The evolution of a scene

[missliz]

So, my show had an eventful weekend, and I'd love to discuss the situation.

There is a scene between a guy, his friends, and a transvestite hooker. The guy and the hooker have this verbal cat-and-mouse about who is more "man," hustling each other, etc. It's very intense, and the transvestite ends up giving the guy a blowjob while the guy's friends egg him on. There are two other scenes going on at the same time on other parts of the stage.

As we're in week 5, the scene has evolved. At Thurs night's performance, the friends threw the transvestite around a little, grabbing her while mocking her before the blowjob happened. It was more physical, but the blocking was generally the same. I told the actors to rein it in, as that wasn't what had been discussed.

Fri night's performance, it was even more violent and was a near-gang-rape scene. The friends threw the transvestite against a plexi window and yanked up her skirt without telling her. This was problematic for a number of technical issues, but it also rattled the rest of the people onstage. (I even had a younger actress leave the theater in tears because she was shaken up by the new scene content.)

After an email to the director stating that the intent and blocking had changed, throwing off the rest of the cast, angering them with the content, and pulling focus from the other scenes, he came in and watched. The actors reined the scene in a bit (similar to Thurs' performance) but the near-rape is still happening. The director was fine with the way the scene was performed that night, but told the actors not to take it any further.

A full company meeting after the show presented a few different takes:

"I wasn't informed I was going to have to watch a graphic scene that night, and the change angered and upset me." -one of the ensemble actresses, who at this point is seated by the window where they are throwing the transvestite
"I'm comfortable, I feel in control, and I'm not scared." -the actor playing the transvestite
"The blowjob scene is now so full of movement, it's pulling focus." -lead actress, in one of the other scenes happening at the same time
"We've been running for five weeks, scenes are bound to evolve and change in intent. It's the same as giving different line readings every night." -actor
"The scene is not written as violent and sexual as you are performing it, and I am offended at the interpretation." -actor
"I'm bringing something new to the show, and I'm not sure why I'm being punished. It's a gift to the show, and for the actors to work off." -one of the friends in the scene, who initiates the throwing around

While I'm not sure all feelings are resolved, having an open forum has certainly helped. I don't want to give you the conclusion yet, but I'm curious what your take on the situation is.

[MatthewShiner]

Well, I am sure you have noted the show as the scene has evolved - and the cast is not really taking your notes seriously.  (Or maybe, as often this subtle changes happen, we don't notice the very small changes until it adds up to one big change - the flipbook effect if how I describe it).

But ultimately, the director came in and the director signed off on it.  So, the changes now seem to have found their way into your production.

I always pull the line "belittling the rehearsal process" for these post-opening changes.  A line reading is one thing, but changing a scene and it's intent is a major thing - especially without the benefit of rehearsal.  It seems very selfish on behalf of that particular group of actors.  The other actors didn't get rehearsal time to work out their responses to playing opposite the now violent scenes - and the actors, flat out, may not feel comfortable being a part of that world.  If this intent for the scene was brought up during the rehearsal process, it could have been worked out in a safe, sane and controlled environment - where an actor would be able to explore their feelings and find some sort of safety - or express their concerns and have their director answer them in a safe, sane and controlled manner. 

When an actor makes a change, it effects the entire show, and will effect the other actor performances.  If the intensity of a serious scenes is ramped up right before a comedic scene, well now the comedic scenes need to be altered to balance the scene right before it - and then the next seen is going to be effected.  It snowballs rather quickly.

As far as it being a gift, it's a little late to bring that gift to the show - and for many it's an unwelcomed gift.   Hopefully the cast can respect the wishes of the LEAST comfortable person and adjust the show back to the way it was rehearsed, rather then changing it for their own needs.

I can't wait to hear the outcome.

[missliz]

So, here's how we've ended up handling it....

We had a special rehearsal call for the scene to set blocking. The guys involved in the scene were called, plus any other cast member who wanted to come in and watch to understand where the scene was coming from, what they could expect to watch, etc. We have also added the scene to fight call, since there's now some pushing around. In terms of the violence of the scene, if it was at a 1 and the worst was a 5, we're probably at a 3.

Some people are still uncomfortable with the content(and to be honest, it's a much harder scene for me to watch), but now that it's polished and people who were concerned were able to sit in, ask questions, and see the process, I think people are much happier, or at least more understanding.

[On_Headset]

Adding it to fight call was what I would have suggested. Aside from the basic health-and-safety stuff associated with such a violent scene, I would imagine that the additional rehearsal (especially with professionals involved) might bring a degree of seriousness and--indeed--repetitiveness to the performance itself.