Difference between revisions of "Nothing and Everything"
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The show takes place on a rural Russian estate in the 1890s. The costumes, while not absolutely period-perfect, suggest that era while conveying an out-of-time quality. Similarly, the stage is filled with props and furniture that suggest the time period and location -- in fact, the show features no spacework whatsoever, using only real, physical props and furniture. | The show takes place on a rural Russian estate in the 1890s. The costumes, while not absolutely period-perfect, suggest that era while conveying an out-of-time quality. Similarly, the stage is filled with props and furniture that suggest the time period and location -- in fact, the show features no spacework whatsoever, using only real, physical props and furniture. | ||
The show is an ensemble piece, and focuses on no particular hero. Each performance includes as much of the total cast as available -- in practical terms, this means that between nine and | The show is an ensemble piece, and focuses on no particular hero. Each performance includes as much of the total cast as available -- in practical terms, this means that between nine and eleven performers are in each show. Each performer plays one character, and the characters have a complex mesh of relationships, with families, neighbors, friends, and servants all interacting. | ||
The acting style is fairly naturalistic, with the stage improvisors often playing characters close to themselves rather than extremely heightened types, and much of the show occurring in the un-heightened circumstances of those characters' everyday lives. Extreme emotions tend to be tamped down until outbursts later in the play. The performers explore the characters, either with lengthy monologs of their own, or through descriptions of offstage characters. Characters don't particularly change from the start of the play to the end. | The acting style is fairly naturalistic, with the stage improvisors often playing characters close to themselves rather than extremely heightened types, and much of the show occurring in the un-heightened circumstances of those characters' everyday lives. Extreme emotions tend to be tamped down until outbursts later in the play. The performers explore the characters, either with lengthy monologs of their own, or through descriptions of offstage characters. Characters don't particularly change from the start of the play to the end. | ||
Revision as of 17:22, 19 November 2014
| Nothing and Everything | |
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| Theater | The Hideout Theatre |
| Directed by | Jon Bolden |
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| Run | Nov/Dec 2014 |
Nothing and Everything is the current mainstage show at The Hideout Theatre inspired by the works of Anton Chekhov.
Show Style
The show takes place on a rural Russian estate in the 1890s. The costumes, while not absolutely period-perfect, suggest that era while conveying an out-of-time quality. Similarly, the stage is filled with props and furniture that suggest the time period and location -- in fact, the show features no spacework whatsoever, using only real, physical props and furniture.
The show is an ensemble piece, and focuses on no particular hero. Each performance includes as much of the total cast as available -- in practical terms, this means that between nine and eleven performers are in each show. Each performer plays one character, and the characters have a complex mesh of relationships, with families, neighbors, friends, and servants all interacting.
The acting style is fairly naturalistic, with the stage improvisors often playing characters close to themselves rather than extremely heightened types, and much of the show occurring in the un-heightened circumstances of those characters' everyday lives. Extreme emotions tend to be tamped down until outbursts later in the play. The performers explore the characters, either with lengthy monologs of their own, or through descriptions of offstage characters. Characters don't particularly change from the start of the play to the end.
The show features long scenes that shift focus and composition over time. Characters enter, characters exit, and the scene concerns itself with one conversation, then another, perhaps expanding to a large group scene before homing in again on smaller clusters of people. Frequently one cluster within a scene will be completely unaware of another, leading to independent conversations within the same scene. The show rarely if ever "goes for the joke", aiming instead for the rhythms of natural conversation, drawing on character-based humor rather than well-constructed punch lines.
The tech aims to avoid being 'busy'. The lights feature slow isolations focussing the audience on particular characters or conversations, but tend to keep the same feel for each act (see below). Likewise, sound tends to be very sparing with sound effects -- as with Chekhov, the production aims to make every sound effect something that's significant to the story.
The show wrestles with the same themes as Chekhov's "big four" (The Seagull, Three Sisters, Uncle Vanya, The Cherry Orchard). Characters are often frustrated with the ineffectuality of their own lives or of the nation as a whole. Passionate, romantic feelings go unrequited. The characters live in a historical context where the aristocracy is fading in power and relevance, and nobody is certain what will replace it.
At the same time, the show aims more for realism than for traditional "everyone learns a lesson" storytelling. It aims for minor-key depictions of real life, caring as much about giving the audience a brief window into this world as it does about any traditional notions of plot.
Show Structure
The director introduces the show, and gets several suggestions from the audience: the number of actors in the first scene, what time of year the story begins in, and a prop (selected from four on a tray) to give to one of the initial characters. Then there is a four-act improvised play, with an intermission between acts two and three. Each act is a monoscene, and the acts occur in chronological order.
The first act serves to introduce all the characters, with everyone in the cast having at least a brief speaking role. It shows us our characters in normal, everyday mode -- everyone's more-or-less happy with each other, and there are no strenuous conflicts beyond the sort of tiffs that happen every day. This section of the show features the most exposition, establishing all the characters, all of their relationships, and any simmering resentments or frustrations they have.
The second act takes place after a short time jump (often a day or two), and further develops the world.
The third act, after intermission, takes place after a longer time jump (usually some number of months), and is where the conflicts developed in the first half come to a head and a resolution.
Finally, act four, which takes place after a short time jump, depicts the fallout from act three, and the new status quo that has settled in.
History
The show featured an unadvertised preview performance two days before its premiere.
Media
Videos
- Video by Peter Rogers of the 11/6/14 preview (incomplete).
- Video by Peter Rogers of the 11/8/14 premiere.
- Video by Peter Rogers of the 11/15/14 premiere.
Photos
- Photoset by Steve Rogers of the 11/6/14 preview.
