Question Entirely Unrelated to Orgasm

nihpuad · 31-08-06 04:55:34

IIRC Elfman and some others here are/have been involved in theatre production; I have a question for him/them:

My daughter went back to school today (she's starting her junior year... the next-to-last year before university, for those whose school systems' schedules/terminology are different than ours in the U.S.), and her drama teacher announced that the spring play this year will be Little Shop of Horrors. Needless to say, she's thrilled (and hoping to be cast as Audrey), but I can't help wondering how a school drama club with a rudimentary theatre space (basically a typical school auditorium) and essentially no budget for sets and tech is going to pull it off. I'm especially curious to see how they're going to manage the growing/singing/dancing/wisecracking/murdering Audrey II plant. I've never seen a stage production, so I don't know how even well funded professional theatres manage on stage what was so impressive in the movie... but I'm at a loss for how to do it on a shoestring. My only thoughts are [a] coopt the school's Robotics Club and get them to build it or [b] get the computer graphics students to do a projectable animation.

So my question to those of you with theatre experience is, how would you handle this challenge?

"Son, be a dentist,
You have a talent for causing things pain!"

The_West_Wind · 31-08-06 08:04:16

You're in Luck with a capital "L", Dauphinb2!

In 1995 - 96 the theatre company I'm involved in did a production of Little Shop of Horrors , and we used Puppetry.

We started with a small hand puppet in an old terracotta pot, then progressed to another larger puppet as the play went on. The larger Audrey 2 was opperated by a single puppeteer in a large plastic tub. The final Audrey 2 was opperated by two puppeteers to open and close the jaws and an actor off stage supplied the voice.
We managed to rig up Audrey's tenticles on a simple pulley system made from fishing line and old green garden hoses with a few leaves stuck to them.
(On a side note, in the final song, we managed rig up extra tenticles in the overhead lighting platform. At the cue in the final song where the chorus would sing "... And this theatre!" we droped the tenticles over the audience - Very Effective!)

All the Audrey's were made from wood, chickenwire, paper mashet, green heshian, green plastic sheeting and cardboard.

The Secret to theatre performances that are produced on a shoestring budget are these three simple words:
-Beg
-Steal
-Borrow

If you can find something you can use, swallow your pride and use it!

I can help out if you need anymore suggestions.

The_Elfman · 31-08-06 08:10:22

I would be very loathe to use robotics for a stage production. Too unpredictable. I would go with some kind of stick or glove puppet. You can hire this sort of thing (see below ) but it is much more fun and obviously a lot cheaper to make your own. it just takes a bit of imagination, fabric and hard work.
http://www.reallyyouthfultheatre.co.uk/
if you do hire be prepared for it to swallow virtually all of your budget. These things are not cheap.

I know that a local youth theatre group produced Little Shop of Horrors last year. I can't remember which and I never saw it but I'll make some enquires and get back to you.

Elfman

The_West_Wind · 31-08-06 08:40:42

Our Audrey's were ready made for us from the publishing company. There were five in total starting off with a small Audrey in a pot, to two larger glove puppets, a single operator Audrey, and the largest 2 man Audrey. The construction was very simple. It should be easy to build with a few odds and ends.

The_Elfman · 31-08-06 23:05:25

Er. This is ever so slightly off subject but since the thread is theatrical I thought I would include this here:

At the beginning of the nineteenth century English actors would often travel between engagements in canal narrow boats (barges). It was a very cheap form of transport albeit a rather slow one. One day a precious old thespian hitched a ride on a narrow boat which was travelling from Leeds to Manchester. This meant travelling over the Pennine Mountain range and so there were a lot of locks on the canal. In those days narrow boatmen paid a toll at every lock they passed through and the toll varied according to the cargo they were carrying. When they approached the first lock the keeper called out “What are you carrying mate?”. The bargee replied “10 tons of coal, 3 tons of iron ore, 15 tons of horse shit and an actor”. The lock keeper collected his toll money and they passed through and on up the canal. When they got to the next lock the keeper called out “What’s your cargo then boatman?”. The bargee again replied “10 tons of coal, 3 tons of iron ore, 15 tons of horse shit and an actor”. Again the toll was paid and they carried on. When they arrived at the third lock the keeper called out “What’s your cargo?”. Once again the boatman called out “10 tons of coal, 3 tons of iron ore, 15 tons of horse shit and an actor”. At this the old actor rose majestically in the bow of the boat, turned and called back to the bargee “Excuse me my man. I am very grateful for transportation but I really must protest about the billing!!!”.

Warmtouch · 01-09-06 00:38:21

I've seen a small (but not very small) production. Very like the others described, the largest Audrey II was made of green cloth over chickenwire and some kind of stuffing to make it smooth. It couldn't move much, just open and close. Someone operated the "jaws" from behind where he couldn't be seen, and an actor with a microphone sang the part offstage.

You need to be good at papier mache or sewing.

Absolutely hilarious. I haven't laughed that hard in a theater since.

nihpuad · 04-09-06 06:43:47

Thanks to all who answered my question. I should probably clarify that I was only curious. I'm not involved with the production -- aside from having been cast in the small-but-vital part of Proud Parent No. 2 -- and am thankfully not responsible for solving the Audrey II problem. I'm sure the drama teacher/director must have a solution in mind, or she wouldn't have chose the show... I was only asking for some insight to guide my curious guesses.

And y'all came through like champs; thanks!

The_Elfman · 06-09-06 13:28:49

On the subject of special effects a great British actor was doing a murder mystery in rep. (This was in the 1950s). At one point in the play he had a line "Ah. Here comes the Chief Inspector" which was the cue for the stage manager to play a sound effect of a car coming up the drive. (Gramophone records in those days. No tapes or digital effects). On the first night they reached that point in the play and he delivered the line. There was silence from the wings. The stage manager was unable to get the record player to work. The second night the same thing happened. On the third night he said "Ah. Here comes the Chief Inspector" (Silence)........... "On his fucking bicycle again!!!".

Last edited by The_Elfman (06-09-06 14:30:11)

nihpuad · 08-09-06 05:27:30

I just learned today from my daughter that they aren't going to do Little Shop after all. Apparently the band director, who was going to help the drama teacher put the production together (more than just directing the pit band, I gather) has quit for personal reasons, and now it looks like the spring play will be a straight play, rather than any musical.

So I'll never know how they planned to realize Audrey II. Bummer.

Siobhan · 08-09-06 06:18:04

You know, I didn't want to weigh in earlier (because I had no substantive input) but I HATED that play! It's one of the few plays my entire family has seen together; we went when I was about 14, and I just HATED it. It was SCARY!
I know many people adore it, but I'm kind of glad, for your daughter's sake (who maybe loves scary things (and here I put in another plug for the current really good and scary movie The Descent!) but anyway).
I hope she's not too terribly disappointed.

Wow. This thread is now open for hijacking? How about I stay on point by posing the question to all: if YOUR daughter were embarking on a school play, what would YOU want to see her have a shot at?

My first thought: Cloud 9 by Caryl Churchill.
Second thought: Proof (if it's a tiny school).

nihpuad · 08-09-06 08:18:37

Siobhan wrote:

I HATED that play! ... It was SCARY!

As I commented earlier in the thread, I've never seen it on stage. The Rick Moranis/Steve Martin movie version was (IMHO) funny enough to offset the scariness (plus the music was cool), and that's my only point of reference. One of these days I'm going to see the original B-movie (starring Jack Nicholson in his first "major" role, I think) that the musical was based on.

Generally speaking, my family doesn't do scary... though my daughter did insist we see Snakes on a Plane (probably just because all the kids were seeing it). That turned out to be too silly to be truly scary... though there's one sequence that'll make you think twice about joining the Mile High Club in an aircraft lavatory!

As for what plays I'd like to see her school do, my flippant mind went immediately to things that would be plainly impossible for a high school: Hair, perhaps, or what's that play (Frankie and Johnny at the Claire de Lune???) about a blue-collar love affair, in which the two-person cast is nude through much of the show?

As for serious suggestions... well, it's been a long time since I went to the theatre regularly. Years ago, when I was in high school and college, my mother was a theatre reviewer, and I got to tag along quite a lot (this was in Houston, though, and other than the Alley Theatre and touring companies, most of what we saw was community theatre, dinner theatre, and college productions). I have this vague memory that among the best things I saw were a couple of Alan Ayckbourn's plays, How the Other Half Loves and Absurd Person Singular. The latter marked the only time I ever saw an audience member literally fall out of her seat with laughter. (Years later, based on these happy memories, I took my wife to see Ayckbourn's then-new play, Woman in Mind, in London, and we both hated it! <sigh>) I can't remember the plays in enough detail, though, to know whether they're appropriate for school productions.

One of my favorite (and, IMHO, underappreciated) musicals is Guys and Dolls, but it's got too many male parts for the typical high school production. In any case, I think they're not going to do any musical this year, because of reduced Adult Supervision.

Last edited by dauphinb2 (08-09-06 08:24:48)

The_Elfman · 08-09-06 10:03:03

dauphinb2 wrote:

:(I just learned today from my daughter that they aren't going to do Little Shop after all.

This is a shame. Kids love it and more importantly they love doing it. The problem is that there are not many straight plays out there which were written specificly for young people but I gather from your original post that your daughter is about 16-17? At that age they are better doing something serious like "Streetcar named Desire" or "Death of a Salesman". I would of course suggest a Shakespeare but only if they want to do one.

dauphinb2 wrote:

I have this vague memory that among the best things I saw were a couple of Alan Ayckbourn's plays, How the Other Half Loves and Absurd Person Singular. The latter marked the only time I ever saw an audience member literally fall out of her seat with laughter. (Years later, based on these happy memories, I took my wife to see Ayckbourn's then-new play, Woman in Mind, in London, and we both hated it! <sigh>)

I've just landed a role in Ayckbourn's "Family Cir*cles". The first rehearsal was last night. It is decidedly odd. Three women arrive at their parents house to celebrate their parents wedding anniversary accompanied by their husbands/boyfriends. Throughout the play the three couples are changed and the character's personalities alter according to how they would have been influenced by their current partner. The only person who appears to be in any way aware of this partner swapping is the father (Edward - my role). There is a sub plot throughout the play as the three women try to determine if their parents are trying to murder each other. (Ayckbourn re-wrote the play several times and it has had several titles. He says it is the worst thing he has ever written).

Elfman

Last edited by The_Elfman (08-09-06 10:25:19)

nihpuad · 08-09-06 16:38:37

The_Elfman wrote:

The problem is that there are not many straight plays out there which were written specificly for young people but I gather from your original post that your daughter is about 16-17?

She'll be 16 (and eligible to start learning to drive <shudder>) in November.

The_Elfman wrote:

At that age they are better doing something serious like "Streetcar named Desire" or "Death of a Salesman". I would of course suggest a Shakespeare but only if they want to do one.

The Fall play is usually a straight play, and often pretty serious. They did The Diviners (pretty serious stuff) her freshman year and Neil Simon's Fools (funny, but with serious undertones) last year. This year's Fall play will be Stage Door, which I don't know well. There's also a competition piece, which she hasn't been involved in in the past, because it's generally reserved for juniors and seniors... but she'll be eligible for a role this year. Don't know yet what that'll be, but it's usually something serious (in the literary sense at least, even if not always in the thematic sense).

The_Elfman wrote:

I've just landed a role in Ayckbourn's "Family Cir*cles". The first rehearsal was last night. It is decidedly odd. Three women arrive at their parents house to celebrate their parents wedding anniversary accompanied by their husbands/boyfriends. Throughout the play the three couples are changed and the character's personalities alter according to how they would have been influenced by their current partner. The only person who appears to be in any way aware of this partner swapping is the father (Edward - my role).

Yah, my memory is that playing with reality (and narrative structure) is one of Ayckbourn's things: Plays where each act covers the same sequence of events, but from the POV of a different room; the same day in different years, superimposed on the same stage, with overlapping characters; stuff like that. Weird... but IIRC, pretty cool, too.

Congrats on the role, BTW. I hope you have fun with it.

#1 31-08-06 04:55:34

Question Entirely Unrelated to Orgasm

#2 31-08-06 08:04:16

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#3 31-08-06 08:10:22

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#4 31-08-06 08:40:42

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#5 31-08-06 23:05:25

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#6 01-09-06 00:38:21

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#7 04-09-06 06:43:47

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#8 06-09-06 13:28:49

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#9 08-09-06 05:27:30

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