JUL
12

Unique Outdoor Performance Challenges

By Edith Weiss 

Theatre has been performed outdoors for centuries.  In these modern times, there are some things to take into account when you plan to move your show into the wild!  Playwright Edith Weiss has some valuable hints for those venturing into the great outdoors. 

Doing theatre outdoors is a fine old tradition.  Like the U.S. Postal Service, we thespians brave the wind, rain and hail to perform outside, for the world is our stage.  However, performing theatre outdoors can be fraught with hazards.  On top of all your normal production concerns, you have a whole new set of issues to think about.

Let me start with a perfect example...  a true story, I’m afraid!  Once, playing on a temporary stage in the city square of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, just after an actress got a pie in the face as called for in the script, she turned green and ran, mid-sentence, off the stage.  We had used whipped cream in the pies, and they had gone bad due to sitting out in the hot sun for too long.  After a minute or so of less than stellar improvisation — “So where do you think the princess went?”  “I don’t know.  Where do you think she went?”  — the wan actress reappeared, having lost her lunch backstage.  And it wasn’t over yet!  Some of the spoiled whipped cream had gotten onto the bodice of her costume, so whenever she’d catch a whiff of it, she’d gag and all eyes onstage would get wide, horrified that she’d have to run off again.  Moral of the story — use shaving cream.

Besides substituting shaving cream for whipped cream, here are some other tips, many from harrowing personal experience, to help you with your outdoor performance.

Assuming it’s summertime, bring lots and lots of water and try to avoid wigs or other head coverings that will retain an actor’s body heat.  For instance, if you have actors playing animals with hooded costumes, try instead making headbands that match the color of the actors’ hair and attach the animal ears to it.  No matter what, chances are it will be either hot or rainy (or both!), so have dry towels just offstage for the actors’ use.

If you’re performing in an amphitheatre, check the stage before the show for pigeon feathers, pigeon droppings, and yes, even the occasional dead pigeon.  These are not surprises the actor likes to discover during the play...  you can trust me on this one.  Just bring a broom and be prepared for anything!

If the amphitheatre is in a public park, it’s not unheard of for an inebriated person to disrupt the show by insisting the actors “keep it down.”  If there is no security to take care of the problem, it’s usually a bad idea for an actor to engage them in a conversation — they’ll just go on and on.  Instead, just try to ignore them.

If you’re on a temporary stage, make sure it’s sturdy before letting the actors get on it.  Sometimes the pieces separate or are not put together right, creating crevices large enough for a foot to fall through.  If you bring your own set or backdrop, also bring sandbags to contend with the wind.

Speaking of the wind, remind your actors that the wind can carry their voices far away from the audience.  You might also have traffic noise to overcome if you’re in a city area, and there seems to always be a plane flying overhead at the most inopportune dramatic moment.  I once had to stage a play IN FRONT of the temporary stage, literally six inches from the audience, as it was the only way to be heard.  You can also move whatever action you can off the stage, closer to the audience for maximum audibility.

No matter what kind of stage you’re using outdoors, always make sure you have a run through.  If there’s not a lot of time, just run the exits and entrances so the actors can familiarize themselves with the new dimensions of the playing area.

While there are more potential problems, performing live theatre outdoors can be a great experience that builds community and exposes a whole different audience to theatre.  And if something unexpected (or disastrous!)  happens, just remember and be reassured knowing you’ll have great stories to tell for the rest of your life!