A look at behind the scenes of a theatrical production
My cat diary
By Joanne Fox Journal staff writer | Posted: Friday, January 11, 2008
Over the past few months, I have discovered: If you can't stand the heat, get off the roof.
When I threw in my hat to direct the Sioux City Community Theatre's production of the Tennessee Williams' classic, "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," I thought readers might enjoy a peek at what goes on behind the scenes, so I started a diary. Trust me, the drama isn't all on stage.
For those of you who have ever dreamed of being in the spotlight, here's my "dissection" of a "Cat" anatomy.
April: Although I'm interested in directing the play, I waffle on submitting the director form because "Cat" rehearsals will run over the holidays. Plus, this is no easy show. The movie showcased Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Newman, and Burl Ives. People might expect that. I would.
June: I re-watch the movie and get more excited about the production. After getting assurances that I'll have the support for actors, set and crew, I cave and give Amy Nilles a thumbs-up on directing. She tells me she loves me.
October: Auditions are one month away and it's time to call in markers. I e-mail everyone and start phoning, dropping hints that I need a cast. I'm met with mild interest to outright disdain. I start lighting a candle in church.
Nov. 12-13: Auditions go well. I have worked with all of the actors and I'm tickled they want to work with me. Of course, there's not enough to cast the show. There never is. The begging begins.
Nov. 19: Any director worth his or her while research the show. I discovered Texas Tech University added "Dead" Skipper, a presence who just wanders into scenes. I convince my "good" son, Alex Fox, to do it. If he wants to continue having free Saturday breakfasts, he really has no choice.
Dec. 1: I think I have the cast and rehearsal schedule in place. I prefer running from 7 to 9 p.m. on weekdays, but realize we have four kids in the show so I may have them come in earlier. Have you ever tried to coordinate the schedules of 13 people? Around Christmas?
Dec. 4: We have a read-through and it's a joy. I hear character in the actors' voices and start to envision the energy they will bring to the stage. How could I ever have doubted doing this?
Dec. 6: Why did I agree to do this show? I get a lunch-time phone call from an actor who can't do the show. My lunch buddy asked what was wrong and I realized how difficult it is to explain to someone outside the theater what this means, besides more calling and begging.
Dec. 7: When I come to the conclusion that I'm just going to do the part myself (something I loathe doing), a new actor surfaces. I will owe this person for the rest of my life.
Dec. 16: Tomorrow husband Dean will go out and start building the set. We literally have three weekends to construct it. Of course, artistic differences surface during our discussion, but ultimately, we arrive at a consensus. We celebrate with cheap wine.
Dec. 21: Thanks to John Mangan (Rev. Tooker), we have the gestures to accompany the kids' novelty song, "Skinamarinka -- dink." Noah Uhing (Buster), Brileigh Uhing (Trixie), Haley McClure (Dixie) and Cole McClure (Sonny). The kids nailed them in no time. Humbling.
Dec. 22: Mike Skaff (Gooper) offered to make the leg cast that Jeremy McClure (Brick) wears in the show. While he is cutting it with a knife, Mike nicks Jeremy's leg. He asks me to get a pair of scissors to help. I cut his finger. Now Mike will never let me forget that I skinned a cat cast member.
Dec. 25: Merry Christmas! Dean went out to the theater today to work on the set. Don't judge. We had family Christmas over the previous weekend to accommodate our children's schedules. Dean only works a couple of hours so we can take in a movie. I doze off at the movie.
Dec. 26: Tim Hess, who will design the lights for the show, comes out to discuss the lighting plot. I show him a picture and say, "This is what I want." He proceeds to tell me some of the challenges with achieving those effects. My eyes glaze over. He assures me all will be well.
Dec. 27: In theater lingo, we are "off book" tonight, meaning the actors have to start saying lines, but will be prompted when they forget. Lindsay Washburn (Maggie) has the bulk of the lines in the first 29 pages and she nails most of them. The candle lighting at church pays off.
Dec. 31: No rehearsal tonight, although most of the actors joked they had no plans anyway. Sadly, neither do I.
Jan. 1: Happy New Year! It's another crew day, painting and placing set pieces. It's not a community theater production without people having something on stage from their home. Mine is a wardrobe. It will be "donated" to the theater so we don't have to lug it home.
Jan. 2: The play-disaster dreams have started. But in this one, all is good, until I head to the theater's parking lot with my mom (she died in 2003) and my dad (he died in 1980). Someone confronts me about the show and I become defensive. My dad tells me I'm over-reacting and that startles me awake. I think, "What a heyday a therapist would have with this!"
Jan. 4: Karen Sowienski (Big Mama) is also the costumer. She has found 1950-style clothing for everyone, including a maternity top for Amanda Lempares (Mae). Karen and Chris Gaul (Big Daddy) are also doing wigs, another element to transform my contemporary cast back to the days of Taylor, Newman and Ives.
Jan. 5: Crew work today. This is not a "realistic" set so it's not as time-consuming to construct. It's the detail work that's tedious. Brian Mathers came out with his artist's eye and had great suggestions for color and shading and other things I never grasped in art class.
Jan. 6: Tonight was the end of prompting and the cast did me proud. Set pieces didn't seem to look right, so Bill McKenny (Doctor Baugh) and Dean lugged stuff on and off until we achieved the desired look. Journal photographer Jim Lee came out for pictures. I asked him if he captured my "apprehensive" look. See picture. I think he did.
Jan. 7: We added the sound effects tonight to the lights. Every time you add a new element to a show, it has the potential to impact the comfort level of the actors. To his credit, Mike maintained his composure as he picked up the ringing phone, said "Hello," and it kept on ringing.
Jan. 8: My good-show joy was tempered on the drive home, when I heard the sounds of a flat tire. I stopped at 22nd and Nebraska to call someone and heard a young man -- outside with his dog -- say, "I can fix that!" and he did. Was Dead Skipper watching over me? Affirmed by the goodness of humanity, I cried the whole way home.
Jan. 9: The final tweaking. All the actors know their parts, so I looked for nuances. Most directors know that once the show is in place, their role becomes less pivotal, more like a third wheel. Considering the flat tire, it seemed appropriate.
Jan. 10: My final insights before the paper goes to press. Remember Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck singing, "Overture. Curtain. Lights?" Tonight's the night of "invited dress rehearsal" and there's no more "rehearsin' or nursin' a part." But this is what we have worked so hard for: Presenting the play before an audience.
Tomorrow: The show will open before a paid audience. I should light another candle. No reason to pussy-foot around.
Photo gallery
See photos from behind the scenes at "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof."
"Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" opens tonight and continues through Jan. 27 at the Sioux City Community Theatre, 1401 Riverside Blvd. Show times are 7:30 p.m. for Thursday, Friday and Saturday performances. Sunday matinees are at 2 p.m. Tickets are $17 for adults and $16 for seniors and students and are available at the door. Tickets are available online at the theater's Web site, www.scctheatre.org., or by calling the box office between 1 and 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday at 233-2788.
When I threw in my hat to direct the Sioux City Community Theatre's production of the Tennessee Williams' classic, "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," I thought readers might enjoy a peek at what goes on behind the scenes, so I started a diary. Trust me, the drama isn't all on stage.
For those of you who have ever dreamed of being in the spotlight, here's my "dissection" of a "Cat" anatomy.
April: Although I'm interested in directing the play, I waffle on submitting the director form because "Cat" rehearsals will run over the holidays. Plus, this is no easy show. The movie showcased Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Newman, and Burl Ives. People might expect that. I would.
June: I re-watch the movie and get more excited about the production. After getting assurances that I'll have the support for actors, set and crew, I cave and give Amy Nilles a thumbs-up on directing. She tells me she loves me.
October: Auditions are one month away and it's time to call in markers. I e-mail everyone and start phoning, dropping hints that I need a cast. I'm met with mild interest to outright disdain. I start lighting a candle in church.
Nov. 12-13: Auditions go well. I have worked with all of the actors and I'm tickled they want to work with me. Of course, there's not enough to cast the show. There never is. The begging begins.
Nov. 19: Any director worth his or her while research the show. I discovered Texas Tech University added "Dead" Skipper, a presence who just wanders into scenes. I convince my "good" son, Alex Fox, to do it. If he wants to continue having free Saturday breakfasts, he really has no choice.
Dec. 1: I think I have the cast and rehearsal schedule in place. I prefer running from 7 to 9 p.m. on weekdays, but realize we have four kids in the show so I may have them come in earlier. Have you ever tried to coordinate the schedules of 13 people? Around Christmas?
Dec. 4: We have a read-through and it's a joy. I hear character in the actors' voices and start to envision the energy they will bring to the stage. How could I ever have doubted doing this?
Dec. 6: Why did I agree to do this show? I get a lunch-time phone call from an actor who can't do the show. My lunch buddy asked what was wrong and I realized how difficult it is to explain to someone outside the theater what this means, besides more calling and begging.
Dec. 7: When I come to the conclusion that I'm just going to do the part myself (something I loathe doing), a new actor surfaces. I will owe this person for the rest of my life.
Dec. 16: Tomorrow husband Dean will go out and start building the set. We literally have three weekends to construct it. Of course, artistic differences surface during our discussion, but ultimately, we arrive at a consensus. We celebrate with cheap wine.
Dec. 21: Thanks to John Mangan (Rev. Tooker), we have the gestures to accompany the kids' novelty song, "Skinamarinka -- dink." Noah Uhing (Buster), Brileigh Uhing (Trixie), Haley McClure (Dixie) and Cole McClure (Sonny). The kids nailed them in no time. Humbling.
Dec. 22: Mike Skaff (Gooper) offered to make the leg cast that Jeremy McClure (Brick) wears in the show. While he is cutting it with a knife, Mike nicks Jeremy's leg. He asks me to get a pair of scissors to help. I cut his finger. Now Mike will never let me forget that I skinned a cat cast member.
Dec. 25: Merry Christmas! Dean went out to the theater today to work on the set. Don't judge. We had family Christmas over the previous weekend to accommodate our children's schedules. Dean only works a couple of hours so we can take in a movie. I doze off at the movie.
Dec. 26: Tim Hess, who will design the lights for the show, comes out to discuss the lighting plot. I show him a picture and say, "This is what I want." He proceeds to tell me some of the challenges with achieving those effects. My eyes glaze over. He assures me all will be well.
Dec. 27: In theater lingo, we are "off book" tonight, meaning the actors have to start saying lines, but will be prompted when they forget. Lindsay Washburn (Maggie) has the bulk of the lines in the first 29 pages and she nails most of them. The candle lighting at church pays off.
Dec. 31: No rehearsal tonight, although most of the actors joked they had no plans anyway. Sadly, neither do I.
Jan. 1: Happy New Year! It's another crew day, painting and placing set pieces. It's not a community theater production without people having something on stage from their home. Mine is a wardrobe. It will be "donated" to the theater so we don't have to lug it home.
Jan. 2: The play-disaster dreams have started. But in this one, all is good, until I head to the theater's parking lot with my mom (she died in 2003) and my dad (he died in 1980). Someone confronts me about the show and I become defensive. My dad tells me I'm over-reacting and that startles me awake. I think, "What a heyday a therapist would have with this!"
Jan. 4: Karen Sowienski (Big Mama) is also the costumer. She has found 1950-style clothing for everyone, including a maternity top for Amanda Lempares (Mae). Karen and Chris Gaul (Big Daddy) are also doing wigs, another element to transform my contemporary cast back to the days of Taylor, Newman and Ives.
Jan. 5: Crew work today. This is not a "realistic" set so it's not as time-consuming to construct. It's the detail work that's tedious. Brian Mathers came out with his artist's eye and had great suggestions for color and shading and other things I never grasped in art class.
Jan. 6: Tonight was the end of prompting and the cast did me proud. Set pieces didn't seem to look right, so Bill McKenny (Doctor Baugh) and Dean lugged stuff on and off until we achieved the desired look. Journal photographer Jim Lee came out for pictures. I asked him if he captured my "apprehensive" look. See picture. I think he did.
Jan. 7: We added the sound effects tonight to the lights. Every time you add a new element to a show, it has the potential to impact the comfort level of the actors. To his credit, Mike maintained his composure as he picked up the ringing phone, said "Hello," and it kept on ringing.
Jan. 8: My good-show joy was tempered on the drive home, when I heard the sounds of a flat tire. I stopped at 22nd and Nebraska to call someone and heard a young man -- outside with his dog -- say, "I can fix that!" and he did. Was Dead Skipper watching over me? Affirmed by the goodness of humanity, I cried the whole way home.
Jan. 9: The final tweaking. All the actors know their parts, so I looked for nuances. Most directors know that once the show is in place, their role becomes less pivotal, more like a third wheel. Considering the flat tire, it seemed appropriate.
Jan. 10: My final insights before the paper goes to press. Remember Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck singing, "Overture. Curtain. Lights?" Tonight's the night of "invited dress rehearsal" and there's no more "rehearsin' or nursin' a part." But this is what we have worked so hard for: Presenting the play before an audience.
Tomorrow: The show will open before a paid audience. I should light another candle. No reason to pussy-foot around.
Photo gallery
See photos from behind the scenes at "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof."
"Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" opens tonight and continues through Jan. 27 at the Sioux City Community Theatre, 1401 Riverside Blvd. Show times are 7:30 p.m. for Thursday, Friday and Saturday performances. Sunday matinees are at 2 p.m. Tickets are $17 for adults and $16 for seniors and students and are available at the door. Tickets are available online at the theater's Web site, www.scctheatre.org., or by calling the box office between 1 and 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday at 233-2788.
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Marilyn Keiser wrote on Jan 13, 2008 9:28 PM:
I found no matinee! "