THEATER PEOPLE: Once upon a time, there was a very talented student. She moved to my elementary school from another place, mid-way through her childhood. When it came time to audition for a part in Wizard of Oz, she appeared. Now, since there were so many talents that year, the decision was made (however fatefully) to double cast the lead of Dorothy, the Cowardly Lion, and the two witches. (This would set a precedent for subsequent double casting, across the entire list of principals, to my utter exhaustion.) I hesitated and pondered for several days about the role of Dorothy. On the one hand, one student was 100% reliable, would learn every line, and sang like a precious bird. On the other hand, here was this new child, so deep and thoughtful, clearly a strong acting talent. I knew very little about her as a student, but I cast her, anyway. Rehearsals began. The new girl missed the second Dorothy rehearsal. Word then came that somebody had made her entire costume and, when I saw it, the quality rivaled that of my own mother, who had been a life-long professional seamstress. But, the new girl missed another key rehearsal. The third time she did not show, a student who said shed been seen in the building provoked a search on foot. To my astonishment, she was discovered sitting against the wall of the gym, attending the after school Y program. I hit the roof. When I removed her from the role, all hell broke loose. Complaining phone calls (to the office, of course). In fact, on opening night, she, her mother, and assumably members of her family arrived and filed into the first row of seating, directly behind me in the pit at the piano. The glares on their faces told the whole story; halfway through the production, the entire sound system died. Dorothy and her sidekicks were filing down the aisles to get to the Emerald City, and none of them could hear each other let alone be heard by myself or the audience. The disappointment was staggering; what began beautifully withered before our eyes. The next night, wed solved our sound system problem and the show was a hit. But, the ESD personnel manager had attended opening night and God knows how many others of importance, and my fate was sealed. Directors, actors, producers, stage crew.......What would you have done? The outcome of that episode haunts me to this day.
Posted on: Sat, 17 May 2014 18:33:04 +0000
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