Theatrical Society Begins Planning for Fall 2021
Lights! Camera! Action! As most of you know, the Theatrical Society at TFC has been hard at work with Eagle Radio over the past year to bring the campus two radio plays. This was the first time radio plays had ever been done at TFC. The most recent of the two, "The 39 Steps: A Live Radio Play," is still available to listen to on Spotify if you missed the premiere in the Odyssey Coffeehouse. While the radio plays have been a fun challenge, the entire society is itching to get back to stage productions. One of the Theatrical Society officers informed the Talon that: “At the moment, we are planning to go back to normal productions in the Fall. There may have to be a few precautions taken, but we are hopeful.
The Fall 2021 play has yet to be chosen. The director applications are not due until the end of June/early July. Each play that the society performs has two directors of equal authority. They chose the show they want, including a second option, and send the applications to the officers. The officers then chose the directors, if multiple people submit an application, and pick the play they feel is the best option. This is when things are set in motion for the actual production.
The play will be announced in the first few weeks of the semester, and auditions follow shortly after. Signups for auditions, membership, makeup, stage crew, and tech are available during the week leading up to auditions in the Student Center. Auditions normally take place in either Grace Chapel or Woerner Missions, Classroom 104. They typically include a one to two minute memorized monologue and cold reads of the script. People who audition can attend two weeks of rehearsals before committing to work in the play. The directors both assign the parts, and the cast list is sent out.
Then rehearsals start. Typically, rehearsals will be two nights a week, for an hour and a half at the most. There will be one or two weekend rehearsals, normally scheduled closer to the show. Rehearsals last the majority of the semester. Only actors and directors are required to show up to rehearsals. Anyone in tech or stage crew is welcome to join, but your presence will not become necessary until the last few weeks.
The play is typically scheduled about two to three weeks before finals. The premier usually is on a Thursday or Friday, and the show will last till Sunday. The Saturday before the premiere is typically the first official rehearsal with the actors, stage crew, and tech crew all together. The Monday before starts what the society members all love to call “Tech Week”.
Tech Week is the most demanding part of the entire process. It is the last few days prior to the play release. Rehearsals usually start around 5 or 6 p.m. and can go really late. One member of the Theatrical Society said: "Thankfully, we are not planning on producing another Jane Austen play for a while because those always last the longest. We did Pride and Prejudice in Fall 2019, and that was the longest week of the semester for anyone involved. The play was great, and the directors were wonderful, but all of us just wanted to sleep for a thousand years after it was done."
Nevertheless, Tech Week is worth it. Every play the society has performed has been fantastic. Tickets are cheap and will be available for anyone in the Student Center starting the Monday of Tech Week. The show will finish by the end of the weekend. Usually, there are two after-parties. Opening night has the cast dinner, typically at a nearby restaurant, and the final show has the cast party where all of the cast and crew celebrate by eating, watching a movie, or playing a game.
If you are interested in auditioning or directing, please contact the Theatrical Society at theatricalsociety@tfc.edu or the President of the Society, Caris Schoolcraft, at CarisSchoolcraft@tfc.edu.