Preview Week at Androcles and the Lion

This week at the Tempe Center for the Arts, Androcles and the Lion has had a week of previews. There were five preview performances in all, with our final preview performance tomorrow Saturday, October 31 at 1:00 PM. Our opening performance will follow at 4:00 PM.

So what is the difference between a preview performance and a regular performance? A preview performance is really important for the actors, the director and the crew of a show. Let me explain why.

Preview performances give the actors an audience for the first time. A show is never complete until the audience is added. During rehearsals the actors and directors work very hard to make the show just right, but until they see how the audience reacts to the show they can’t put the finishing touches on it. Preview performances give the actors and directors the chance to collaborate and make final adjustments that make a show even better than it was in rehearsal.

After each performance during this preview week, the director, D. Scott Withers, the music director, Jonathan Ivie, the stage manager, Alfredo Macias and the actors all gather backstage to review how the show went. The director, music director and the stage manager give each actor “notes.” A note is a direction to help the actor improve their performance or the show as a whole.

For example, yesterday, Scott and Jonathan felt that the final number of the show needed some tweaks. So after the preview and completing our “notes session” we all returned to the stage to work on the final number. We added some new vocals to make the song even better.

This week we were fortunate enough to have full houses for all of our preview performances. Each audience shared generous laughs and lots of reactions that have made our show even better. So next time you go to a preview performance remember that you are really part of the making of a play!

Commedia del Arte

Androcles and the Lion is done in the style of Commedia del Arte.

Commedia del Arte is a style of comic theatre started in Italy and was extremely popular from the mid-1500s to the mid-1700s. It is the style which gave us "slapstick" comedy (think The Three Stooges). In fact, the term "slapstick comedy" comes to us because of a prop called a slapstick that was used by some of the characters to hit or beat other characters in a comic way.


Commedia performances always had stock characters, many of whom wore masks. Stock characters that you will find in our production are Arlechino, Pantalone, Capitano and Lelio and Isabella (the lovers). Often these characters had very specific ways that they moved and acted and audiences in Italy came to expect certain behaviors and actions from each character.


The story lines were often very similar in structure, but were very rarely scripted...the actors would improvise their lines (make them up as they went along) to tell the familiar stories. In our show, the typical plot of the lovers being prevented from marrying by the miser, Pantalone, becomes a key element.


Below are some illustrations of what the stock characters would have looked like back in the time of Italian Commedia. Look at them and see how they compare to what we have done with costumes when you come see the show!

Comedy and Candy!!

Hi All!

I hope you will all plan to join us for our opening performance on October 31st at 4pm at the Tempe Center for the Arts!

Androcles and the Lion was a total blast to direct and this cast is so much fun to watch. Not only are they great actors with amazing comic abilities but all of them play instruments throughout the show! Who knew that David Dickinson (Androcles) was a virtuoso on the violin?!!

And don't forget, as an added bonus, if you wear a Halloween costume to either show on Saturday (1pm = final preview and 4pm = opening) you can trick or treat at the actors "houses" on stage. Comedy and Candy!! What could be better than that?

Hope to see you all this weekend!

Scott Withers
Director

Welcome to the Androcles and the Lion Blog!

Welcome to the official blog of Childsplay's Androcles and the Lion! My name is David Dickinson, and I'm playing Androcles in the play. We will be opening this coming Saturday, October 31, Halloween Day! We will be performing the show at the Tempe Center for the Arts until November 15th. We will then go on the road with the show all year throughout the state of Arizona completing the tour in May 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada. This blog will chronicle our trek over the boards and across the state.

We started a month ago with our first read of the play, and after a stream of crazy creative rehearsals, our cast is very excited to finally be able to perform in front of audiences. We had our first preview to a packed house yesterday the Studio at the Tempe Center for the Arts.

The play is in classic Commedia dell'arte style. This means music with the actors playing all the instruments, masks, singing and dancing and highly stylized acting. We begin each performance with "lazzi" which are semi-rehearsed, but mostly impromptu, comic situations that a commedia troupe would perform. The lazzi start the fun and are different every day.

Each of the actors is playing a stock character from Commedia. For example, Androcles is actually the stock character of Arlecchino or the Harlequin. We also have the Captain (Anthony Toudjarov), the Pantalone (Jesse Berger) the two Lovers (Kate Haas and Eric Boudreau) and of course a lion (Scott Jeffers)! The Commedia dell'arte style not only gives a young audience constant and captivating action, but gives the play a connection to theatre's roots which makes this play a unique experience for all theatre goers.

The play is written by Aurand Harris, directed by D. Scott Withers and scored by Glenn Mack. However, the music is adapted beautifully by Jonathan Ivie. The play is a classic for young audiences. I hope you can come out and see this story of friendship come to life!