[SML] Noises Off Dilemma

[Michael Powers]

  Wayne Rasmussen <rasmuw at blair.edu> Wrote:

Noises Off will open at my school on May 10..................

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. .................

Then  Stephen Litterst  wrote:
..........Why is this only a problem in Act 2?  Acts 1 and 3 have plenty of
funny
moments that require hearing what's on the other side of the scenery.
Not knowing your space, I'm willing to bet the actors will hear just fine.

In your first scenario, if the actors can't hear sound through the wall,
neither can the audience.  So the speakers shouldn't be an issue.  If
the audience can hear the speakers through the wall, then the actors can
hear their costars and the speakers are not necessary.............

I agree With Steve.  I think your director is creating a problem that isn't
there. A very many of us have done this play a very many times,  and have
never had this problem arise, in spite of sometimes massive sets of hard
covered flats on a large turntable in (sometimes) 500 to 1500 (perhaps
more) seat houses.  If that number of audience laughing can't drown out the
actors' lines to the backstage personnel, it is highly unlikely your
audience of 74 will be able to do it.  Just IMHO.
-- 
Michael Powers
USMC '65-'69
ETCP Certified Rigger #820 Theatre (Ret'd)
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