Avenue Q........ what up with that?
Posted by Shawn Hann on Friday, January 11, 2013
Under: Outreach Officer
Ok so here is the thing. Avenue Q is such a weird show. Amazing, but so incredibly weird. It is a show with actors onstage carrying around puppets. Huh? The first time I saw the show I spent countless minutes before questioning and hypothesizing how I was going to watch and enjoy the show. Will I watch the puppetts? the puppeteers? who is really the character? who will be acting? But somehow this wonderful show manages to do it flawlessly. The audience is able to bounce their eyes between all the members of the ensemble without getting distrcted or overwhelmed, or at least I was. This is something that I have had the pleasure of wittnessing in this last week particularly. As one of the Assistant Directors I spend most of my time wtching the show, and until recently, though still hillarious, the puppets were somewhat dead. Well this is no longer the case.
This process begn with a lot of intro. We learned the songs, the basic of puppeteering, and when having to block every arm and head movement made blocking takes forever! So, much of our rehearsal time was spent on those invaluable parts. Without the support how can you build the building? Answer: You can't. Well our building has now skyrocketed and we are a tall and sturdy skyscraper.
This show is so incredibly difficult for the actors involved. Think about how hard a normal show is, walking, talking, and trying to be in charcter seamlessly. Now imagine that with a weird growth on your hand or maybe even a person wrapped around your waist. Yeah, that makes it difficult. Each actor had to score when they opened and closed the mouth of their puppet, get their blocking, harmonize and still be a good actor. Lets just say tht I am convinced that it is impossible. But of course both the red and the green cast have proven time and time again that they are up to the challenge and will conquer it. One last little tid bit. The double casting has also presented new challenges. If you have ever been in this situation you know that competition is normal and natural. Luckily both casts are so supportive of one another and are truly acting like an ensemble.
I hope this gives you a little look in to what the process is like. If you have any questions message or tell me about them and I will nswer them in my next blog!
This process begn with a lot of intro. We learned the songs, the basic of puppeteering, and when having to block every arm and head movement made blocking takes forever! So, much of our rehearsal time was spent on those invaluable parts. Without the support how can you build the building? Answer: You can't. Well our building has now skyrocketed and we are a tall and sturdy skyscraper.
This show is so incredibly difficult for the actors involved. Think about how hard a normal show is, walking, talking, and trying to be in charcter seamlessly. Now imagine that with a weird growth on your hand or maybe even a person wrapped around your waist. Yeah, that makes it difficult. Each actor had to score when they opened and closed the mouth of their puppet, get their blocking, harmonize and still be a good actor. Lets just say tht I am convinced that it is impossible. But of course both the red and the green cast have proven time and time again that they are up to the challenge and will conquer it. One last little tid bit. The double casting has also presented new challenges. If you have ever been in this situation you know that competition is normal and natural. Luckily both casts are so supportive of one another and are truly acting like an ensemble.
I hope this gives you a little look in to what the process is like. If you have any questions message or tell me about them and I will nswer them in my next blog!
In : Outreach Officer