After my middle school musical theater phase, I thought I had left my performing arts era in the past. In high school I chose the sports route, and never looked back on my time on stage…that is, until now. Entering college, I told myself I was going to try a bunch of new things. As I joined groups like rugby and Her Campus, I knew in the back of my head that eventually, I wanted to try out theater sometime before graduating. My fall rugby season ended in November, and once that started to slow down, I realized that I needed to fill my time with something until spring season started up. When my friend, who is the Production Stage Manager of this play, was looking for an Assistant Stage Manager (ASM), I decided to go for it. Even though I had a little experience with theater before, I had never before worked in theater tech and didn’t really understand what went on behind the stage and in the booth. While my friend reassured me that my absence of theater tech knowledge wouldn’t be a problem as an ASM, I was so nervous going into my first rehearsal, not knowing at all what to expect.
The production I worked on, Rapture, Blister, Burn by Gina Gionfriddo, tells the story of two college friends, Catherine and Gwen, who reconnect years after Gwen married Catherine’s ex-boyfriend. Rapture, Blister, Burn is a play about stagnancy in marriages and careers, using Catherine’s teaching in traditional feminist and gender theory to assist the problems these women are facing. This play is a thesis production for three Drama Majors, with a cast of only five in addition to a small crew. Jumping into theater tech with no experience, I was thankful for a small team. I’m used to being on a team in many different areas of my life: my jobs, my sports, my family. A theater production is just another form of a team, one I wasn’t used to, but one I found myself easily fitting in to.
I didn’t process very much that the play was actually happening until the audience started trickling in on Friday night. Instead of waiting backstage hearing practically nothing, this time I could hear a lively crowd moving about the theater. It was interesting to hear how the audience reacted to each line and scene because I had already watched the play so many times before. I don’t think I caught onto many of the jokes that the audience cracked up at during all of our read-throughs and rehearsals. The actual two nights of performances gave me a new perspective on the play, based on the audience’s reactions and my friends’ comments afterward. Seeing a play over and over again gives you a different attitude towards a performance than seeing it just once. I picked up on many details and connections that the audience wouldn’t be able to, but I also didn’t react as strongly to lines that the audience loved.
Before this semester, I didn’t think I would ever have the opportunity to revisit theater again, even though it was something I was dying to do. Although my rugby season starts up again soon, and my schedule will get pretty busy with my practices, hopefully, I’ll find time again in the future to work on another production.