Grace Geller: Welcome to the Theatre

Hello again! If you’ve read Jess’s post you’ll know that I’m working with her in the Front of House. Our main goal is to make sure everything is set so the audience can enjoy the show!

Basically, I’ve been working in the lobby and answering any questions you have when you come to see the show. I get to the theater two hours early and set up the lobby with Jess. We work with the Boston Center for the Arts Box Office to check on ticket sales for that night and make sure there haven’t been any problems. By problems, I don’t mean disasters, I just mean that we look to make sure every patron will be happy. For example, a few nights ago a woman mistakenly bought tickets for the wrong night and so we worked with the Box Office to get her new seats in the best place possible.

After checking with the Box Office, we check in with Emily, the stage manager, to make sure there are no problems in the theater. One night we entered the theater and there was music blasting from the ceiling. It sounded like there was a radio playing – not quite ideal for watching a play. Jess and I worked with the producers to get the music (which was from another theater nearby) turned down so that it was only barely audible for our show. After talking with Emily, we do a ‘sweep’ of the seats. We don’t literally ‘sweep’ the theater every night, but we walk through to make sure there are no programs or anything left over from the previous night’s show.

Finally, the crowd arrives and we communicate with Emily (who’s talking with the actors and musicians) about when to open the house. Once the house is open, I usually help people find their seats. Jess keeps running back between the lobby and box office to see if everyone has picked up their tickets – we try not to start the show if there are many tickets waiting to be picked up, but we also can’t hold up the whole show for only a few people.

Once the show starts, Jess and I can breathe. We clean up the lobby and start doing paperwork. Over the past two weeks I have also been watching part of the show to see how it’s going. I thought the show was really great when we opened but it has grown so much over the past three weeks.

Before I go get ready for tonight’s show, I want to put a plug in for ushering. For every show we need two ushers – one to collect tickets and one to sell concessions. While they’re volunteers, they get a free ticket to the show! It’s a great way to see the play. If you’re interested e-mail Jess at comps@companyone.org.

Alright now I’m off to the theater. I hope to see you there! I can’t believe we only have two weeks left! Buy your tickets and come see “After the Quake!”

* Grace

Front of House

Hi again!

So for the past few weeks I’ve been wearing my House Manager hat, as opposed to my production assistant one and life has been hectic. I am in almost constant contact with the Box Office and I’m sure they’re getting a little annoyed with me, but that’s okay. Emily, the stage manager, and I have the task of opening the house and show on time. As far as the house is concerned, she is in charge of making sure the actors are backstage, musicians in place and that everything is set for the audience to join. My job is getting the house open as close to fifteen minutes before curtain as possible. Once the house is open it’s her job to make sure we start as close to our scheduled time as possible, and my job to make sure that everyone gets into the theater. It’s like we have these goals that we come at from two different directions, and when everything goes according to plan we stay on schedule.

There’s also the fine dance of seating latecomers. You don’t want to interrupt the show, but at the same time you want your patron to be able to see what truly is an amazing show. When we decide to seat them, I usually let Grace take charge of that. More often than not she had helped the audience find their seats and knows the best place to put the patrons without disturbing everyone.

With Grace’s help we’ve been keeping records of how many people are coming to see each show and what type of tickets we’re selling. It’s really interesting to see when you get an older theater-going crowd as opposed to a curious younger one. And each night is certainly different. The paperwork and counting of tickets isn’t the most exciting thing in the world, but it is interesting to see the big picture at the end of the day.

I’m also in charge of hiring volunteer ushers. People who want to lend a hand and see the show for free. It’s a really great way to get involved even for just a few hours. You should consider it and email me at comps@companyone.org.

Well, I’m off. If you haven’t seen After the Quake yet, you should. If you have, you should tell your friends to see it. No harm in a little free advertising right?

Have a wonderful day!
Jessica

Grace Geller: Opening Night Here We Come

“What you see with your eyes is not necessarily real.”

This line epitomizes “After the Quake.” Watching the many technical and dress rehearsals this week, I keep being reminded that this play is a world of fantasy and storytelling. In my past blogs I’ve talked about the many transformations and transitions in the play. Now though, with everything together – lights, set, and sound – I’ve come to see that the transitions between worlds are not as important as the merger of those worlds. “After the Quake” is about a man, Junpei, creating a superhero story for Sala, a little girl tormented by nightmares. As the play progresses, the line between Junpei’s reality and story blurs. His characters are as real as himself. When Frog, Junpei’s superhero, reaches down to grab Junpei’s hand and lift him out of the shock and depression of the earthquake, the audience is shown how Junpei’s story is not just for Sala. By the end of the play, Junpei is changed from his story. He learns his own moral: that everyone is important and no one should be controlled by fear.

I can’t stress how beautiful the play is. The set and lights were designed beautifully. There are so many breathtaking moments created by great poses and use of color. I’ve also recently been struck by the humor in the play. When I first read the play, I thought that it was a fun story; however, probably because I did so much research on earthquakes, the element of fear had really come to the forefront in my mind. Fortunately, for the last two weeks, the humor in the play has reemerged. Although the story is about fear, there is in no way a dark element to the play. The fear happens before the play starts, and the humor is, in a way, how Junpei deals with it. There are so many lines and movements where the audience can’t help but crack up. Watch for Frog’s disappointment when he learns Katagiri has never read “Anna Karenina!” This week, even though I know the actions (and most of the lines), I found myself laughing throughout our dress rehearsals.

As for what I’m doing now, I’ve been helping out during the day – painting and sweeping and taking notes on the rehearsals at night. One of my favorite jobs has been acting as a stand in for the actors. I’ve pretended to play all the different roles in the cast to help the director and designers light the show. I get to jump on the platforms as Frog, hide in the boxes, and lie in the beds. I run around, say the lines, and then am told to move a step to my left.

This will be my last post as Assistant to the Director and Dramaturg. I have loved working with Shawn and Liana and am very sad that this part of my experience is over. Opening night I begin my next post – Assistant House Manager. I’ll be the one helping you in the lobby if you have any questions. I can’t wait to see you all at the show! I’m so excited for the run to start!

See you soon!

Grace

Grace Geller: Putting it all Together

Happy July 4th to everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend. This was the first year I spent the 4th in Boston and it was beautiful! I got a spot with some friends on the Esplanade RIGHT in front of the barge. The fireworks (and Boston Pops) were amazing!

On Thursday I went to help ‘clean’ and add small touches to the set. I was under the impression this would mean sweeping (which it did), but was unaware I would also be given power tools – not my forte but I managed. I’ve been looking at the set model for weeks and enjoyed watching the elements come together. I don’t want to give anything away, but the set contains many surprises. As in “After the Quake,” where the story transitions from fantasy to reality, the set itself is full of magical transformations. Watch out for people and objects appearing out of nowhere!

As for rehearsals, we had a long break and are now in the theater! The set is mostly finished and so today we were able to play with all the different prop and set pieces. Unlike many plays where stagehands move elements of a set, such as chairs, in “After the Quake” the actors are the ones to change things. We spent a while today explaining all the transformative elements to the actors and working out kinks.

Besides using the set, tonight we also rehearsed a full run with music for the first time. We’ve added music to every section individually, but have never run through the whole play at once with all the music. Although we added a lot, the run went pretty well. It was also great to be able to hear the play – actors and musicians – and check the volume in the theater. The incorporation of music tonight went really well. The music feels very fluid and truly is a necessary character in the play.

This week we’re doing full run-throughs of the production leading in to tech next week. Because we’ve already worked in sound and set (which are normally two major components of tech week), hopefully tech will go pretty easily as we will mostly just have to work in lights.

I look forward to watching it for the next two weeks from every seat, every angle, to make sure every audience members gets the full experience. I’m so excited for the show to start! Buy your tickets! It’s going to be a great production.

See you there!

* Grace

Grace Geller: Take Two

What’s scary about boiling Brussels sprouts? I have no idea, but there’s something creepy when Frog compares inflicting ‘physiological terror’ on Big Bear Trading to boiling Brussels sprouts. This is one of my many favorite moments in “After the Quake.” Murakami is a beautiful author. His words paint an elegant story that has been masterfully translated into a play by Frank Galati.

Despite the shudders Brussels sprouts now give me, “After the Quake” is not about terror. As we’ve been working through the production process there have been many discussions about the element of ‘fear’ in the play. The play hinges on nightmares surrounding the 1995 Kobe earthquake. But, as the title states, it is a play about what happens ‘after the quake.’ It is a play about how people deal with fear – from widespread death and destruction to personal insecurities. The play depicts universal problems and showcases the best of people. There is hope for every character, from the lonely honey bear Masakichi to the central character Junpei. There is hope that everyone can face their fears.

We have a little under a month left and we’ve already started doing runs of the show. Last week we incorporated the musicians into some scenes. Music is a HUGE element to “After the Quake.” The musicians will constantly be on stage and act almost like another character, helping to drive the show. Music is also vital to help the audience understand the progression of the play, as it switches between time, place, and character rapidly. Although I knew all this from reading the play (and seeing all the music cues), it was a shock to hear the musicians actually there working with us in rehearsals. I had grown accustomed to all those awkward moments. But now, music really brings the show together; it fills in pauses and creates charming moments.

Working on the show so far has been a truly rewarding experience. I am able to talk with Shawn (the director) and Liana (the dramaturg) during each rehearsal and then watch my comments effect the scene. I’ve also been working individually with some of the actors before each rehearsal, helping them with character work and their objectives for long monologues. I feel like I’m really a part of the rehearsal process.

I’m off now to start “Norwegian Wood,” one of Murakami’s novels. You should watch the video trailer and get your tickets for this amazing play.

I’ll write again soon!

* Grace

After The Quake: Grace Geller

Did you know that at 5:46 A.M. on January 17, 1995, the Great Hanshin Earthquake hit near the city of Kobe, destroying the city and killing over 5,000 people? I didn’t, until I started working this summer as Assistant to the Director and Dramaturg for “After the Quake.” In the past month I have learned about this earthquake and many other facts about Japan.

A little about me – my name is Grace and I’m a rising senior at Wheaton College, a Classical Civilizations major and Theater minor. I am excited to be working with Company One this summer. I started work one month ago and I’ve met so many amazing people!

So what do I do as Assistant to the Director and Assistant to the Dramaturg (yes, I do both these jobs, there was some confusion about that as the assistant stage manager thought the Assistant to the Dramaturg was just never around for the first week)? For much of May, I was working with the Dramaturg to create the Dramaturgy Packet for the actors. For any who don’t know, a Dramaturgy Packet is researched information given to the actors to help explain different aspects of that show. For “After the Quake,” the packet consisted of information on Japan, earthquakes, and Murakami, as well as shorter definitions of people or places referenced in the play.

Now that rehearsals have started, I’m working as the Assistant to both the Director and Dramaturg. I’m getting the opportunity to watch and be a part of every rehearsal. As part of my job, the Director or Dramaturg will also ask me to look up something before the next rehearsal. For example, today I’m learning how to bow properly in Japan so I can teach one of the actors.

I love working for Company One. I also LOVE “After the Quake,” Murakami has such beautiful imagery that translates perfectly into the play. Anyone reading this really ought to go buy tickets for the show. I’ll write again in a few weeks! I’m excited to see how the play develops!

-Grace