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The Complexity of Simplicity

What you see is only half the story...

By D. D BartholomewPublished 3 years ago 5 min read
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Simplicity is defined as the state of being uncomplicated, according to Merriam-Webster. And when one goes to a theater, whether in an opera house, on Broadway or even in an amateur production, it could seem like that. After all, what does the audience see? A bare stage with a few props? Maybe a sheer drop-down curtain to set the background? It would be natural for a person to assume that because the setting is simple the whole show was simple to produce.

The art of simplicity can be extremely complex, if only behind the scenes. The audience sees only what is happening on the stage but knows nothing of what went into creating the magic.

It begins at least two years in advance, sometimes much longer than that depending on how complicated your simple show will be and the size of the theater. Trying to coordinate sets, costumes, music, lighting, singing, acting, publicity and a host of other things can be quite daunting.

Once the specific show has been decided, the director and designer will meet to plan the blueprint of the show: when will it be set, where will it be set, what the design is going to be.

In order to plan the stage, they will often use a smaller representation of the space where the show is to be performed. This will give them a scale model to use in the design process and ensure that their designs will work when shifted to the full-size stage.

During the design process, the model they’ve created will be shared with the theater management and production team, explaining how they envision the production in terms of sets, lighting, costumes and other things. This is an extremely important part of the process since the designer and director will need full cooperation from the other departments involved before anything more can be done. Once the basic design is agreed upon, and this may take multiple iterations, tweaking and changing things after each meeting, the production team can move ahead and physically create the vision of the designer and director. It’s imperative that a consensus happen between everyone involved, no matter how long it takes to achieve.

After this, the costume designer is brought on board. The costume designer will most likely already have a good idea of what they want and will have done sketches of how the costumes will look. Working closely with the director and designer, they will translate their vision into practical costumes for the actors to wear.

Once again, adjustments will need to be made to accommodate the actors. This is especially true when the show calls for actors to be more physical, for example, a sword fight or dancing. Even sitting on a chair can be problematic when the costume won’t ‘give’ with the person.

In the weeks before opening night the cast and crew descend on the theatre for technical rehearsals, where the production elements such as lighting, set changes, sound etc. are fine-tuned. Like planning the design, technical rehearsals are extremely important so that nothing is left to chance, and everyone is on the same page. It’s during this time that the cast will get used to the stage, because although stages all look pretty much the same, they are not. Something as simple as an extra foot in width or depth can throw things off tremendously. This is also the time when the costumes are tried out for fit and made to work for the actors.

Meanwhile, the orchestra had been rehearsing without the singers and only join the full cast for the sitting rehearsal. It can take place in a rehearsal hall (not in the theater) and the focus is purely on the music rather than the action, sort of like a musical trial run. It’s usually the first time the singers will feel the power of the orchestra behind their voices and the orchestra gets to hear the singers’ interpretation of the music. Most importantly, it means that opening night is near!

After this, there are the practical dress rehearsals where all the individual elements are put together and the little problems that arise are noted, adjusted, and resolved. After the practical dress rehearsals, sometimes the theater will have a dress rehearsal with an audience present.

So, years after the initial concept, after all the bits and pieces have been put into place and tweaked, when the stage is set, the singers are in place and the orchestra has taken its place in the pit, the show is ready to go on.

But where is the audience? What is the point if no one knows the show is happening?

Working independently behind the scenes are the ticket sales and publicity personnel. In the case of some productions, for example at the Met Opera in NYC, the subtitles need to be created in several languages. Programs need to be printed and distributed. Posters must be created, perhaps a short teaser video had to be produced, tickets were sold. And then there are the ushers and security teams which also work to make the night memorable and issue-free.

The theater is like a well-oiled machine; if anything breaks, sticks, or goes wrong, the whole machine breaks down. Everything needs to work correctly, everyone needs to work towards a common goal for a show to be a success.

So, next time you go to a show and see a “bare-bones” set, keep in mind that even though it may look simple, there really is no such thing as a simple when it comes to live entertainment. The simplicity you see is a complex and well-crafted illusion that creates the magic of the theater.

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About the Creator

D. D Bartholomew

D.D. Bartholomew is retired from the Metropolitan Opera in NYC and a published romance author. Her books are set in the opera world, often with a mafia twist. She studies iaido (samurai sword) at a small school on Long Island.

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