激情快播

Spring 2014

鈥淭he Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby鈥� is a play that strikes fear into the hearts of performers. At 6 陆 hours in length with 150 characters and more than 10,000 lines of dialogue, the dramatic adaptation of Charles Dickens鈥� 19th-century novel is a theatrical challenge like no other. The story of a penniless youth who struggles to save his family from greed, lechery and corruption in Victorian England is so daunting a production that it has been performed professionally just seven times in the U.S. since its 1980 London premiere. Despite being the vehicle for many Laurence Olivier and Tony awards over the years, there are few theater companies willing to attempt it. But and Orlando Shakespeare Theater saw opportunities in 鈥淣ickleby,鈥� both to create a unique educational experience for students and faculty, and to stage a rare theatrical event to put their partnership on the national stage.聽

Photo courtesy Orlando Shakespeare Theater

How long does it take 10 actors to build a stagecoach out of dining room furniture and oddly shaped suitcases? Just 58 seconds 鈥� if all goes according to plan.

Onstage at the Orlando Shakespeare Theater (OST), five performers are sharing breakfast when one stands and calls for action with a bellow: 鈥淐ome on boys, let鈥檚 bustle!鈥�

In an instant, the group breaks rank and rushes the stools, benches and a table to the back of the set. Simultaneously, performers emerge from backstage lugging chairs, hatboxes, a steamer trunk and a door that they wrestle into a growing three-dimensional puzzle. The parts have been modified to fit together securely, because in a few seconds the actors will ride the ramshackle contraption offstage on a rotating platform.

As the pieces are worked into place, eight of the actors climb cautiously on board. The play鈥檚 scenic designer, three assistant stage managers and two directors 鈥� hands on their hips 鈥� move closer to inspect the construction. This is the first attempt to move it with people on board. It is the latest test in a yearlong series of challenges that Theatre 激情快播 and OST have tackled in preparing this ambitious project. The scene onstage mirrors the production itself, corralling countless details into a precise, collaborative execution. And it鈥檚 crucial that they get it right, because there are precious few rehearsals remaining before opening night. So far the team of actors, directors, costumers, set builders and other crew have overcome each challenge 鈥� from orchestrating a complex plan of attack to learning foreign dialects, creating hundreds of costumes, building an elaborate stage and surviving a grueling rehearsal schedule 鈥� but a great deal of work remains.

鈥淚s anyone else really nervous?鈥� one of the actors asks.聽鈥淜eep your hands and feet inside the coach at all times,鈥� another quips, trying to diffuse the tension.

鈥淟adies and gentlemen, stand by for the revolve,鈥� announces the stage manager over the public address system. 鈥淲e鈥檙e doing this without music, so if anyone needs to yell 鈥楬old!鈥� we can hear them and hit the emergency stop.鈥�

Tense seconds pass before the coach begins to move 鈥� without toppling.

鈥淗ooray!鈥� someone shouts as applause rises.

OST Artistic Director Jim Helsinger smiles. This whole thing 鈥� the 6 陆-hour performance and the unprecedented financial investment 鈥� was his idea.

鈥淵ou look like a kid in a candy store,鈥� jokes OST Stage Manager Stacy Renee Norwood.

鈥淚t鈥檚 because a tremendous amount of planning went into this scene for more than a year, and now it鈥檚 paying off,鈥� he explains. 鈥淣ow we have to figure out how to take it apart.鈥�

Planning a Monumental Partnership

“Nickleby” co-directors, Christopher Niess (left) and Jim Helsinger (right)

The inspiration for the Theatre 激情快播/OST production of 鈥淣ickleby鈥� was in Helsinger鈥檚 mind since he first enjoyed the play on Broadway in 1981. 鈥淚t was much more than an evening at the theater 鈥� it was an event,鈥� he remembers. And one that left an impression. 鈥淚t was the longest standing ovation I鈥檝e ever given to a show.鈥�

But it took more than three decades for the director and 激情快播 visiting assistant professor to find the right opportunity to present it. And the partnership between OST and Theatre 激情快播 鈥� a collaboration that is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year 鈥� made it possible.

鈥淭he relationship with 激情快播 was invaluable,鈥� says Helsinger. 鈥� 鈥楴ickleby鈥� required a massive cast and crew put together with professionals, faculty, graduate and undergraduate students, and interns. We couldn鈥檛 have done it without them.鈥�

鈥淭his mammoth production was a real marker both for a professional theater company and for an academic unit,鈥� says Theatre 激情快播 Chair Christopher Niess, who co-directed the play with Helsinger. 鈥淥f course it will be judged by the final product, but it puts you at a certain level [of notoriety], and what鈥檚 important for both of our companies is the fact that we鈥檝e done it through a partnership.鈥�

Including the 27 actors needed to play 150 parts, the company of designers, artists, craftspeople and crew members numbered more than 100 鈥� plus two directors to finesse every detail and bring them all together. 鈥淒irecting is like being an air traffic controller,鈥� Niess explains. 鈥淵ou have all of these talented people doing great work, and it鈥檚 how you coordinate them all to tell a story.鈥�

Planning for the show, which ran from Jan. 22 through March 9 at OST鈥檚 Margeson Theater, began two years before production. To tackle the 332-page script that weaves two storylines through a hundred scenes, Helsinger and Niess each took one plot and worked closely to achieve cohesion during weekly meetings.

鈥淚t鈥檚 the most complex thing I鈥檝e undertaken,鈥� says Helsinger, who created a giant spreadsheet to coordinate all of the actors, characters and props through each scene.

鈥淚n those early conversations, we had a meeting of minds,鈥� says Niess. 鈥淲e always had our focus on telling the story.鈥�

On the line for both groups were reputations and an unprecedented financial investment. To fund this venture, OST raised an additional $100,000.

鈥淭he first thing I asked when I saw the announcement was, 鈥楬ow?鈥� 鈥� says Orlando Sentinel theater critic Matt Palm. 鈥淚 was excited because very few theatergoers in this country will ever have the chance to see this production.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 a gamble to do something this big in Central Florida,鈥� Helsinger says. 鈥淐an we get the community to come to a show that is not well-known 鈥� that is not 鈥榃est Side Story鈥� or 鈥楲es Mis茅rables鈥� or 鈥楥ats鈥�?鈥�

According to Niess, 鈥淵ou have to be a little crazy when you are pushing the bar to capture people鈥檚 imagination.鈥�

Discovering the Characters

For an actor, creating a believable character is a process of layering details until the role comes to life. Speech, mannerisms and movements are only a few of the myriad particulars they must assimilate. With 150 characters in 鈥淣ickleby,鈥� each cast member was tasked with three, five or even eight roles, each with their own personalities, costumes and accents, including proper British, cockney, Yorkshire and Welsh.

鈥淲e all think we can do [a British accent] because we鈥檝e watched Monty Python or Ricky Gervais, but it is hard to make it seem natural,鈥� says Associate Professor Katherine Ingram, the dialect coach for 鈥淣ickleby.鈥� She continues, 鈥淭hen the actors run off stage and while they are changing costumes, they have to change their dialect.鈥�

For a month before rehearsals began, Ingram helped the actors develop and fine-tune their accents. From past experience and shared advice, each actor found methods to overcome the difficulties of speaking 鈥� and thinking 鈥� in an uncommon tongue.

M.F.A. graduate student Anna Carol, who plays five roles in three dialects, was careful to memorize the dialogue of each character with the correct accent. 鈥淗ow the sounds come out in each voice is as much about muscle memory as it is literal memory,鈥� she says. 鈥淭he dialect is such a huge part of the character that it wouldn鈥檛 feel right to play each without their accent.鈥�

鈥淭he challenge of this piece is really in memorizing the different physicalities and vocal tones of each character,鈥� says Tara Snyder, 鈥�07, an assistant professor who plays five roles. 鈥淪uccess comes from repetition and practice.鈥�

Telling a Story Without Words

As a period piece set in Victorian England, costumes were essential in creating the 鈥淣ickleby鈥� world. And with the actors rotating through multiple roles 鈥� often in the same scene 鈥� each character needed a strong visual identity. The solution was a design scheme that layered identifying accessories onto basic garments.

鈥淓ach look had something that put its stamp on the character 鈥� like a feather boa, a blue cravat or a tattered schoolboy uniform,鈥� says Carol. 鈥淭he [costume] changes provided clear meaning to the character being portrayed.鈥�

To create more than 250 dresses, smocks, corsets, coats and other accessories was an undertaking too great for a single costume shop to accomplish. 鈥淭he partnership [between OST and Theatre 激情快播] enabled us to do something that very few companies have attempted because it is such a massive job,鈥� says Dan Jones, manager of the Theatre 激情快播 costume shop.

Working from an oversized binder containing hundreds of hand-colored drawings by costume designer Jack Smith, Jones, shop supervisor Kyla Kazuschyk, 鈥�03, and their student crew began building pieces in the summer of 2013.

鈥淎t the base level, theater is about telling a story,鈥� Jones says, 鈥渁nd costumes help tell the story without words.鈥�

Building the Perfect Playground

The story of 鈥淣ickleby鈥� covers a great deal of ground 鈥� both figuratively and literally. There are 40 location changes and many happen in a matter of seconds. A special set had to be created to accommodate these transitions, plus the troupe of 27 actors who at times simultaneously occupy the stage.

鈥淭he solution was a large, flexible set with many entrances, exits and acting levels,鈥� says scenic designer Bert Scott, an associate professor at Theatre 激情快播. But the execution of Scott鈥檚 vision required more space and labor than OST could supply, so a portion of the construction duties were delegated to Theatre 激情快播. Scott contends, 鈥淚t was an exciting project for the department and a great opportunity for our students to work on a professional-level production.鈥�

From brainstorming sessions with Niess and Helsinger, Scott created a design that extended into the audience and incorporated a large portion of the space typically considered backstage. The set, which was the largest ever installed in the OST鈥檚 324-seat Margeson Theater, incorporated three levels with flanking staircases that led to an elevated bridge, plus a computer-controlled, rotating turntable built into the floor. Constructed at 激情快播, 鈥渢he doughnut鈥� enabled furniture and actors to be moved offstage quickly and efficiently.

鈥淭he turntable was fantastic because it allowed the actors to shift time and place rapidly,鈥� says Niess. 鈥淚t worked like a dream.鈥�

And just as accents and costumes assisted the actors鈥� characterizations, so did the elaborate set. Quentin Earl Darrington, an M.F.A. graduate student, found inspiration in the options it presented.聽鈥淭here were so many different levels to play on that it gave us even more freedom to develop the story,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t was the perfect playground that added another dimension to the production.鈥�

Creating Everything Out of Nothing

After two years of planning and preparation, 鈥淣ickleby鈥� rehearsals began in mid-December, when the cast and crew gathered six days a week to work out the details. The number of scenes and interweaving plotlines required separate sessions to run concurrently by the directors in different spaces.

鈥淚t鈥檚 like hiring two chefs to run one restaurant,鈥� says Niess. 鈥淚t became complex as scenes evolved separately, so we were constantly refining our navigation.鈥�

In small rooms colored tape on the floor outlined set levels and elements, requiring the actors to imagine their way around obstacles. During the first sessions, the directors worked out the complex choreography needed to guide the performers through fast-moving scenes without collision.

鈥淭he play can never die,鈥� Helsinger explains. 鈥淚t has to keep going all the time, so we have to work out the traffic beforehand.鈥�

The long days often ran from 1 p.m. to past 11 p.m., and many of the 激情快播 actors were teaching and attending classes in the mornings. In addition to memorizing their lines, maintaining their health and stamina became a necessity.

鈥淚t was a huge undertaking that took a toll on my body,鈥� Darrington says, 鈥渂ut it鈥檚 also a high point on my r茅sum茅 and a huge advancement for my career.鈥�

Two weeks before opening night, rehearsals moved onto the recently completed set, and quick costume change tactics became a main focus. Many of the actors had less than a minute to transform characters, and if the process wasn鈥檛 seamless, the performance would stall.

For Carol, the keys to success were organization, calm and costume assistants with quick hands. 鈥淭he makeup and wig changes were more stressful than clothes [changes],鈥� she says, 鈥渂ut when there鈥檚 a system, it鈥檚 true theater magic.鈥�

As opening night approached, the pressure mounted. 鈥淭he things I was most excited for were the things I was most nervous about,鈥� says Olivia Grace Murphy, the only 激情快播 undergraduate in the cast. 鈥淭he play is an epic, so if it鈥檚 not an amazing production you鈥檙e going to feel all 6 陆 hours.鈥�

Niess was confident, however, as his expectations had been exceeded. 鈥淭here were several points where I got emotional over what was happening because it really is magical when everything comes together,鈥� he says. 鈥淵ou watch people have a moment and it鈥檚 like, 鈥極h my goodness. That came out of nothing.鈥� 鈥�

In the final days leading up to opening night, dress rehearsals combine all the elements, from costuming to lighting, music, props and choreography.聽

Reaching the Finish Line 鈥� Opening Night

On a Friday evening in January, all 27 actors 鈥� fully coifed, costumed and in character 鈥� roam the audience inside the Margeson Theater, welcoming patrons before the show. It might seem like this is the finish line, but for most everyone involved in the landmark endeavor, this performance is only the beginning.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot more work to be done, tweaks to be made and moments to refine,鈥� says Darrington. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 believe the process will be done until the last show.鈥�

鈥淎 play develops as it goes through the run,鈥� Niess says. 鈥淎s we work with it, nuances shift and change the flavor of the production.鈥�

Suddenly, the lights dim above the audience and grow brighter on the stage. Music signals the actors to gather on set. Latecomers fill the remaining seats as the packed house quiets.

Hours later, the cast crowds the stage to take their closing bow. Gathered tightly together, some performers wear triumphant smiles while others simply look relieved. In the darkness, the audience rises from their seats 鈥� one by one 鈥� and applause erupts.