it was impossible. It was flawless.
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4 comments:
It was kinda miraculous!
I wish we had recorded Peter Sham's reading of his notes.
We saw Nosferatu on Saturday and it was an amazament. The concept alone, let alone the execution, were a wonder - The "choreography" of all the actors and technicians moving sliently around the stage and the seamlessness of the live film interspercing the older footage. The actors also captured the era they were portraying beautifully. It's the best thing I've seen in a long, long time.
I just saw the show at the Conference in LA. I can say that the magnitude of what you did was not lost on this "average audience member."
I wish I could watch it a dozen times just to catch a fraction of what y'all accomplish in those +/- ninety minutes.
How long does a movie like that take to shoot?
The audience of college theater kids when from mildly amused to stunned-by-the-precision. I listened to the raucous laughter turn to silence and then to gasps of awe and wonderment...back to laughter at the sheer craziness that you all were ACTUALLY DOING THAT!!
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