Author Topic: SHOWS: Wait Until Dark  (Read 4382 times)

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philimbesi

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SHOWS: Wait Until Dark
« on: Aug 06, 2007, 01:55 pm »
I'm stage managing a production of Wait Until Dark next year and I'm wondering if any of you have had experience with the show?  Pitfalls?  Disasters in the making?
« Last Edit: Jun 09, 2009, 12:53 am by PSMKay »

thehayworth

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Re: Wait Until Dark
« Reply #1 on: Aug 07, 2007, 09:47 am »
Pitfalls is an appropriate term.  There is a lot of scrambling around in the dark.  This presents an obvious problem of actors unable to see - each other, furniture, but also the apron ... falling off the front of the stage.  I saw a production very recently that a line of glotape all the way across the front of the stage and it looked terrible.  plus there is stage combat - some of it in the dark, some not.
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kokobear

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Re: Wait Until Dark
« Reply #2 on: Aug 09, 2007, 07:12 am »
I just finished directing this last month.

Pre-set needs to be photographically precise.  Suzy cannot "search" for a prop that is mis-placed.  And there's lots of minutia to keep track of (door keys, cigarettes, etc.)

We decided NOT to do the fake knife bit, as it was more work than would pay off in the scene.

Smoking was an issue.  We tried fake cigarettes, but it was definitely a compromise, and we never really achieved the moment of the cigarette burning in the ashtray  effectively.  And it's not like you can really write the smoking out of it, since Sam's smoke is a plot device and Roat's smoke is so indicative of his character.

Another thing is the mess in Act II created by Mike and Suzy "searching" the apartment during intermission.  It's a delicate balance between creating clutter while avoiding "blind" actor traps.

The end of II.1 is a calling challenge, as Gloria and Suzy pull fuses and break hallway lights.

Good Luck!
« Last Edit: Aug 09, 2007, 07:16 am by kokobear »

philimbesi

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Re: Wait Until Dark
« Reply #3 on: Aug 09, 2007, 08:10 am »
Where did you find Geraldine?

kokobear

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Re: Wait Until Dark
« Reply #4 on: Aug 10, 2007, 11:55 am »
Rather than try to mock up a statuette around a switchblade, we just used a "switch-comb", and replaced the comb with a piece of aluminum.  I saw no real reason to make the switchblade as fancy as described in production notes,  after all, the audience doesn't read production notes!!

Another consistent problem was working with matches.  They never co-operated!  During a tech, we sat in black while Suzy tried striking a match a dozen times.  Add into that the fact that water (for ammonia and gasoline) gets thrown about, and matches become notoriously inconsistent!
« Last Edit: Aug 10, 2007, 11:59 am by kokobear »

 

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