Over four months ago I participated in the first 24-Hour Theatre Project at the Orpheum Theatre. It was a blast and if you weren't there you missed a great show. However, if you want to experience some of it you can search "#24HTP" on Facebook. The project was such a success that the sponsoring production company, Magic Valley Repertory Theatre, has decided to do it again in 2017. Twice. Yep, twice! The first time will be at the end of February. The second will be in September. Plan now to see them.
There was a lot of discussion after the first project about how to improve the experience for the participants and the audience. I was privy to some of that discussion, but I won't go into that in-depth here. However, one topic that has been receiving the most attention as February approaches is who to involve in the next project. The desire from the production company was to allow as many people from the first project to do it again if they wanted. They also had a conflicting desire to see new faces on stage and give others the same opportunity.
A potential compromise was to offer everyone from the first project an opportunity to perform in either February or September but not both. That way all original members could have a second go round, but not (necessarily) at the time same time. This would also allow for fresh faces. Great idea, but not what they ended up doing. Earlier this month they offered everyone who was in the original a chance to be in the next show, February 25th. All we had to do was give a simple "I'm in" or "I'm out." So, theoretically the February project could have run with the exact same cast. It's not going to though.
At the last count (on the Facebook message) six people from the original project have committed to return. Seven people will not be returning. One person was still checking their schedule and one person hadn't responded. Those last two might have responded verbally, but I have no knowledge of that. However, at the bare minimum there will be seven new faces in February. There could be as many as nine. I'm taking the middle road and guessing there will be eight new people. Over half of the cast will be new in February. That's super exciting.
If you read my previous blog posts for this project you might expect that I would hypothesize on who the new members will be. Not a chance. Too many qualified performers to even risk it. Instead, this blog post is for the newbies (whoever they may be). (My apologies for anyone offended by the term "newbie". I know that the incoming participants will have varying levels of theatre experience and some might have participated in similar projects before. I had a difficult time debating on which term to use: Rookie, newbie, fresh meat, etc.).
Here's my advice for people who will be new to the project:
1. Take the stairs. Seriously. If you don't have stairs, find some. One of the worst parts about the project that I can remember was the stairs. We would wander from the stage to the costume room (basement), from the costume room to the third floor dance studio, from the dance studio to the rehearsal room (second floor), and back. There were a lot of stairs and I was generally huffing by the time I reached the dance studio. Get active. It will make that part of the project so much easier. I know there's not much time, but every little bit helps.
2. Plan your schedule for the week prior. My group didn't have a lot of problems with people having to take care of outside problems during the project, but it is always a possibility. Try and get your life in order so that there is nothing to distract you during the project. Another concern is coming into the project tired from other commitments. Try and minimize what you have to do on Thursday and Friday before the project begins. Get things done on Tuesday & Wednesday. Arrange it so you can catch up on sleep Thursday night. Don't run around crazy on Friday before the project begins. Try and find quiet activities to help you relax before the chaos happens. You'll be in better shape for the project.
3. Bring real food. The project will start off in the evening so you should eat a good meal before getting there. Start with a full belly, even at the risk of sleepy belly. You'll need the fuel immediately. The next day your group will likely hit the ground running and you won't stop until the project is over. For the first project I brought some brownies to share with the group. There were also mini candy-bars from another group member and some popcorn to be had. It wasn't enough. Plan your food ahead of time. Have snacks that are high in protein to ward off hanger and keep moving. Pack a lunch so you can eat and work. Maybe go sit down at a restaurant together as a group so you can eat and work. You'll want real food as you reach the home stretch.
4. Be prepared to sleep. You don't have to sleep at the theater and if you will sleep better at home plan on leaving for a portion of the night to rest. Most groups retired after the first few hours. Sleep will help you and your ideas rest so you can look at them with new eyes the next day. It will improve your final product and make you happier. Know what your sleep plan is and discuss it with your group early.
5. Communicate. Not just with your group--with everyone. If you need something, let the other groups know what you need. It's not a competition. The project succeeds or fails as a whole. It's possible that other groups will have props and costume pieces you need to improve your production value. If they don't know, they can't help you. Talk to the production crew. They might have solutions for your problems or ideas to help inspire your group. You're not in it alone.
6. Travel light. A notebook and pen. A laptop. That's all you need to start the project. If you plan on sleeping at the theatre bring your overnight stuff, but leave it somewhere safe. You'll have time to deal with it later and you don't want to lug it around all over the place with you. Anything else is irrelevant. You have no idea what costumes, props, or anything else you need. Your group will likely have a trip on the second day to scavenge for needed props and materials. That's the time to grab your make-up kit, character shoes, and other things that you might need for the show.
7. Write as long as possible. After you get your genre, quote, and prop you will need to brainstorm ideas, write, block the scene, memorize, and rehearse. Spend as long as possible writing. Get your idea quickly. Make decisions. Then write as long as you can. Eventually, you will need to move on to blocking and memorizing, but don't stop writing. Even when you move on to rehearsing, don't stop writing. There will likely be this fear that you won't have enough time to bring it together if you keep making changes. However, the last minute changes will generally be small but important to making it a richer play.
8. Have fun! Laugh with your group. Make jokes. Enjoy the experience of being on stage. Do whatever you need to do, but make the experience fun for you and your group.
I don't know if this will be helpful to you or not. If it doesn't work for you, just ignore it. I don't even know who you are yet, but I'm looking forward to working with you. Welcome to the team!
