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Through the eyes of an actress: “Almost Maine”

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By Emma Turco ’15 | Staff Writer

As a student involved in theatre, nothing is more exciting and entertaining than when the overture of a musical begins and the curtain rises to expose a fresh set. Everything is all new to me as an audience member. Each line is said with new excitement, each scary moment is as nerve-racking as the next. However, it is much different for a performer.

When sitting in the audience, you never think about how many times the actor or actress has said that same line or how difficult some of the choreography is. But once you’re behind the scenes, you have a whole new outlook on the production.

During my experience in “Almost, Maine,” my scene involved a lot of “realizations.” Many of my lines were supposed to be said for the first time, as if my character was just realizing something new. From an audience standpoint, my character has just noticed the shocking tattoo on my partner. However, as an actress, I spent many months saying that same line while looking at a bare arm.

Another interesting aspect of theatre is that every time the audience sees a person on stage, they see them as a character- not as their actual selves. Each time an actress or actor goes back stage, they snap back into their normal personality. While this may seem like an obvious fact, think of the last time a character ran off stage and came back on later. Have you ever thought about what they did during those times away from the prying eyes of the audience?

Almost, Maine was a collection of many different scenes so much of my time during the production was spent off stage. Nobody in the cast remained in character during those times, much of the time off stage was spent sharing snacks or playing each other in Words with Friends.

When a character comes on stage for the first time, without speaking or singing, they are judged solely on their outfit and appearance. For example, if they’re dressed in scary clothing, they’re obviously the “bad guy.”

In former musicals and plays that I’ve been, this important job has been left to me. Who knows my character better than I do? In “Almost, Maine” I had to go through three to five different costumes before I found the right one.

As an audience member, you are always introduced to the final and polished product. While this is true, the production is still live, leaving room for errors. Most of the time in musicals or plays, somebody messes up. Especially at a high school level, a perfect production is rare. Small mess-ups that are virtually non-existent to an audience member are magnified for the performer.

For example, a few lines were dropped during one of the productions in the fall play. My partner and I quickly covered up the mistake, but we were so nervous about how it would affect my scene overall. However, after speaking with my friends in the audience, I noticed how small and influential a few hiccups are, because the audience doesn’t don’t know any differently.

After being part of productions, I am always looking for little things while seeing a professional performance. In theatre, nothing is as it appears to be.

 

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