[SML] Noises Off Dilemma

[sdwheaton]

It certainly isn't unknown for speakers to be placed backstage or offstage to help people hear the onstage cues in real theatre, more common perhaps when music also applies, but could be present in a drama. 
Stuart


Sent from my T-Mobile 4G LTE Device-------- Original message --------From: Wayne Rasmussen via Stagecraft <stagecraft at theatrical.net> Date: 4/30/2018  6:08 PM  (GMT+01:00) To: Stagecraft <stagecraft at theatrical.net> Cc: Wayne Rasmussen <rasmuw at blair.edu> Subject: [SML] Noises Off Dilemma 
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 RasmussenBlair Academy  
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