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TAKING STEPS BY ALAN AYCKBOURN:
A DIRECTORIAL CHALLENGE
BY
Elaine DiFalco Daugherty
B.A. University of Maine, 1997
A THESIS
Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree of
Master of Arts
(in Theatre)
The Graduate School
The University of Maine
December, 2005
Advisory Committee:
Marcia Joy Douglas, Associate Professor of Theatre, Advisor
Sandra Hardy, Associate Professor of Theatre
Tom Mikotowicz, Professor of Theatre
Jane Snider, Associate Professor of Theatre
TAKING STEPS BY ALAN AYCKBOURN:
A DIRECTORIAL CHALLENGE
By Elaine DiFalco Daugherty
Thesis Advisor: Marcia Joy Douglas
An Abstract of the Thesis Presented
in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the
Degree of Master of Arts
(in Theatre)
December, 2005
In Taking Steps, Alan Ayckbourn creates a cast of characters trapped within the same
house, and trapped within their own lives. He delivers a social commentary on the
external demands society places on those taking the time to find a life they truly want
rather than settling for a life that is readily available. This theme is as pertinent today
as when it was written almost thirty years ago. In directing this play, I focused on
developing Ayckbourn's theme while creating a truly entertaining piece for
performers and audience alike. This thesis will begin with choice, goals and analysis,
and follow the rehearsal process through performance and post-performance
evaluation.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The completion of this project would not have been possible without the
guidance and support of the following people: Dr. Sandra Hardy, Dr. Tom
Mikotowicz, Jane Snider, Dr. J. Norman Wilkinson, Janet Warner-Ashley, and,
particularly, Marcia Joy Douglas, who actually lit the fire under me to "finish it
already." The entire cast and the dedicated crew members were a pleasure to work
with and made an intense rehearsal process truly enjoyable. Finally, as always, I
must acknowledge that the pursuit of my passion is sponsored entirely by my husband
Dan's undying patience and encouragement, and by the love of the DiFalco family. I
love you all sai-sai.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................... ii
Chapter
1. PREPRODUCTION .......................................................................... 1
Choice ..........................................................................................
1
The Playwright .............................................................................
2
Script and Character Analysis ............................................................
3
Design .....................................................................................10
2. AUDITIONS ..................................................................................13
Conducting Auditions ....................................................................13
Results of Casting ........................................................................15
3 . REHEARSAL .............................................................................-17
4 . PERFORMANCE ...........................................................................
33
5 . EVALUATION .............................................................................
36
BIBLIOGRAPHY ..............................................................................41
APPENDICES ..................................................................................42
Appendix 1. Bedrooms ................................................................ 42
Appendix 2 . Cast Photo ..............................................................
42
Appendix 3 . Mark & Tristram Fold Up Roland, Kitty in Closet ................43
Appendix 4 . Mark Puts Roland & Elizabeth to Sleep ...........................43
Appendix 5 . View From Stage Left ................................................
44
Appendix 6 . View From Stage Right ...............................................44
iii
Appendix 7. Matching Pajamas .....................................................45
Appendix 8. Lizzie on Upstairs Landing. Roland in First Floor Hallway .....46
Appendix 9 . Taking Steps Program ................................................47
Appendix 10. Taking Steps Rehearsal Schedule ..................................53
BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR ...........................................................54
Chapter 1
PREPRODUCTION
Choice
Alan Ayckbourn's scripts offer a great deal of content beneath what, at first
glance, may appear to be nothing more than a couple of hours of laughs. He has
written some of the most hilarious and socially scathing plays in contemporary
theatre. He has targeted everything from amnesia (Woman in Mind) to infidelity
(Relatively Speaking), and has even written plays with multiple endings (Sisterly
Feelings and Intimate Exchanges). Taking Steps was singled out for this project for
several reasons. The proposed staging of three floors of a house on a one level stage
was enthralling. Grasping this concept was a challenge for actor, director, designer,
and audience member alike. Also, the characters and their needs and desires were
immediately identifiable. The search for the life one truly wants to lead, and the
pressures others may impose on one to find that life were readily accessible concepts;
particularly to an audience primarily comprised of university students.
I had several personal goals that I hoped to achieve through the process of
directing this piece. Although I had previously mounted a full-length play, never
before had it been in a venue as large as Hauck Auditorium, and never before had it
been farce. My primary goals for the process were to learn about and acquire skills
pertaining to the choreography of farce, and to develop a better understanding of how
to use a large space to its potential. Through the audition and casting process, I hoped
to hone my instincts for recognizing actors' innate abilities and determining what was
and was not possible to teach in the course of a rehearsal period. Within those major
goals, I also hoped to encourage a rehearsal process that was rewarding and
productive for both cast and crew, and to create a finished product that was enjoyable
for the audience.
The Playwright
Sir Alan Ayckbourn was born in Hampstead England on April 12, 1939, the
son of a writer and a musician. Primarily raised by his mother, who married several
times, he began writing in his early school days, and has been working in theatre ever
since. At the age of eighteen, he was accepted as a company member of the Stephen
Joseph Theatre in Scarborough. Disappointed in the roles he was given, he wrote his
first play, The Square Cat, to provide a part for himself. The bulk of his work has
been written for this theatre-in-the-round space where he has presided as Artistic
Director since 1971. He received his knighthood in 1997.
Despite finding his true calling as a playwright, he has worked as an actor, a
lighting and sound technician, a carpenter, and stage manager. His varied technical
background has clearly contributed to his innovative staging and constant nudging at
the conventional boundaries of the stage. Ln his book, Alan Avckbourn, Michael
Billington wrote of the playwright, "He is fascinated by what theatre can do. He is
even more fascinated by showing that there is virtually nothing it cannot do." In The
Norman Conquests, he creates three intertwined yet self-contained plays set in three
rooms of one house over the course of one weekend. In Communicating Doors, he
delivers time-traveling adventures revealing events taking place in one hotel room on
two nights twenty years apart. In one of his most recent successes, House and
Garden, he constructs two plays performed simultaneously in two separate
auditoriums with characters leaving one set for the other where aspects of the plot are
seen from different perspectives. His plays have been translated into over thirty-five
languages, and he is England's most prolific playwright with over fifty-six full-length
plays as well as numerous one-acts, revues, and adaptations.
Script and Character Analysis
Taking Steps is a commentary on the quest for personal freedom and finding a
path in life which allows one to be true to oneself. Throughout the play, characters
struggle to figure out how to live the life they desire while wrestling with the
demands that others have thrust upon them. These themes are as relevant today as
when they were written twenty-five years ago. People generally work to avoid
confrontation and try above all else to not hurt the feelings of others. In doing so,
they complicate matters and find themselves in the middle of avoidable
communication problems. The truth alone frequently seems too harsh to reveal, but
in sugarcoating it, people allow themselves to sink deeper into trouble and further
away from the life they seek. These issues construct the serious content beneath
Ayckboum's brilliant farcical exterior.
Taking Steps opens in the master bedroom of The Pines, a large allegedly
haunted mansion in the English countryside. It begins with Elizabeth, a discontent
former dancer, writing a "Dear John" letter to her husband, Roland, a wealthy bucket
manufacturer, while her brother, Mark, tries to discourage her from leaving. Mark
reveals that he doesn't want to help Elizabeth leave because he is on his way to pick
up his ex-fiance, Kitty, who has been shipped back home after being arrested on
charges of solicitation. The doorbell rings as Elizabeth packs, and Tristram, a junior
partner of Roland's solicitor arrives with contracts for the purchase of the home.
Mark goes to fetch Kitty, leaving Tristram in the lounge and Elizabeth in the
bedroom. Roland arrives, discovers Tristram, and begins drinking and going over
details regarding the sale. Leslie, the owner of the house, who needs to sell it in order
for his business to survive, arrives, and the three men begin a traveling inspection of
the mansion. Mark retums with Kitty, and puts her in the attic bedroom to rest. He
finds Elizabeth, and takes her away to the train station. During the tour, Tristram
finds Elizabeth's note, and once it is read, Roland has a breakdown. He asks Tristram
to spend the night in the house with him, and offers him the master bedroom. When
Roland goes upstairs to sleep in the attic, Kitty hides from him in the cupboard, and is
stuck there for the rest of the night. Elizabeth retums home, having had an apparent
change of heart, and slips into bed with Tristram, thinking that he is Roland.
The next morning, Mark discovers Tristram in bed with Elizabeth, and the two
men go to the attic in search of Kitty and Roland. They find Roland asleep with an
empty bottle of sleeping pills and a goodbye note that Kitty has written to Mark.
They mistakenly believe that Roland has written the note and attempted suicide.
They take him downstairs to the lounge and sing in order to keep him awake,
awakening Elizabeth in the process. She joins the men in the lounge, and the
previous night's adventures are revealed. Tristram is sent upstairs to change and ends
up in the attic where he releases Kitty from the cupboard. There is a sense of
understanding between them, and they fall asleep on the cot together. Meanwhile,
Mark puts Elizabeth and Roland to sleep with his talking and goes to get dressed.
Leslie arrives, lets himself in, and is mistaken for an intruder. He struggles with
Elizabeth and Roland until Mark returns downstairs to reveal Leslie's true identity.
Discussion of purchasing the house begins again, and Mark is sent to find Tristrarn.
He discovers Tristram and Kitty in bed, and Kitty decides that Tristram is the perfect
excuse for leaving Mark. Mark puts himself to sleep with his own talking, and Kitty
makes her escape. Tristram catches her exiting, and follows. Elizabeth once again
decides that she is leaving, and the play ends as she stands at the front door trying to
decide if she will actually go.
Despite their superficial differences, all six characters share a common goal,
some form of escape from the demands that others have placed upon them. Elizabeth
is the most blatant and forthright about her need to be released from her current life.
She feels that she is a gifted dancer who's made a mistake and been locked into a
conventional life of home and marriage. She sees what many of us view as security
and comfort as a trap and a ploy to keep her from her true calling - what she calls
"finding freedom". At first introduction, Ayckbourn shows the character's
determination immediately followed by her lack of follow through. Her stated
objective is to leave, but she is unwilling to take the step required to do so. She must
confront Roland face to face with how she truly feels about their relationship. The
true obstacle marring Elizabeth's escape is her own underlying self doubt. At the
threshold of the door, she faces the fact that she may sacrifice all she has with Roland
for a talent which no one else may recognize. What if she goes and ends up trapped
somewhere else without Roland's love and money? She is a middle class girl who
has married above herself. This is not an advantage she is willing to leave behind.
Mark, unlike Elizabeth, is not immediately aware of his confinement. He is
trapped in the fantasy of a life that will never be. He envisions a simple life for
himself with Kitty and a fishing shop. He retrieves her, despite having been left at the
altar, to convince her that she belongs with him. Through the course of the play, he
discusses plans which include Kitty with no regard for her desires. He is not looking
to move up the social or economical ladder really, he just wants to be able to stand
comfortably and securely where he is. It is not until the last moment, when he
actually puts himself to sleep with his own talking, that he begins to realize that the
dreams are, and always have been, his and his alone.
Leslie is the only character with the ability to physically come and go as he
pleases. However, he needs to work himself out of a sticky situation with The Pines
and sell the mansion in order to keep his business afloat. His escape is from the sale.
His objective is to ride in, quickly and cleanly complete the sale, and ride out.
Unfortunately for him, his obstacle comes in the form of Roland, a man who'd much
rather spend two days discussing the sale than two minutes signing the documents.
He is a lower middle class man with a sneaky streak in his business practices. He will
do and say whatever the buyer needs to hear in order to complete the sale.
Roland's need for escape isn't nearly as obvious as everyone else's. He
appears to have everything he needs, and the resources to acquire anything else he
wants. However, his wife wants to leave him, his brother-in-law wants a loan, his
solicitor (or rather, his solicitor's stand-in) is incompetent, and the house he's about
to purchase is haunted and falling apart. He is unable to be alone - he asks Tristram,
whom he has just met, to spend the night when he thinks that Lizzie has left - and has
a drinking problem which is evidenced in his washing down sleeping pills with liquor
instead of water and having his first drink as soon as he's alert in Act 11. His life
could stand an overhaul just as much as anyone else's. When he discovers Elizabeth
has left him, he quickly covers his tears with a list of all of the things he's never liked
about her. Upon her return, he resumes business as usual, and as the play ends, is
once again discussing the purchase of the house. He knows the truth about
Elizabeth's wavering affection for him, but chooses to travel the easier road to status
quo rather than make any drastic changes in his life. Although Roland's decision
allows him to remain in the same place physically, there is a definite change in his
mentality and in his relationship with Elizabeth.
Kitty has been sidetracked from the life she chose, and is back with Mark,
whom she left in order to find the life she wanted in the first place. She wants to live
life on her own terms and take the time to find out who and what she really wants to
be. Ayckboum never mentions whether or not she wants to return home, only that
she was sent there after being arrested. It is possible that she was perfectly happy
dancing or soliciting or doing whatever else she was doing in Haverstock Hill. She is
not remotely interested in social class, only in finding out where she fits in the world.
She knows that the life she wants is not with Mark, and although she mustered up the
courage to leave him once before, she must now break his heart face to face and
assure him that it was not simply cold feet which sent her running into the arms of the
Cypriot waiter from the Boar's Head. She does not want to hurt Mark, but she must
be true to herself. Her encounter with Tristram is a turning point and their brief
discussion gives her the strength she needs to reach her objective. The encounter is
also the turning point in Tristram's journey.
Tristram lives life so stifled by the path he is on that he is unable to speak
without stumbling backward and forward over everything he says. He is a junior
solicitor in the early stages of his career, but unless something serious occurs, he shall
never progress past the early stages. It is clear from the first introduction of Tristram
to Roland that there is doubt regarding Tristram's professional competence. He tries
with all his might to be the best junior solicitor he can be, because he doesn't realize
that he can be something else until his chance meeting with Kitty. The encounter
opens his eyes to how easy communication can be when you speak truthfully. In
encouraging Kitty to be herself, he finds encouragement for himself as well.
The first exchange between Kitty and Tristram includes the following
dialogue:
Tristram: Why were you in that cupboard?
Kitty: I got stuck.
T: Oh. Bad luck.
K: Yes.
T: Often happens to me.
K: Does it?
T: Oh yes, often.
This seemingly innocuous exchange speaks to the struggles of each of the six
characters. They find themselves stuck somewhere in life they had not intended to
be. As Kitty and Tristram continue their conversation, they reveal Ayckboum's
opinion on the difference between how society does and should behave in dealing
with the lives of others.
Kitty: You see, when you don't know what it is you want to do with your life,
people, they don't mean to, they make you feel guilty.. .And they make you
feel you should know.. .The only thing you know definitely is that you don't
want to do what they want you to do. But everything you want to do, you
haven't found out yet.
Tristram: You see, the way I see it, there are these people in the world who
know what they're doing and what they want you to do and what they want
other people to do and they expect everyone else to join in or else.. .And I
think that we should all have the right not to do anything at all, if we don't
want to. And if someone doesn't want to move a muscle ever again and it
doesn't do any harm to anyone else, you should leave him sitting there and
mind your own business.
This dialogue is the most specific mention of the thematic waters which float
beneath Ayckboum's tightly written farce. This commentary is what makes the play
so much more than just a comedy, and was a key factor in why it was chosen for the
thesis project.
Design
Taking Steps was chosen as the Maine Masque student production, so it was
produced entirely by students. A fellow graduate student used Taking Steps as his
Master's Thesis project for set design. Another graduate student, agreed to oversee
two lesser experienced undergraduate students as costume designers while designing
makeup herself. All other production positions were filled with undergraduate
students.
I was, and still am, amazed by Ayckbourn's technical genius. In the opening
notes of the script, he describes three floors of an old Victorian mansion: "Three
floors, then, linked by two flights of stairs; but to simplify - or perhaps to complicate matters, all floors are at the same level." He created six trapped characters and then
trapped them in a house together. And then, he put them right on top of and next to
each other all at once. Always an innovator, Ayckbourn substituted farce's classic
element, doors, with floors, and created implied staircases to deliver the near misses
that are hallmarks of farce.
The set designer and I had discussed the script and its incredibly challenging
requirements. His preliminary drawings for staging the show in Hauck Auditorium
revealed significant sightline problems and the set areas were not melding together. It
all looked muddled. The script was written, as most of Ayckbourn's work, for
theatre-in-the-round, not a proscenium stage. We discussed raking the stage to
improve sightline issues, but the design still didn't seem to work for us. A member of
the student's thesis committee suggested he try something radically different. He
suggested the creation of a theatre-in-the-round space on Hauck stage. The final
design had the main curtain closed with actors and audience onstage together. Risers
were built for audience seating on three sides of the set, and a never-been-done-before
plan unfolded. It turned out brilliantly. Not only were the characters trapped in their
own lives, but with the audience only inches away, the claustrophobic feel of the
piece was intensified. (See Appendix 5 & 6).
The student who was to design lights was a problem from the beginning. He
presented himself as eager to be part of the production and the process, but despite
providing several phone numbers, pager numbers and email addresses he was
virtually unreachable. He attended the first read-through, but then disappeared. He
did not resurface until the production meeting right before tech rehearsals were to
begin. We discussed the need to distinguish the rooms one from another to assist the
audience in delineating spaces onstage. He translated that info as his only instruction
and focused his lights straight down on the stage floor. There were no front lights or
side lights which prevented the actors from having their faces seen. The School of
Performing Arts Technical Director spent an entire day the week before performance
fixing what had been done. The cast and crew called him "The Wolf' in reference to
the character in Pulp Fiction who swoops in and cleans up the horrible mess created
by others.
Overall, other areas of design and tech work were well-covered, and I was
relatively hands-off. Our props master had scheduling conflicts that kept him from
spending quantity time in the shop and at rehearsals, but when he was there, it was
quality time spent. He worked more with the scenic designer than directly with me.
He and his crew reupholstered furniture, searched the depths of the props deck, and
ultimately did not disappoint.
The costuming supervisor had some difficulty in getting the costume
designers to realize how much work was involved in the process. They were the
designers and the crew, so they bought, pulled, and altered whatever we used in the
show. The four of us met together to discuss basic costuming ideas for the
characters-mostly my requirements which they could expand upon. Elizabeth needed
to look "put-together" at all times. She was definitely concerned with appearances
and had to have hair, make-up, and clothing in place at all times. Elizabeth had
several costume changes including sleepwear, and that gave the designers some great
opportunities to show her 24-hour fashion sense. Roland and Tristram were both in
suits, as their respective professions called for. Mark was to be dressed casually with
his drab qualities reflected in color and style. All three of these men would
eventually end up in matching pajama ensembles for the beginning of Act 11. Each
set was supposed to belong to Roland, so we made the pajamas a bit big for Mark and
quite big for Tristram since Roland was physically larger than the other two men
were. (See Appendix 7). Kitty was dressed in clothes that denoted her past-suspected
solicitation. A mini skirt, heels, etc. Leslie was always in full leather motorcycle
garb. Neither Kitty nor Leslie required any costume changes.
The sound designer was very independent. He asked me to give him some
ideas on the style of music I wanted for pre-show, intermission and curtain call. My
general comment was that the music should be upbeat and not very modem.
Although the play was set in present time, I had the music from the movie Clue in my
head as how it should sound. The association between the two large, drafty mansions
where something is amiss was very strong. Sound has always been a weak area for
me so other than those ideas, I had very little to offer him as guidelines.
Chapter 2
AUDITIONS
Conducting Auditions
For auditions, I asked that actors prepare a comedic monologue and be
prepared to read from the script. Due to scheduling, some actors were only able to
stay for about an hour before heading to another rehearsal, so I gave those people first
shot on both nights.
The first night, only eight actors showed. A few women performed
monologues and then readings began. Once actors had departed for rehearsal, I was
left with three women who all rotated through reading male and female parts without
any hesitation. Amanda Eaton had a good monologue presentation, but didn't show
much change with direction. Andy Hick's performance was decent, and then he
incorporated a British accent also. Mary McIntosh7smonologue was very funny and
self-confident. She did attempt an accent with full knowledge that it needed serious
work. No other positive impressions were made.
The second night had a much better turnout. More men showed up with
commitments, so I skipped the monologues and went right to readings. As with all
cold readings, some actors understand that you want to see something memorable
from them, and others are too concerned with the words to do anything but read. I
was interested in seeing some ideas about character, or even just some definite
choices.
Andy Hicks had a grasp on Mark rather quickly; or maybe his natural self
suited the character. I already had the idea of casting Trevor Bean as Tristram, and he
solidified it for me. Brad Fillion had some nice moments, and Paul Brown was odd
enough that I wanted to see him back. Just as important as the impressions of those I
wanted to call back was discovering the reasons why I didn't want others and felt
they didn't fit the roles. One actress was a "tryer"-everything was an effort with her.
Farce has to look like it comes naturally and that isn't something you can teach in a
five week rehearsal period. Another actress who I had known for two years suddenly
made me realize what an old face she had. One actor who was unknown to me at the
time made a decent impression with his reading, but when asked to help carry another
actor up the imaginary flight of stairs couldn't grasp how they could go up while only
moving in a circle. Not the chap for this production.
The two nights left me with a definite need for call backs. Actors 1 liked
didn't fit clearly into any role, and actors I didn't love seemed to have the best grasp
on character. Night two also provided a great asset. Sarah Hatfield, an international
exchange student from England, near Ayckbourn's hometown of Scarborough, was
unable to audition due to scheduling conflicts, but did agree to be our dialect coach.
I decided to call back three women and six men to read in various
combinations. I wanted to get a better sense of the pros and cons presented by certain
combinations of actors. The callback solidified Andy Hicks as Mark, but the rest of
the cast was still up in the air. I asked four men to see me the next afternoon, hoping
to iron out some wrinkles and starch them into place. After about an hour of reading,
and an hour of deliberation and discussion, I finally had a cast.
Results of Casting
Roland: This was my biggest problem. My major hesitation stemmed from wanting
to cast Brad Fillion although he didn't give the best reading. I knew that he was a
very dedicated, eager hard worker. He wanted to be part of the show. He wanted to
work and grow as an actor. I decided that it was more important to be ready and
willing and totally reliable than to be the best right out of the gates. I was looking for
brusqueness and self-importance, and I believed Brad would deliver that better than
the other actors. Physically, he was a great match for Roland with his round belly and
rosy cheeks that could depict both the jolly, laughing drinker and the exasperated,
demanding businessman.
Leslie: This was relatively easy. Joe Kilch clearly represented what I wanted in
Leslie. His lanky body fit the sneakiness that I pictured in Leslie trying to rush the
sale. His speech was speedy and sly, and he conveyed a charming exterior which
would definitely work for smooth talking Tristram and Roland in order to complete
the sale.
Elizabeth: This was a deliberation. I played around with different combinations of
Kittys and Elizabeth, and both Amanda Eaton and Mary McIntosh played her well,
but I decided that the physical dynamic between Mary and Brad would work best. I
also thought that Mary's confidence and control would be very valuable in shaping
Elizabeth and, particularly, her over-bearing relationship with Mark. Although the
script does not specify whether or not Elizabeth is truly talented, Roland does make
reference to her "go-go" dancing. I felt that it made for a more interesting character
and better comedy if she actually showed very little talent and appeared as more of a
klutz than a graceful swan. Mary fell right off the stool when asked if she could be
clumsy. Physically, she had more of a dancer's physique, so it would be more of a
surprise for the audience when she turned out to be so bad.
Mark: I didn't have anyone else read for him in the callbacks. Andy Hicks had the
schlumpy pathetic Mark captured already. He could display complete confidence one
moment, and immediately follow that with complete indecision. He had no uppercrust airs about him and just smacked of your average, everyday, middle class,
everyman.
Tristram: After callbacks, I was a bit tom about this part. I had liked Trevor Bean
from the beginning, but Paul Brown had finally shown some potential too. Paul was
very funny, and took direction pretty well, but I didn't think that an audience would
be able to take his Tristrarn seriously. I felt that Trevor had honesty and an innocence
that would give Tristram a good heart. The audience would believe that all of his
difficulties were honest mistakes and not attempts at being funny. Trevor showed me
the qualities of the high-strung, out-of-his-league, treading water to survive Tristram.
He also showed a confidence and self-awareness in reading for Roland that I knew
would be useful for the end of the show when Tristram decides to leave.
Kitty: I thought that I had decided on another actress for this role, but ended up
vacillating between her and Amanda Eaton. There were issues with the amount of
emotional baggage the other actress lugged around, and I just didn't know if I was
willing to watch her carry it in and out of the room for five weeks. Ultimately, I
decided that Amanda was best for the role and best for the overall experience as well.
She was a very pliable actress who's willingness to try anything to find the character
was evident. Since I hadn't figured Kitty out completely, I felt that Amanda would be
able to work with me through some experimentation.
Chapter 3
REHEARSAL
Once the show was cast, I had several obstacles to overcome in order to create
a feasible rehearsal schedule. All but two of the cast members were involved with
another show, and those rehearsals were every night with production only weeks
away. In order to have a first reading with the entire cast and crew in attendance, I
had to put off beginning work on the show for three weeks. That doesn't seem like a
long time to wait, but at the time when I was gearing up to direct my first main stage
show, it felt like an eternity.
Our first reading was scheduled for March 6 and everyone involved was there.
Each person introduced themselves and their role in the show. Before beginning the
reading, our set designer presented a model of the set. It was the first time the actors
had been given a concrete impression of how we planned to put the audience on the
stage with them, and the concept was very well received and wildly anticipated. No
one had ever done a production in this manner and it was exciting for everyone to be
a part of this first time event.
The actors began the first read through and I read stage directions. I asked
that they hold any questions until the end so that we could all get a sense of the show
as a whole, rather than in fragments with stops and starts. I wanted to hear the people
that I had cast and get a sense of what we were creating. There was plenty of laughter
and great camaraderie among the actors. I don't think at that point we had any idea
how difficult the work ahead of us would turn out to be. It never ceases to amaze me
how unaware people are of the often near impossibility of making comedy truly
funny.
The read through allowed me to make some more concrete plans for the
individual actors that I couldn't make after auditions alone. Mary definitely needed
to focus some energy on her dialect work. The accent was all over the place and
more of a caricature of an accent than an accent itself. Joe was the definition of speed
demon from his first line. He had a good grasp of the accent, but it was muddled by
his speech. We would have to work on diction over dialect with him. Brad was
funny as usual, but I knew that we would have to work on developing a fully rounded
character for Roland. There was no understanding of the character yet, just a sense of
how to make the words funny. Amanda needed a little work on dialect, but was
otherwise good with her speech. Andy had a great instinctive grasp on Mark and
good timing. He gave no indication of how difficult working with him would turn out
to be. Trevor was solid on all fronts at the first reading. He was prepared with some
accent work and a nice confused take on Tristram. My first impression was that this
would be a relatively low-stress rehearsal period. I soon found out that there is no
such thing.
We began walk through the following night. I am a big believer in getting up
and moving as soon as possible. Unfortunately, the instincts that the actors had
shown in auditions and read through had diminished if not completely disappeared. It
was interesting to observe that the actors were willing to take more risks vocally
rather than physically. The walk through of Act I was also eye opening in that it
forced me to realize how much work would be needed to create the physical aspect of
the farce. There was a lack of instinctual coordination among the actors in regard to
the spatial elements of the piece. They could begin a scene and create a space for
themselves (placement of bed, sofa, table, chair), but if the scene moved in and out of,
or between rooms, the spaces that had already been established were forgotten. There
was little continuity in terms of spatial perception. I knew that having a taped floor
and rehearsal pieces would assist this issue, but that was still a full week away; the
stage was to be taped during the first week of spring break. The actors were also
going to have to create a lot of "imaginary action" which the audience would need to
believe, so I was concerned about my capabilities in developing that with the actors.
Sarah and I also realized that movement seemed to fudge up what continuity there
was in dialects, so we knew greater attention and more rehearsal would need to be
focused there.
The next day I spoke with Brad about Roland. It seemed that he not only
didn't have any answers, but didn't seem to know which questions to ask. When I
asked him to describe Roland, or his past relationships, or what led him to where he is
when we meet him here, he wasn't able to answer. I don't expect an actor to have all,
or even many, of the answers that early in the process, I certainly don't when I'm the
actor, but he hadn't even thought about the basics of his relationship with Lizzie,
what his ex-wives were like, why he's trying to buy The Pines, etc. He, and the other
actors, needed to read the script for details and hints. This was when I decided to
have them write character biographies for me.
The character biography is a fickle friend. I have found that it can really help
some actors make discoveries about and connections with a character, while other
actors merely see the task as paperwork that takes time away from working on
performance. Some people don't believe that there is a character history. David
Mamet and William H. Macy have built an entire acting technique based on the fact
that there is only intention and action; the character didn't exist before, and doesn't
exist after the confines of the script. In an interview for the December 2000 issue of
SKY magazine, William H. Macy said, "Mamet taught me that the words are
gibberish. You can't act the words; you can only act the action.. .I don't believe in
character.. .there is no character at all." That is only one school of thought. In
Acting: Onstage and Off, Robert Barton outlines a very specific course for creating a
character history in order to better prepare to play the character in the moment of the
play. There are five pages of fill-in-the-blank questions in the book's index which
involve everything from "My childhood was.. ." to "My three rehearsed futures
are.. ." Personally, I fall somewhere in between the two schools of thought, and I do
believe that the character biography can be very useful to some actors. That being the
case, I assigned them to everyone.
The walk through of Act I1 showed similar issues as Act I. Miming actions
such as opening and closing doors, walking up and down staircases, and creating
definitive spaces were going to take a lot of work. Janet Warner-Ashley, a mime and
member of my committee, would be coming to several rehearsals to work with each
of the actors on specificity and movement.
As we headed into Spring Break I reminded my cast that I wanted them to be
off book when we resumed rehearsals after one week off. Scripts are always
cumbersome, but when so much of the success of a play depends upon physical
action and interaction, the scripts are even more annoying. All actors had been given
pronunciation pages for dialect work and Sarah had given individual actors notes
citing specific words and phrases. We were hoping that they would keep that in mind
as they learned the dialogue so that they rhythm and cadence of the words would start
to form also.
Just as rehearsals were about to begin again, I received an email from my
stage manager stating that he had to resign citing reasons which he had already
assured me would not interfere with his ability to run the show. He was already
slacking in his duties, so despite being angry, I realized that it was probably for the
best. My ASM stepped up to the SM position the next day.
Our next two rehearsals were skeletal. I was trying to create a basic shape for
the show before we moved on to scene work. I developed some basic blocking-more
fluidity than anything else-so that the cast had a sense of where they were headed
physically as they learned their dialogue. The stage floor in Hauck had been taped
out during the first week of break with rooms, staircases, and audience seating. Part
of the warm-up at the beginning of rehearsals was the cast touring the house - using
the stairs, going in and out of rooms through the imaginary doors, walking through
scenes, etc. This was a little time to play and learn and prepare without using up time
during rehearsals.
Looking back through my journal, I can see that the notes I took were, for the
most part, very specific. Specific to a line, a movement, a reaction, but few were
"grand scheme" notes. I seemed to focus on how an interchange would play out
between characters, but not on the bigger picture of how that interchange fit into the
play overall. I believe that this was symptomatic of not having a total view of how I
wanted the final product to look and sound.
When Janet came to rehearsal for the first time, she opened my eyes to the
reality of what lay before me. The cast needed a lot of help vocally. The dialects
were inconsistent, articulation was poor, and even projection on the isolated stage
wasn't great. She suggested that I ask Dr. Tom Mikotowicz for a dialect tape that
each actor could use to develop individual vocal qualities. Just as we have regional
accents, so do the British. Amanda and Joe shouldn't have been learning the same
dialect for Kitty and Leslie any more than two English actors would learn the same
dialect to play and New Yorker and a Texan. So, we started there.
Janet worked on getting the actors to think physically. Each person had to be
distinct in the way they moved as well as the way they sounded. Elizabeth's dance
background would make her move differently than Tristram 's uptight schooling and
career would make him move. How does each person's history affect the way slhe
sits, climbs stairs, walks? This is what Janet worked on for an entire rehearsal. She
also gave me a much-needed pep talk after rehearsal about trusting myself and
passing my understanding of the script and its rhythm along to my actors. She also
pointed out that I was treating my cast the same way I treated my students. She said
that I needed to shift gears. My students were inexperienced and sometimes
unmotivated to work and perform. The actors were there because they wanted to
work and improve and give a great performance. At that point, there were only three
weeks until tech rehearsals, so I decided to stop putting off until tomorrow what could
be conquered today, raised my expectations of the actors and demanded more of them
in rehearsals.
Rehearsals soon became more intense. The pre-rehearsal workout now
included breathing and projection, articulation, dialect, line-throughs, and physical
warm-ups. (All of which should have been included from the beginning.) With the
show getting closer, I was having a harder time focusing on rehearsal alone because
the technical elements needed work, and headshots had to be taken, and publicity
interviews completed. I could definitely have used a production manager. It became
increasingly difficult to accomplish what I wanted to in rehearsals because we were
still working without furniture and props that were vital to the movement and
business we were trying to create each night.
An interesting problem presented itself once rooms were painted onto the
floor. Generally, when actors work on a taped stage there are times during rehearsals
when they walk "out of bounds" and cross through imaginary walls or doors without
realizing they are doing so. This issue is cleared up as soon as the walls and doors are
physically put in place. In the case of Taking Steps, the walls and doors never
materialized, they remained one dimensional floor diagrams. The actors had to
contain themselves strictly according to what was painted on the floor. No physical
boundaries existed to prevent them from straying, and we ran into problems trying to
keep the movements precise and within the imaginary confines of the space. In order
for an audience to accept the reality of the staging, the actors had to learn to be very
self disciplined physically.
We also had a major problem with the actors not putting to use their own best
resource: common sense. Everything was being made more difficult and more
complicated. In one scene, Tristram asks for Mark's help in getting out from under
Elizabeth on the bed. I actually had to tell Trevor that before he asked for help, he
would probably try to get up by himself. Basic logic. It seemed that moments of the
play weren't understood because we were disregarding the simplest answers. We
were not thinking about the intentions of the characters, just trying to figure things
out without taking their desires into consideration. At this point in the rehearsal
schedule, character bios were due in two days, and I seriously doubted if some of
them were even started. I discovered that only two out of six of the actors had used
the dialect sheets that Sarah had provided, and decided not to ask about the tapes that
I had spent four hours copying. In addition to this difficult rehearsal, my ASM had
quit, and I had sprained my ankle on the way home that night. Thankfully, Janet
came back in and worked with the boys on carrying Roland down the stairs and then
worked on doors again while I sat and worked with Mark and Kitty in the attic. Some
good progress was made when I desperately needed it. After Janet left, we ran Act I1
to mixed reviews. With about two weeks left, I made some individual progress notes
on each of the actors in my journal.
The only thing consistent from Andy was his inconsistency. He had forgotten
what Janet had just taught him and began flailing his arms and barreling through
doorways. He admitted that he had trouble with retention, but never took notes on
anything. He couldn't seem to comprehend that "meek and pathetic" would be
funnier for Mark than "big and wild". Mary was doing well with specific direction,
but was having trouble applying an idea in other areas. Physically, I thought she was
going well, and her dialect was improving. Amanda was doing wonderfully. She had
the job of being trapped in the cupboard for half the play, but was making up business
and always in character. Kitty was still too angry with Mark, but coming along
nicely. Joe's instincts were good, but his problem with articulation and projection
had not yet significantly improved. He had yet to make Leslie life size. Brad had not
yet found Roland's blustery attitude. Brad was distracted by his personal life, as his
girlfriend was in the hospital. Otherwise, he was doing well. Tristram was the most
clearly defined character at this point. Trevor was working hard, leading warm-ups,
and pitching in wherever he was needed. He was finding new business and creating
new moments for Tristram at every opportunity.
What was not improving was the miming of the doors. The movement was
still sloppy and imprecise, and it was distracting me and making me a bit crazy. So, I
made an executive decision and got rid of all the mimed doors. Everyone would just
have to accept that the doors to the bedroom, the attic, the lounge were always open.
This one little change eliminated 75% of the messy movement on stage, and allowed
all of us to focus on more important issues.
The following day, while working in the attic, I became so frustrated with the
lack of possibility that I redesigned the space by moving the furniture. It was a
logical solution, and yet it took me weeks to do it. Rather than pinning the bed up
against the back wall, the other sides of the bed were then exposed and blocking
options grew exponentially. Those simple changes improved the fluidity of action
and supplied a much needed breath of fresh air to the actors work in the attic. The
next day, I did the same thing in the master bedroom in hopes of re-blocking the
opening scene with Mark and Elizabeth and pumping some fresh air into that as well.
In both cases, no major changes were made to the structure of the room, just the
placement of the furniture. At the time, I did not think to consult the set designer
before moving the furniture. That was probably because I was so frustrated that I
figured he couldn't object to a change that helped the actors so much. Thankfully, he
didn't object and the changes were made permanent.
At about 14 days before performance, I found the actors were having trouble
multitasking. On one night, dialects and lines would be working well while
movement suffered. That night's notes would focus on improving choreography and
blocking, and then the next night, the physicality was good, but dialogue went out the
window. There was so much precision required to pull off the use of the staircases, to
keep the pace going, to keep track of who was on which floor. At the time, it seemed
impossible that it would ever come together. This was complicated by the fact that
we were still waiting for several pieces of our furniture to arrive on stage and for
several others to be nailed down. The bed in the master bedroom rolled every time
Elizabeth sat on it, packed her suitcase, or began to dance. The constant distraction
was making the already difficult task of creating the opening scene even more
problematic. I had given the note to my SM several times to talk to our production
TD about nailing the bed down, but it wasn't actually done until I spoke with him
directly.
Dr. Sandra Hardy, a member of my committee, attended rehearsal on a Friday
night ten days before opening and opened my eyes to why much of the comedy was
not working. The flaws of the characters were not in place. Mary's Elizabeth was
sometimes impatient, sometimes superior, but most frequently bitchy. There is a very
fine line between mean that is hurtful and unfunny and mean that is pompous and
laughable. Mary was often on the wrong side of the line. Vocally, she needed to be
more precise with her diction and Sandra suggested that we try out a more staccato
speech pattern-more authoritative-particularly when dealing with Mark. Amanda's
Kitty was still muddled. This I attribute to my own lack of understanding at the time.
We discussed making her sexier and more of a flirt with Tristram. This did
temporarily help us over come obstacles, but Amanda and I continued to struggle
with developing her character. Mark was not clear at all. I was still struggling with
Andy's retention skills, or lack thereof, and it was out of control at this point. I didn't
know how to regulate him. One night he would give a good performance and the
next would be totally different. This was one of my greatest frustrations throughout
the rehearsal process. At this point, Roland, Tristram, and Leslie were becoming
much clearer. Enunciation was one of the most prevalent problems for all three of the
men. We discussed creating ways for the characters' objectives to play against each
other in the scene: Tristram being artificially calm while Leslie was hysterical, Kitty
being more sexual while Mark recoiled from her frankness, etc. Exaggeration was
still absent from much of the physical comedy which needed to be tidied up as well.
After the rehearsal with Sandra, I gave the actors Saturday night off and then
called an impromptu rehearsal for Sunday night. We ended up working for almost six
hours. Progress that felt real and permanent finally emerged. After our regular
rehearsal on Monday, I felt infinitely better about the show as a whole. The makeup
designer came to rehearsal, put a mustache on Brad, and Roland was born! The
grumbly brusqueness that I had been searching for was found and although the
articulation suffered initially, I was confident that it would work out. Mary's klutz
work was really improving and working beautifilly for the character. I think she
realized that if she wasn't really a good dancer, it would open up possibilities about
Elizabeth's underlying vulnerabilities. Andy did pretty well, except that his pacing
suffered from taking on a more pathetic demeanor. We still needed to work on the
difference between slowing down his speech pattern and slowing down the pace of
the scene.
On Saturday, April 14, after our final two days of acting rehearsals, we began
technical rehearsals. We were scheduled for a cue-to-cue at 9:00am, but when I
arrived, the lighting designer was still focusing the lights. The sound designer was
prepared with music and sound cues but didn't know how to use the sound board.
My stage manager was not yet present either. It turned out to be the longest day of
our entire rehearsal process. We ended up using the actors for a late cue-to-cue,
(which was incomplete), and then as technicians continued work on stage, I worked
with the cast in the Acting Studio.
The cast was still jumbling lines that were causing them to jumble their
movement also. They did a speed-through of Act I dialogue which I made them
restart each time someone dropped a cue. Once the opening was done, Mary and I rechoreographed Elizabeth's dance for Mark and worked on how to knock over her
chair while falling. The furniture in the master bedroom had just been screwed to the
floor so it was finally possible to fall against the bed without it rolling out of the
bedroom.
Meanwhile on stage, the SPA Technical Director was doing his best to fix
everything that the crew and designers had overlooked or done incompletely. He
rigged up the sound equipment, made perches for the board operators, and hung an
additional pipe for lights. He then showed the lighting designer how to adjust and
refocus what was already hung in order to allow the audience to see the actors' faces.
The original design had all lights focused straight down at the stage floor in order to
delineate the separation of rooms. Unfortunately, the design took nothing else into
consideration. Even more unfortunate was the fact that since the designer had not
been attending production meetings, and I had not been proactive in hunting him
down, that was the first time I saw the lighting design.
Sunday, April 15, was the first full technical run we were able to do. We were
scheduled to begin at 1:00pm, but actually started at 1:45pm due to more lighting and
sound adjustments that needed to be completed. The first act was marred with a good
deal of speech issues; sloppy dialect work, poor enunciation, and words dropped off
the ends of sentences. I had to listen as though I had never heard any of it before in
order to discern that which was unintelligible. It was difficult to turn my focus to
other issues that night once I began listening for speech issues. The Act I notes in my
journal for that night indicate that the speech consumed my attention, as almost all of
them refer to the actors' vocal work.
Once we broke for intermission, I was able to refocus and note several
technical issues that needed to be addressed. Masking was still needed between and
behind the downstage risers for entrances and exits involving the brown room. The
doorbell effect was a tiny chirpy noise that did not mesh at all with the large, heavy
door of the mansion. Elizabeth's suitcase and bag still needed several items. Other
small issues such as those came to light as we finished Act I1 and I talked with the
tech crew.
The following night, our first dress rehearsal was remarkably smooth. I
focused on looking at the entire costume plot for the first time and made sure to note
any changes that needed to be made for the final dress. Thankfully, no major
costuming issues presented themselves. Leslie's helmet was still troublesome in
terms of muffling his voice, but since the script demanded that he keep it on
throughout the struggle with Elizabeth, it was up to the actor to make it work vocally.
There were a few dark spots along the attic hallway and in the master bedroom
doorway, and water sound cues were adjusted to be played only through the stage
right speakers to make them sound more like they came from the attic. The actors
were good, save a few dropped lines and some botched blocking, and no other major
issues came from that dress rehearsal. The final dress was a different story.
I am not generally a superstitious person, but, after the final dress, I was
forced to latch onto the stage myth that says that a bad dress rehearsal indicates a
good opening night. To begin, our lighting designer did not show up. I gave the SPA
TD full authority to make any changes he felt necessary, and to correct the problems
which had not yet been fixed from the previous night's notes. This set us back about
half an hour. Once the run began, it felt as though some of the actors decided to
selectively forget basic stage knowledge. Elizabeth's head was buried in her note
rather than faced up and out to the audience. The opening scene felt twice as long as
it normally had with Mark & Elizabeth not picking up cues. Roland & Leslie spilled
their drinks in the lounge, but didn't even acknowledge that it had happened. It was
maddening to see them make mistakes that they were more than capable of avoiding.
The technical elements went very smoothly for our final rehearsal, but my
fixstration with the actors brought me down the night before opening. I spoke with
the cast once they had changed, and they seemed to know what I was going to say.
They were aware of the major shortcomings of the night, but were confident that the
next night's performance would be great. I decided to agree, not hound them with
notes that they had essentially already given themselves, and trust in the old adage.
Chapter 4
PERFORMANCE
One of my favorite quotes from a review of Taking Steps was written by
Linda Winer of New York Newsday regarding the Broadway debut of Ayckbourn's
piece. "Taking Steps is farce as only the English, perhaps only the English
Ayckbourn, can do it; excruciatingly silly, technically ingenious and, best of all,
altogether human." (Feb. 1991) This description really summarizes what drew me to
the script in the first place: lots of laughs, but with the truth of human nature beneath
it all.
Both an asset and a drawback of our unique staging for Taking Steps was that
there were fewer seats to fill for each performance. This worked to our advantage
when we opened the show on a Wednesday night. Opening on a Wednesday was
certainly not the greatest idea in the world, but it allowed the actors to have another
performance when we were unable to run for two weekends. If the show had been in
Hauck proper, it would have felt like playlng to a practically empty house. However,
an enthusiastic audience surrounded the cast and propelled them through an energized
opening performance.
There were six shows scheduled over five days. Each performance had a
good turnout, with most of them being sold out. It was interesting to see the faces of
the patrons as they were led into Hauck with the curtain drawn, and then walked
through the stairwell and onto the stage. It was like an exclusive backstage pass for
each person. The audience was engaged in the show and appeared to be drawn in
even more by being so close to the performers. Throughout the run, audience
members repeatedly told me that they were fascinated by the three-floors-in-one
concept and that it was great fun to watch the actors use the stairs. This was one of
the original components that drew me to the script, and it was nice to hear that others
were captivated by the concept as well.
Judy Harrison of the Bangor Daily News reviewed the show for the April 20,
2001 edition of the paper. "Daugherty's skill as a director shows in the performances
delivered by her six-character cast. The most important element in any farce is
timing and these student actors execute the strenuous physical comedy of the
production with near perfection.. .Her flair for unusual staging and her ability to turn
actors into an ensemble bode well for her future in theater." She says of the staging,
"This arrangement turns the audience into a collection of voyeurs peering through the
windows and into the lives of the old mansion's inhabitants." This is what the set
designer and I were hoping for. We wanted the audience to feel connected to the
characters physically and we wanted the actors to feel confined by the surroundings.
Scenically, the show was everything I had hoped for.
Peggy Rae Johnson, the ACTF adjudicator, attended Saturday night's
performance. She was impressed with how much we were able to accomplish in what
amounted to a four-week rehearsal period and admired the technical work that went
into the production. She was very gracious with the actors and took time to address
each of them individually. Adjudications are generally known to be a positive
experience and consist of up to ninety percent praise. This one was no exception.
However, when I requested a more in-depth critique, Peggy also took the time to
speak to me after the adjudication with some honest feedback about the shortcomings
of the piece. We discussed the need for improved diction, smoother footwork on the
stairs, and a better developed Kitty. She was very helpful in convincing me that I did
accomplish a great deal, and in validating that the areas I felt were weakest did in fact
show up as such in performance. The latter made me realize that as the director I was
able to readily identify the problems, even if I was unable to correct them.
So many people who saw the show spoke to me about it in the weeks
following performance. The students in my Fundamentals of Acting class were
impressed with the abilities of the cast and loved being on stage with them while they
performed. They felt like they were getting a taste of being under the lights without
being in the show itself. Other audience members thought that the play was very
entertaining, very funny, and very accurate in conveying how easy it is to find
yourself in a life unlike any you had intended to live. I think that on a college
campus, where young people try to learn about themselves and discover their life
paths, this play spoke to how important it is to rule out and avoid options that you
know don't interest you, as well as to grasp onto remarkable opportunities that may
present themselves.
Chapter 5
EVALUATION
There have been so many changes in my life since directing this piece that I
feel hindsight is now better than 20120. I have learned so much about myself and
how to deal with other people, particularly people who are working for me, that it is
clear to me now how many mistakes I made then.
I think that the gravest error I made was in the way I dealt with the technical
elements of the show. I knew going into the production that the technical side of it
was going to be very challenging for everyone involved. What I didn't realize was
that while the show was my number one priority, it was not necessarily that for
everyone else. The set designer was very focused on creating an innovative and
unique set. As this was his thesis project also, I knew that he felt the same sense of
urgency and drive that fueled my work and me. The others involved were not as
serious about making this not just a good show, but also a great one.
That said, I also needed to have been much more prepared to address the
technical elements. Despite my lack of sound design knowledge, I should have
known that the pre-show music sets the tone for the performance, and I should have
been much more involved in choosing music that I felt was appropriate. In leaving
those decisions up to the designer, I gave up control over the first impression the
show made on the audience.
Dealing with the lighting design was dreadful and had it not been for the
technical director, I firmly believe that Taking Steps would not have been lit at all.
We would have had performances under lights up, lights out conditions only. If I had
pushed harder and confronted the designer earlier in the process when he was missing
from production meetings, I could very well have avoided the entire nasty ordeal saving myself a lot of stress and my husband a lot of pro bono work. I put off dealing
with the manageable problem of a missed production meeting until it became the
unmanageable problem of an unacceptable lighting design. By the time I faced the
issue, it was so far beyond repair that I had to take steps to allow the show simply to
be lit, rather than take into consideration an ideal design.
Throughout my journal, I made references to my SM not working up to my
expectations. I really needed someone to be there before everyone else to set up and
after everyone else to clean up. While I was recording my frustrations, I was not
being as straightforward about my needs as I could have been. Looking back, I think
I was being particularly gentle with her because I had already lost an SM and an
ASM. I was trying not to step on any toes that may decide to turn and run away. I
realize now that she had accepted the position, even volunteered to step up to it, and
was therefore responsible for all of the duties it entailed. I was too lenient and did not
communicate my expectations well enough for her to work up to them.
The most serious problem in character analysis was in my understanding, or
lack thereof, of Kitty. By the end of the rehearsal period, and throughout the run, I
could see and feel Amanda's discomfort with what we had created. When the
adjudicator came to see the show, she was very positive in her en masse feedback, but
when I drove her back to the hotel and asked her to be completely frank with me she
confirmed what I already knew. The biggest character weakness was Kitty. I didn't
know where to start with her, and that prevented me from helping Amanda shape her.
Kitty is a shy, introverted girl looking for her way out. She was, on one day, able to
break free from the mundane life in which she had found herself trapped, but was
recently dragged back into it. When she meets Tristram a light goes on, an
inspiration is found. Kitty should have been the mousy librarian who became the
ballsy extrovert. She has been stifled all her life and only realizes that she is fine the
way she is when Tristram tells her just that. She can now be whomever and whatever
she pleases.. .and she chooses to be a risk taker.
I do not think that I would take on another full-length British farce without
having a vocal coach on board from the very beginning. The actors' speech greatly
improved from auditions to performance, but was still in the way of the audience
being able to clearly understand everything that was said. As a teacher, my general
opinion on dialect is "if it's in the way, drop it".
In performance, however, the use of
dialect is required when taking on British farce. It was not just dialect that needed to
be taught and learned, but also rhythm and timing. The dialect itself contributes to
the other factors being developed. There is a distinct sound to the speech that must be
created in order for the dialogue, and in particular, the comedy, to be performed to its
potential. As valuable as Sarah Hatfield was to the actors and as instrumental as she
was in their progress, I do think that a vocal coach could have contributed in areas
where she was not experienced.
Reflecting on my original goals, I do feel that Taking Steps was a success.
The production certainly used Hauck to its potential by looking at the stage from a
new perspective. Creating an entirely new theatre space within the existing stage
was, and still is, very exciting. The process certainly opened my eyes to the
complexity of staging a farce. The precision involved in learning to walk up
imaginary staircases and go through imaginary doors was definitely more consuming
than I had anticipated. However, seeing the eyes of audience members widen and
hearing their "ah-has" as they caught on to the staging concept the first time the stairs
were used was very rewarding. It definitely felt like a real accomplishment.
The casting process was successful in my opinion and, given the chance, I
would not change any of the decisions I made in that area. There was a good deal
more detail work than I had originally expected, particularly in dealing with dialect
and delivery. I learned that being able to hear the rhythm of the speech in my head
did not necessarily make it any easier for me to help an actor hear, and more
importantly, replicate, the rhythm as well. I think that while I may have originally
believed that the actors would be able to do exactly what I wanted once performance
time came, I was able to relax those expectations and allow them to follow their own
instincts.
The audience thoroughly enjoyed the performances and the cast enjoyed the
creative process. I can say for certain that each member of the cast grew as an actor,
and, like me, learned to put more faith in their own abilities. I know that in my
experiences since Talcing Steps, both as an actor and a director, I have been a more
proactive facilitator of communication and have been more direct in conveying my
needs and expectations to those with whom I have worked. This improvement alone
was well worth the journey.
BIBLIOGMPHY
Allen, Paul. Grinning at the Edge. Continuum: New York, 2002.
Ayckbourn, Alan. Plays One. Faber & Faber: London, 1995.
Ayckbourn, Alan. Taking Steps. Samuel French: New York, 198 1.
Ball, William. A Sense of Direction. Drama Book Publishers: New York,
1984.
Barton, Robert. Acting: Onstage and Off (4th Ed.). Thomson Wadsworth:
Canada, 2003.
Billington, Michael. Alan Avckbourn. St. Martin's Press: New York, 1990.
Spitz, Bob. "Macy's Parade." SKY. December 2000: 92-98.
White, Sidney Howard. Alan Ayckbourn. Twayne Publishers: Boston, 1984.
Wimer, Linda. "Cast Members Walk Tall in Taking Steps." New York
Newsday 2 1 February 199 1
Appendix 1. Bedrooms
Appendix 2. Cast Photo
Appendix 3. Mark & Tristram Fold Up Roland, Kitty in Closet
Appendix 4. Mark Puts Roland and Elizabeth to Sleep
Appendix 5. View From Stage Left
Appendix 6. View From Stage Right
Appendix 7. Matching Pajamas
Appendix 8. Lizzie on Upstairs Landing, Roland in First Floor Hallway
Appendix 9. Taking Steps Program
Taking Steps
Cast
Elizabeth........................................................
Mary McIntorsh
Mark................................................................
..Andy Hicks
Tn'strarn..
,.TrevorBean
........................................................
............................................................
Roland..
,Brad r'illion
,..JoeKilch
Leslie..............................;. ......,.......,..................
RYtty,.,..............................................
..........,...,Amanda
Eaton
Crew
Director. ........................................
Elaine DiFalco Daugherty
Set Designer ...................................................
.David Adkins
Light Designer. ..............................................
..JamesGallant
Sound Designer.. .................................................
Pete Miller
Costume Designers..................... h n e tte S o h , JenniferShaw
Stage Manager...........................................ldndsey Harrimaln
Assistant Stage Manager., ..........................,.AndreaHepworth
Technical Director. .........................................Brave Williams
Propertiee Master.. .........................................
..Kevin Staples
Master Electrician.. ................................................ Laura Fer
HairlMakeup Designer.. ...................................Kelly Sanders
Multifaceted Technical Assistance. ....................Dan Daugherty
Scenic Painting.. ..............*..Chez Cherry, Christopher Roberts
Erin McCormick, David Adkins
~
Costume Crew............Katherine Braginton, M e b Rosenberg
Properties Crew .......................................
Christina Caparelli
...H1Uary Roberts
Sound Board Operator.. .........................
Light Board Operator.. .......................................
Nathan Doxe
Set Construction............................THE 228, ,Gary Desrochers,
JeffreyNewcombe, Belinda Hanilton, JenyHall
.;.. ..
Time: Act I: Friday night, The Present
Act 11: Saturday morning
Place: "The Pines," a large Victorian manor of no great distinction.
Director's Notes
1 think that each of us,at some time in our Ufe,has stopped,
looked around, and thought, "How on earth did I end up
here?". For some reason, when one enters The Pines, that
question emerges. Each character faces the dilemma of
whether to respond honestly, and change the stable course of
life, or to live in denial and continue on the path of least resistance. The questioning, deliberating, and answering are all
great fun...that is, if its someone else doing it.
Cast Biographies
Mary McIntosh (Elizabeth) is a second-year biochemisty major and theater minor from Washburn, Maine. She is going to
be a pharmacist, or play one on TV,
Andy Hicks (Mark)is a fourth-yeartheatre major from balmy
tropical Massachusetts. H e really likes marshmallow Peeps,
He thanks his mom and dad for coming up yet again, and his
cast and crew, as well as Fresh Samantha Lemonade, 'cause it's
super,
Trevor Bean (Tn'slram) is a fifth year theatre major, graduating
in May. He'sperformedpreviously in the Maine Masque productions of Arcadia, The Cherry Orchard, Inlo The Woods, and
Cabaret. H e also assistant stage managed for Hay Fever and
ran props for W h e n You Comin' Back, Red Ryder He would like
to thank the cast and crew of Taking Steps for making his last
acting experience at UMaine a wonderful one.
Brad Fillion (Roland) would like to thank numerous people
(parents near and far, Ten, Shawn, friends and reIatives) for
their support and miles traveled to come and see this wonderful production. A big sank you to Lainey for this grand opportunity. To the cast Wickey Wickey,Do Over, Hard Cheese,
Truthfully this is comedy,and DAmn that Attic Door!lll :)
JosephKilch (kslie)is a fourth year transfer student majoring
in math. H e would like to thank his family and friends, old and
new, for their continued support. This is his first theater appearance at UMaine.
Amanda Eaton (Kitty)is a second year theatre major from
Dexter,Maine. This is her second production with the Maine
Masque. You may have seen her this year in Cabaret as a Kit
Kat Girl. She is very excited to be a part of Tahng Steps. Look
for her in Upperdogs later this semester and other Maine
Masque productions in the future. Cheerio and Hard Cheese
Maxk!
Crew Biographies
Elaine DiFaLco Raugherty (Director) is a graduate theatre student. Talang Sfeps is the creative thesis project for her Master's
Degree. She received her BA from UMaine in 1007, and now
teaches THE 117, Fundamentals of Acting. Performance credits
include Judithin Hay Fever,Annie in Table Manners, and Millie in
Califomla Suite. Directing credits include Crimes of Ihe Heart,
and last season'sI Am Yours, She wishes to thank Dr. Sandra
Hardy,Dr.J.N. Wikinson,and JanetWarner-Ashleyfor their
guidance and support as a Thesis Committee. They have each
been inspiring, entertaining,and indispensable. Elaine's past,
present, and (hopefully)futuie success is made possible by a
very elite group of people: her infinitely patient husband,Dan,
and her incredibly tolerant family, the DiFalco Posse. These indj
viduals have been with her a long time, and have not yet denied
knowing her in public...now that's true love.
David Adkhs (Scenic Design) is the Facility and Production
Manager for the School of Performing Arts. This scenic design is
David's creative thesisproject, completing his Master of Arts de.
gree in Theatre. Other scenic designs at the University of Maine
include Suburbia, When You Comin' Back Red Ryder and The
Tempest. David has also designed lights and sound for theatre
and dance at venues across the state, most recently designing
the lights for Penobmt Theatre's summer production of Charlotte's Web. David is looking fomrd to a relaxing summer and
would like to thank his wife Adele for all her love and support,
Lindsey J. Harriman (Stage Manager) Lindsey is a third year
theatre major. She most recently ran the light board for Cabwet
Last semester she stage managed The Mam'age ofBette
and Boo and directed A Couple of White Chicks Sitting Around
Telhng for the Underdog Showcase,While studylng theatre at
UMF, her credits included A Medieval ThccrfreFestivd, Astsistant
Stage Manager for the One Act Festival, props mistress for She
Stoops to Conquer,and Ught board operator for The Tommomw
Box.
Brave Wflliams (Technical Director) is a senior theatre major
who has assisted with props for Bwefoofin the Park. His work
with Taking Steps is part of Ns senior project, which has been
great learning experience He would like to thank David Adkins,Dan Daugherty, and Chez Cherry for their truth, grace,
and teaching.
Annette Sohne (Coshune Design) is a first year student from
Bucksport, Maine. This fs hex first show designing.
JennShaw (Costume Design) is from Minot,Maine, and gradu
ated from Leavitt Area High School. This I s jetnn's second semester working at the costume shop. Jennwould Uke to thank
her mother for encouraging her to sew at an early age.
Special Thanks to Chez Cherry for scenic painting advisory, and to Dan Krohne for the twialtle in his drawers.
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Appendix 10. Taking Steps Rehearsal Schedule
Tuesday 3/6
SPhi Green Room
Wst Meettngl
Wednesday 3/7
6PM Acting Studb
Act 1 Walk Thru
Thursday 3/8
6PM Acting Studio
Act II Walk Thru
Spring Rreak Week One - No Rehearsal
Spring Break Week Two:
10-1 Mark & Elizabeth
9-22, 25-27
Tuesday 3/20
2
Break
2-5 hhrk & Trlstram
22-24,27
Wednesday 3/21
10-1 Roland & Tristrarn
28-39
1-2 Break
39-48
2-5 Add Leslie
Thursday 3/22
10-1 Mark 81Kitty
48-51, 126.127, 134-138
1-2 Break
2-5 Roland, Leslie, Tristram 53-61, 63-64, 66-i2
Friday 3/23
10-11 Roland & Mstram
64-65
11-12 Tristram & Leslie
6 1-63
12-1 Leslie & Mark
72-74
1-2 Mark & Elizabeth
51-52
2-3 Break
3-6 All but Leslie
74-82 (End Act I)
Sunday 3/25
5pm Run Act 1
6pm Act U 87-107
Monday 3/26
6pm "
107-125
Tuesday 3/27
128.138
Wednesday 3/28 6pm "
Thursday 3/29
Ipm publicity photo session (Roland, Eliz, Leslie)
6pm Run Act fl
Friday 3/30
6pm Run Show
Saturday 4/1
toam Load-In
ACTORS SHOULD BE OFF-BOOK BY 4/2!!!!
Monday 4/2
Tuesday 4/3
Wednesday 4/4
Thursday 4/5
Friday 416
Saturday 4/7
6pm
Gpm
Gprn
6pm
6pm
loam
Work Act 1 - 1st half (Mark, Eliz, T r l ~ t ~ a IRoland)
n.
Work Act 1 2nd half (dl)
Work Act I I - 1st half (All but Leslie)
Work Act 11 - 2nd half (All)
Run Act 1 (stop and go)
Work Call
Monday 4/9
Tuesday 4/10
Wednesday 4/11
Thursday 4/12
Friday 4/13
Saturday 4/14
Sunday 4/15
6prn
6pm
6pm
Gpm
6pm
Run Act Il
Monday 4/16
Tuesday 4/17
Wednesday 4/18
Thursday 4/19
Friday 4/20
Saturday 4/21
Dress Rehearsal
Dress Rehearsal
Opening Night
Perfarmance
Performance
(2) Performances
Sunday 4/22
Performance
(stop and go)
Run Show
Scene Work
Scene Work
Run Show
TEA Tech
TBA Tech
5pm call, Gpm go
Gpm call, 7 3 0 go
6pm call, 7:30 go
6pm call, 230 go
Gprn call, 7:30 go
12:30 call. 2 ~ no
m
6pm call,7:i0 g6
12:30 calL 2pm go
STRIKE IMMEDlATELY FOUOWING FlNAL PERFORbIANCE
BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Elaine DiFalco Daugherty was born in Brockton, MA on December 5, 1975.
She graduated from Brockton High School in 1993. She attended the University of
Maine and received her Bachelor's degree in Theatre in 1997. Elaine has been
teaching Fundamentals of Acting at The University of Maine since 1998, and is also
the Drama Coach for Orono Middle School. Elaine is a candidate for the degree of
Master of Arts in Theatre in December, 2005.