YOU LOAD 230,000 TONS AND WHAT DO YOU GET? (7/6/2011)

Imagine constructing an entire theatre that is a reproduction of a historic theatre expanded to seat more than twice the number of seats while retaining the same intimacy between performers and audience. Sounds somewhat challenging, but possible. Now imagine constructing it so that it can be pulled apart and moved anywhere in the world where there is sufficient interior space to hold the structure.   Sounds more daunting, doesn't it?  This is exactly what the Royal Shakespeare Company from Stratford, England has done.  It has put this theatre together inside the mammoth Park Avenue Armory for a six-week residency by the company.


Four of the people directly responsible for making this task a reality and one of the actors from the RSC were interviewed at the Jerome L. Greene Performance Space.  Although some of the interview dealt with the challenges of moving this 230,000 ton structure across the Atlantic and into NYC, much of the interview concerned itself with the differences between the traditional proscenium stage and the thrust stage of the RSC theatre. The actor Noma Dumezweni (she plays the part of the nurse in Romeo and Juliet) discussed the advantages of having the audience surrounding the stage so that the bond between audience and performers becomes much closer than with a proscenium stage. Differences in blocking, character interaction and audience sightlines were highlighted.  The fact that audience members can see fellow audience members rather than looking straight ahead at the stage also alters the experience.  Ms. Dumezweni was clearly in love with the thrust stage as it solved many of the problems forced on performers by the proscenium stage.


As to the benefits of having a replica as opposed to another kind of thrust stage arrangement, many members of the panel noted that the appearance of the theatre was important to the theatrical experience. Modern elements such as video screens can and are employed but performers do not use individual microphones. As the performers do not have much rehearsal time in the space, having both layout and appearance duplicate what they are accustomed to in England has made the transition much easier.


This discussion reminded me of the session on the mammoth and groundbreaking Victoria and Albert Museum exhibit of Diaghilev and His World that I heard at the New York Public Library in the fall.  It also made me want to attend a performance all the more.  This might or might not happen but if it does I know it will be a highlight of my year in NYC.