FEATS 2011 Director's Report
After a somewhat disappointing turnout for auditions (my guess would be the lowest ever in the history of the Semi-Circle) we nevertheless ended up with an amazing two-man cast (David Cox and Steve Martin) and a wonderful backstage crew (Helen Baldomero and John Hyland), and support from Judy Martin.
Rehearsals took place in an interesting variety of locations including a hotel in the red-light district, at the International School and on our rooftop terrace where we were interrupted by a neighbour who retired rather hastily when he saw a bottle of whiskey and two men in a heated discussion.
The play is a black comedy which focuses on a ‘ping-pong’ of power struggle between the two actors. The clown is beautifully portrayed by Steve as a traditional clown figure with underlying sinister and manic tendencies and the ringmaster whom David characterized as a businessman with hidden anxieties and ambitions to follow in his father’s footsteps. The short play moves at a fast pace and twists and turns its way through the power struggle.
Cast and crew were a director’s dream; no challenge was too great and they did not even complain when I exercised the female prerogative of changing my mind (as in ‘I know last rehearsal we did that, but let’s try it that way shall we?).The set, minimalistic to begin with was pared down to an even more minimalistic level and we realized we could transport the whole thing, make-up included, together with three people in our car!
The show was presented at FEATS 2011 at the Forum Theatre in Meyrin, Geneva June 10-13th. Being given the last slot at FEATS on Monday evening was a blessing and a nightmare – we had the whole of the festival to worry, but we also had a good chance to look at the stage, lighting and acoustics in the theatre. We made extensive use of the technical facilities which the theatre had to offer, using a purple cyclorama back projection, two specially created silhouette gobos, and focussed red and white spotlights to define the acting space within the clown’s caravan. Extracts from modern and traditional circus music were used at the opening and closing of the piece.
Our hard work, ideas and dedication were rewarded; ‘Death of a Clown’ won the Taché Diamonds Award’ third place for best production. Additionally, Steve Martin was nominated for the best actor award and the adjudicator praised many aspects of the production including stage presentation, make-up, the clown costume, the interaction between the characters and the pacing of the play. He also liked our choice of music and the opening and closing tableaus of the play – an idea echoed by the audience who applauded as the curtain opened on our opening scene.
All in all, I believe we created a production to be proud of and look forward to playing it to our home audiences in October. A huge thank you to those involved in all aspects from the massive task of learning very difficult lines, to egg-blowing, creating clown faces, sewing clown trousers, and of course creating the perfect shade of whiskey!
Zuzana Cox
