Theater in the Round

[dramamama611]

Can anyone reccommend a book, or article or website that discussess directing in the round? I realize there isn't likely one book that specifically/solely deals with that, but perhaps you know of a book that you feel has a section on it that you felt was helpful/invaluable.

I'll be in the city in July, and plan to spend some time in the drama bookstore looking, but I thought if anyone had any suggestions, I could jump start my research. (Even any personal insight would be appreciated.)

Thanks in advance for any help.

[dramamama611]

(Desperate) Bump.

[Gaveston2]

I've never directed in the round and I don't know of a good book on the subject, dramamama.

But I've been told by those who have that the main thing to remember is that center stage is no longer the most powerful position on stage (because a full half of the audience is looking at the actor's back). Instead the outside of the circle facing inward is stronger because 2/3 to 3/4 of the house can see the actor's face.

I realize you probably already knew that or would have figured it out in rehearsal. But it's all I know on the subject, so I shared.

Are you doing a musical? Although there are exceptions, I think they are particularly hard to do in the round.

[RippedMan]

From an actor's perspective, it's always good to act on the angle, like off the other actor's shoulders, so your face is more visible.

[dramamama611]

Thanks for the thoughts..

I'll. Be dircging a play, not a musical. I've obviously never directed for the round either but wanted to bring my students a new experience -- and I don't want to muck it up for them. I have plenty of time, its not until next spring but I do most of my research over the summer.

[philly03]

The Hale Center in Utah is a theatre-in-round, perhaps you could contact their Artistic Director for some insight. They do several productions a year, including musicals and plays like A Tale of Two Cities... the musical, Wildhorn's The Civil War, The Importance of Being Ernest, Born Yesterday, etc.

They have galleries of their productions online too.
Hale Center Theatre

[Visceral_Fella]

Marriott Lincolnshire does all their shows in the round. They even pulled off "A Chorus Line" last year.

http://marriotttheatre.com/index.aspx

[Gaveston2]

I think a play--particularly a realistic or naturalistic play--works much better in the round. I realize there are great directors who have found wonderful solutions for musicals in the round, but there's something about the way the energy is diffused in the round so that musicals never entirely work for me there.

I used to work at some proscenium theaters in the Florida and we often shared shows with the in-the-round theaters in the Northeast. I always thought the musicals suffered in the transfer.

But a play in the round can put the audience right in the middle of the action, which is often wonderful.

[jacobtsf]

My advice is obvious, as you are directing the show constantly change your perspective. What seems awesome staging from one seat can be beyond terrible in another.

Stagger your actors, no straight lines, and if at all possible keep them moving throughout the scene so everyone in the house gets their share of good views. Remember all of your sets have to stay extremely low to the ground, and depending on the angle of the seats you will figure out if it is better to keep them closer to center or to the sides.

It can be incredibly challenging your first few rehearsals, and you will not be able to catch everything, so if you have an Assistant Director or intern or someone who can help that would be great.

[Bwaydide92]

I'm assuming that you're teaching high school, so I think in the round is great for young actors, because you don't have to worry about cheating out (mostly)something great about plays in the round is that the actors can look directly at each other, which is rewarding for the actors and the audience. What I've seen done is that when the actors face each other the audience can always see one of the two pretty well, so they are getting something at all times.

A big challenge of doing things in the round (especially for young actors) is that you have to (as some call it) act through your back. For those moments when you have your back to the audience, it can be challenging to still be engaging those behind you. This can be hard for even experienced actors.

[Gaveston2]

I think one of the biggest challenges is the intimate moment when two actors face one another in the round. If you put them as close together as you would with a proscenium, you end up with each blocking the other entirely.

So love scenes and the like are often played at a greater distance, which can be a challenge for young actors: playing intimacy from several feet away.

[dramamama611]

Thanks for all the insight. Keep the thoughts coming.

[xxdrewboy85xx]

I could be wrong, but Notes on Directing by Frank Hauser ( The best book out there on Directing, IMHO) could possibly tackle that subject in the building blocks section. Now, I could be wrong, but I feel like I remember reading about directing on a traverse stage ( Alley Style) in 'Notes on Directing', so its worth a shot?!

[uncageg]

Maybe contact the Denver Center Theatre Company at the DCPA. The Space Theater is in the round. They put a lot of things on their website about the goings on at the center. They may have run something about directing in the round. It is worth a shot.

[mpd4165]

Check out Fundamentals of Play Directing by Alexander Dean and Lawrence Carra, should have some things on Arena staging.

[A Director]

Fundamentals of Play Directing by Alexander Dean and Lawrence Carra has chapter called, "Central Staging." It's a good place to start.

Also, in his book, The Director's Companion, Mel Shaprio has a section called Staging on Open Stages. It provides a nice companion to Dean and Carra.

Both books should provide all the help you'll need.

[Tom5]

Minority view, I guess, but I hate theatre in the round. I think the only thing good about it is it's "different'. And it certainly can't be employed in any play with ambitions of naturalism. For one thing, where do you put the windows?

[bobs3]

Many years ago, I saw a very good production of 1776 in the round. Sets were minimal (of course) mostly chairs and desks but the director kept the actors constantly moving so there was not a bad seat in the house and the stage had an automatic (but very noisy) turntable for scene transitions. I realize turntables are expensive and I think the show could have probably worked without the turntable. The orchestra was in a small half moon shaped pit built into the stage floor.

[EponineAmneris]

Everytime "theatre in the round" comes up, I can't help but think of, "You're looking at the man who invented Theatre in the Square. Nobody had a good seat!" --- Max Bilaystock in THE PRODUCERS

[Gaveston2]

Minority view, I guess, but I hate theatre in the round. I think the only thing good about it is it's "different'. And it certainly can't be employed in any play with ambitions of naturalism. For one thing, where do you put the windows?

I'm not a big fan of theater-in-the-round per se (particularly for musicals, as I wrote above), but I think you're wrong: naturalism is one of the best styles for it. You simply put the windows, walls and doors "outside" the circle. (I.e., I mean you let the audience imagine them.)

Your "set" is furniture. And in the round you can avoid all the "turning out" that is done with a proscenium, movement that is anything but naturalistic.

[dramamama611]

It's the perfect naturalistic environment -- we live life in the round.

[Gaveston2]

^^^Maybe Tom meant that because you can see the other half of the audience on the other side of the round, you don't get "perfect" naturalism. And I suppose that's true, but experiments in perfect and total naturalism have rarely worked anyway.

I'm with you, dramamama. The round puts the spectators "in" the action.