[SML] Noises Off Dilemma

[Wayne Rasmussen]

Noises Off will open at my school on May 10.  The play will be performed in
our black box theater.  The space is surrounded by concrete block, a sheet
rock ceiling, and a vinyl tile covered concrete floor.  It measures 50’ by
35’ by 23’ high.  One 35’ wall has velour curtains on it.  The one large
window is concealed by a lined black velour approximately 10’ high by 25’
wide.  Acoustics for the shows we have done for 20 years have been
reasonably good, not requiring the use of microphones.



The set I have constructed spans the 35’ width and is 22’ in depth. It is
16’ at its highest point, probably averaging 14’ high.  Rather than
rotating the set or moving wagons around, I have chosen to have the
audience sit on one side of the set for Acts 1 and 3, and move to seats on
the “backstage” side for Act 2.   The seating accommodation will be 74 on
each side, with the front row of the audience at the edge of the playing
space.



The director is concerned that during Act 2, the actors on the backstage
side of the set will be unable to hear the lines that the actors on the
front of the set are saying—when the audience is laughing.  Lines are
easily heard in rehearsal.  The director has approached me about finding a
way to enable to actors to hear the lines over laughter, so that their
backstage movements will be coordinated with the lines being spoken on the
other side of the set.  I have responded that I don’t think I can find a
way to make that work.  In one scenario, if I were to somehow place
speakers so that the actors can hear, the audience will hear those same
speakers.  The sound will not emanate from the proper source (the other
side of the set).  In scenario two, if the actors were to somehow know what
lines were being spoken (in-ear monitors) and responded appropriately to
their cues, the laughing audience won’t be able to hear the same lines and
the subsequent movements won’t make sense to them.



If you have any suggestions how to solve the problem, I would appreciate
your response.  If the scenarios I have considered are flawed, I would
appreciate a correction.  If you have other reasons to reinforce why there
is no solution, please add them.



Thanks,

Wayne Rasmussen

Blair Academy
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