In a nutshell, by a LOT of work by a LOT of very dedicated people that just have to love live theater!
It's as simple(?) as A through G!
Over two months before a play opens, the Players run audition notices in the local papers and on this web site. Auditions are usually held on Monday and Tuesday nights at our Rehearsal Hall and the tryouts undergo the infamous "cold readings" from the scheduled production. The play's Director is the person that selects the cast by pairing up and reviewing various people that try out for the parts. The cast is selected purely on its own merits and how they interact with each other at the audition. Both inexperienced and experienced people have the same chance at getting a part with the Players.
Sometimes even before the cast is picked, the set is under construction at the Hall. This involves a lot of designing, building, and painting. Costumes have to be picked out and fitted too and any additional properties needed acquired.
After the cast has been picked, the many rehearsals involved start the very next week. These always start promptly at 7 p.m. and start out at three per week, usually lasting about two hours per rehearsal.
This is where the "magic" starts ... and continues during the entire six weeks of rehearsals and (we hope!) carries on through all the finished perfomances before our audiences.
During rehearsals, as the cast gets better and better at their respective roles, the publicity people continue their work by bringing to light that a play is being born once again.
Tickets, posters, and programs have to be designed, printed out, and then delievered.
Stories are written and pictures are taken of the cast and their rehearsals. These get sent to our local papers for possible publishing.
The web site is constantly being updated as the opening night draws nearer with both photos and short bios of the cast members. This all involoves a team effort by everyone.
The weekend before the play opens, the set is broken down or "struck", then transferred to a truck, and then moved to the theater. Upon arrival at the theater, the set is unloaded, moved into the theater, and then re-assembled on stage once again for the actual performances. All this work is done by volunteers and members of the Players.
Once the set is in place on stage, the set is
"lit" by the many overhead lighting fixtures
located directly in front of and suspended above the stage. These are adjusted, marked on the lighting panel, and locked into place.
The week before any performance opens is affectionately know as "Hell Week", and is well-deserving of that title. Rehearsals are more intense, since everyone knows that opening night is near. Lines and cues have to be gotten down pat and the pressure mounts for everyone!
Publicity gets a last minute chance to "pump up" the play alittle more just before it opens.
Finally, opening night arrives, now on a Thursday at 8 p.m. Many hours before that time, last minute details have to be taken care of: a few stitches here and there in the costumes, an aspirin or maybe some Rolaids have to be administered to the always nervous cast on this special night. Constantly, everyone checks and re-checks the time left to go before the curtain opens.
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F.
A half-hour before curtain time the doors to the actual theater are opened and the crowds flow in. Everyone is talking about the show that is about to start. You see, this is LIVE theater. Even though the same play may have been done by many different theater groups, no two are ever done exactly the same way, by the same cast, or look exactly the same as the others. This is just one of the things that makes live theater unique unto itself.
