Friday, November 01, 2013

Conducting a community theater musical can be more difficult than professional theater

So, I’m getting ready to conduct my next project at a local community theater. This weekend we’ll have our sitzprobe, which will be the first time the full orchestra and cast come together to play through and sing the entire show. When I’ve mentioned my work in community theater I sometimes get a response that includes some small amount of disdain – as if to say that it must be easy or that it doesn’t have high standards or some other such nonsense. Well, let me say right here and now, “Conducting a community theater musical is difficult and more difficult than professional work.”

Conducting AND playing – an interesting combo

There have only been two times when I was just conducting the pit orchestra. All other times I am conducting while playing at the same time. So I’m at the keyboard playing and playing and playing … and nodding at the other musicians – sometimes rather large head nods – to indicate tempo or entrances or cut offs or to let them know the actor just jumped 10 measures or the actor has returned to a previous section of the song due to a memory lapse or some other thing that needs to be communicated. In fact, one of the musicians I’ve worked with for some time now tells me that the name of my book should be titled, “Head Nods and ESP.”

Behind … always behind – the actors never/seldom see me

In most professional theaters, where’s the orchestra pit? Yeah – somewhere in front of the stage. Or at least the conductor is in front of the actors. Well, that would be a welcomed relief in community theater. Most of the time the orchestra is located behind the actors … perhaps even behind the set. Hell! Sometimes the orchestra is in a completely different room! There are monitors (audio and video) to help, but the simple fact that the actors and orchestra are in different locations or just can’t see each other … well, let’s just say that everyone has to work extra hard to stay together. And because we rely on technology to stay connected …

When technology goes wrong

Relying on technology – audio and video monitors mostly controlled by a sound operator – presents a whole ‘nother set of challenges … particularly when the tech itself acts up. In a recent performance of a show, the lead actor’s microphone just went dead right before the start of a song. And this one song ordinarily is difficult with many sections as a vamp and starting and stopping … UGH! Of all the times for the tech to go kerflooey! And the only thing to do (short of stopping the show) was to play the song and hope for the best.