stulac Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 We have a show coming up which contains a series of 16 monologues after each other each separated by blackouts. This looks a bit boring and the director is worried that the audience will lose focus between them. Any ideas other than the bog-standard blackout to either hold attention or vary things a bit? May be a lighting/sound/anything fix. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gareth Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 Why are the blackouts there? Are they masking scene changes? Or just for 'separation' between pieces? How long are you anticipating them being? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonathanhill Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 The simple answer is don't use blackouts, or use them incredibly sparingly to increase the drama of a monologue. Instead, segue into a different lighting state that highlights an actor in a different part of the stage. Maybe use an appropriate sound effect or clip of music between pieces. Use different entrances and exits. The idea is to shift focus between monologues to keep the attention of the audience. Direction is not just the characterisation and emotion of the actors, but also how essentially unrelated elements are pulled together to create an entity that is greater than the sum of its parts. It is essential that the show is seen as a whole, rather than sixteen individual items. Failure to create some sort of cohesion will result in the audience losing focus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stulac Posted April 13, 2015 Author Share Posted April 13, 2015 Why are the blackouts there? Are they masking scene changes? Or just for 'separation' between pieces? How long are you anticipating them being? There are no scene changes, just for one actor to get off stage and another to come on. They would have been as short as necessary for that to happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gareth Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 So it's going to be a few seconds maximum. Shouldn't be any problems with the audience 'losing focus' or getting bored during a blackout that short - unless the preceeding piece of theatre is so dull that it's sent them off into a trance ;-). What might work best, depending on the subject matter and style of the production, is to play some appropriate sounds through the blackouts - perhaps music, or maybe just some relevant ambient sounds or backgrounds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Allen Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 For your stage monitor use a camera that switches to infrared during low light. This will save time when using blackouts. Using a visual cue as the LX operator is able to see what is going on will save the extra seconds it takes for an actor to walk off stage, be seen by the SM and then the SM tells the bio box to go. Try to get away from blackouts by using backlight as a silhouette for scene changes, so the audience can see what is going on, but do not have the full picture as there is no front light. Using a blue backlight will tell the audience it is a scene change that won't take long, so they will sit through the small time they see it takes for one actor to exit and one actor to enter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GridGirl Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 I used to work with a director who regarded blackouts as "theatrical twink" (white-out, if you are unfamiliar with what I think is a Kiwi term!) - he loathed them and never used them. Strategic lighting will be much less boring - backlight, as suggested, is a good start. You could also look at very focused lighting on the actor delivering the current monologue, then have the next one in a completely different part of the stage so that they can sneak on unseen towards the end, then just crossfade to the next area at the appropriate moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the kid Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 16 back to back is not appealing to me, so anything to break it up. I have always been told "you do it once, do it again" play music, always play music. I am sure you can find a clever bit of music to top and tail the speeches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 This looks a bit boring...worried that the audience will lose focus...May be a lighting/sound/anything fix. But any of those are GUARANTEED to cause the audience to lose focus. "Wow, that was powerful. Ooh, a nice piece of music, Oh, it's gone...." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
w/robe Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 If you fade out as one actor leaves and in as the next one arrives you will hardly go to black at all.Do the monologues relate in any way? Can your actors meet and exchange a look/handshake/gesture.Be very careful about getting the next actor on stage in the dark as has been suggested. Nothing will ruin the end of one monologue so completely as the slightest hint that someone else is waiting for their turn now. Get a better Director? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the kid Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 This looks a bit boring...worried that the audience will lose focus...May be a lighting/sound/anything fix. But any of those are GUARANTEED to cause the audience to lose focus. "Wow, that was powerful. Ooh, a nice piece of music, Oh, it's gone...." I think that depends on the piece being spoken, the lights and music or sfx, a rousing monologue with a big musical finish or appropriate sound can really work IMHO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gareth Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 It doesn't have to be music - sometimes another sort of sound is more appropriate. Perhaps some sort of environmental effect or atmosphere which is related to the preceding or forthcoming piece, or which maybe links the two together. As long as you maintain some sort of flow, and it doesn't start to feel disjointed. But I agree with a previous poster that 16 individual monologues one after the other is almost certainly going to be pretty hard work for the audience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seano Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 If the audience are nodding a bit towards the end, maybe you can wake them up with a pyro or two. Panto genii style. Do any of the monologues happen to be delivered by an evil wizard? :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 Do any of the monologues happen to be delivered by an evil wizard? :) splutter... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulears Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 Why not put each person in a different location on stage, and design the lighting to light just them, so the next person up is preset in the dark, then crossfade to the new person in sequence. Of course, if the audience are bored they'll be looking for the next one, screwing their eyes up, but if you are worried in advance the audience will be bored, then you already know some of the pieces are boring in advance, so if they are, cut them! It does sound like you are looking for a way to enhance what you have, and not just stage it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.