Spring 2009 Production: Hidden Lives

The 2009 spring production featured five one-act plays (three of which were very short), offering a wide range of characters, plots and emotions for the audience. And with 17 roles spread over the five plays, many Semi-Circle members were able to exercise their acting skills. The production also tested the endurance of all actors, directors and crew, as there were performances seven nights in a row. But there were no mishaps, and those actors who came down with colds or flu bravely soldiered on. The performances all went smoothly, thanks to the hard work and commitment of everyone. The venue for the production was the Neues Theater am Bahnhof in Dornach. The theater is nicely located in the center of Dornach, close to public transport lines. And though it was the first week of April, the weather was generally good, which meant we could keep the theater’s outdoor bar open following the shows. Theater-goers were able to enjoy an exciting evening of theater and good conversation afterwards at the bar. Unfortunately, attendance was somewhat below the club’s long-term average, most likely because the production cut into the first part of the Easter week holidays. The Dornach venue has always been a hit with the both the audience and actors. The fate of the theater itself is somewhat uncertain, as there are plans to redevelop the area around the Dornach train station, which could mean tearing down the theater and surrounding buildings for urban renewal. This year’s production may have been our last in the lovely surroundings of the Neues Theater am Bahnhof.
James Sievert

Folie à Trois (in Dornach)
A Co-Director’s Retrospective
 We had melded quickly into a team. We had worked hard for months. Mine was the initiative to bring this play from the radio to the stage so there was a certain momentum towards nominating me as director. The “elders” of our drama group, aware that I lacked directing experience, “advised” me to choose a co-director. To my delight and good fortune Stephanie Parker offered to bring her considerable talent and skills to bear on the project. The first two rehearsals sufficed for me to realise that Stephanie ought to be the de facto director with me as her willing and enthusiastic supporter. Our Dornach production was predominantly her creation and I am delighted to place this on record. So, how did it go? Our three actresses, Zuzana Cox, Joy Scherer and Amy Wilson, performed to the highest level of my expectations. Lighting and sound were carefully tailored to match the variations in mood. Our crew, led by Stage Manager, Steve Martin, were fleet of foot and precise in their placement of furniture (some heavy) and props. As usual audience reactions varied from night to night. Overall it was well received. The subject of the play, being to some a trifle disturbing, inevitably engendered in them a somewhat muted response, but during personal discussions in the bar a satisfying number of people praised our production. My personal thanks and appreciation go to everyone, cast and crew, for finally making my dream come true.
Eric Collino

Behind the Curtain
Director’s Report
I joined the Semi-Circle about three years ago and have since then helped with several plays as a Stage Manager. Last year, when there was a call for directors for one-act plays, I decided to try my hand at that too. My grandmother-in-law was a playwright and I welcomed the chance to bring one of her plays to the Basel stage. I chose a comedy with a hint of murder-mystery, and as I had not directed in a long time I was a little apprehensive about the project at first, however, I was gifted with an excellent cast and soon we were having lots of fun exploring the piece. All the characters began to come to life and I believe that the end result was enjoyable for the actresses as well as the audience. Coupled with attendance at the final performances by my mother-in-law, daughter of the author, it was altogether a rather special and touching experience.
Conny Heim

Three Short Plays
Director’s Report
It was an interesting experience directing three 10 minute plays at the same time. When they were first suggested to me, I read them and thought that this should not present too many problems. Hmm.... With regard to cast we had some very good auditions that were well attended and I found the bulk of the people I needed without too much trouble. One play, " Surprise", was cast immediately because the three people involved gelled so quickly. Within three weeks that went out of the window as Susanne Thommen came to rehearsals one night with the news that she was pregnant. This in itself was not a problem but at 4 weeks the poor girl was already 'showing'. As the play concluded with her starting an affair we felt that another 6 weeks would not improve things! Luckily for me Stephanie Nemeth- Parker stepped in and saved the day. Then came rehearsals which had to be arranged for 9 actors. I thought this would not be too bad and that I could arrange 1 or 2 nights a week with staggered timings for each of the 10 min. plays. In true Semi-Circle fashion this proved not to be the case and quite a few nights were taken up with individual plays being rehearsed. As for the plays themselves, they became more and more challenging as time went on. It became obvious that although they were 'only' 10 minute plays, each were was very tightly written. Consequently the actors had to be word perfect - deviations, we soon found, did not work. I decided early on to keep the staging simple and props to a minimum. This seemed to work well by the time the plays got on to the stage. Come the public performances the actors produced some memorable performances for such short plays and the combination worked well. Again, as a director, the whole exercise was a very positive experience. Just as importantly, the quality of actors we have in Semi-Circle still amazes me. Two footnotes: 1) The performance permission costs of the plays was high. This would need to be considered if this format was adopted again. 2) Unfortunately, due to only being able to find a theatre late on, the audience attendance was not high. This, we think, was mainly because it was the start of the Easter holidays.
Peter Hilton