Behind the Scenes of Gidion’s Knot
Have you ever gone to one of the many great theater productions here at Kenyon and wondered what goes into creating one of them? As an assistant stage manager for the upcoming senior thesis Gidion’s Knot, I can tell you exactly what goes on in the weeks leading up to opening night.
6 Weeks Before Opening: Auditions were held and those auditioning were given sides (parts of the script) to read. Certain actors were asked to come back two days later for callbacks, and after that the cast was chosen. (Since this is a senior thesis, one of the parts was already determined to be for Julia Greer, who’s acting thesis this is.)
5 Weeks Before Opening: Rehearsals began with a read-through of the script. The director (Emma Miller, for whom this show is also her thesis) began blocking the show, that is, determining where each actor moves on each line.
4-2 Weeks Before Opening: Daily 3 hour Rehearsals Sunday through Thursday continued. More blocking was determined and much work was done so that each actor thoroughly understood why she was doing and saying what she was on each line.
1 Week Before Opening: Tech weekend! Saturday is known as Dry Tech, which involves setting the cues for lights and sound and making sure the set is all together and looks good. Sunday is called Wet Tech, and is the first time that all of the technical parts of the show are paired with the acting parts.
5-1 Day(s) Before Opening: Tech week officially begins with daily runs of the show in full costume, makeup, and with all technical aspects in place. This week is the last chance to make final alterations and get the show totally ready for opening night!
Opening Night: At 6:30pm actors come in to get into their costumes and make up. At 7pm, the rest of the tech crew comes and makes sure that everything is in order. Actors have a “fight call,” where they rehearse their on-stage fight to make sure that it runs smoothly and safely. Then they do warm-up to prepare their voices and body to perform the show. At 8pm the curtain goes up and the show is premiered to the Kenyon community. We love seeing so many familiar faces in the audience—be sure to come out to a show and support your classmates!