BWW Blog: Samantha Tirrell - BACKBEARD Finds Its Audience

Backbeard: A New Musical found its first audiences this past Wednesday, and we were tremendously busy leading up the first performance. Regardless of what time of day it was, a plethora of artists were working around the clock to see the visions of Backbeard's creators through to opening day. The final week before opening was an integral period of growth for artists, creators, designers, and technical staff. After weeks (or in Backbeard's case, years) of immersion in the text and the projected visions of artists, the final stretch presented the actualization of the piece, and the monstrous effort of a family of artists was realized.

The last week before a production opens always begs a question of theatre artists which puts the work we do into perspective -- who exactly are we doing it for? Certainly the very nature of theatre--live art performed for live audiences--continually suggests that everything that we give is for the audience, which is further propelled by our understanding of what is gained from experiencing live theatre. But perhaps more deeply-seeded is the enduring need of theatre artists to create, doctor, grow, and transform as they pursue their craft.

Before Backbeard could find its audience, a large number of moving parts had to be worked out and married to one another so that the story could be told in the way that the creators imagined. This inevitably meant that many hands helped to mold the piece during the rehearsal period, with each of their contributions crucial to the evolvement and success of the piece's fluidity. The final product shows the unremitting dedication of the artists who have contributed to it.

Firstly, Matthew McElligott's book series (and now book of a musical with the collaboration of Larry Tuxbury and Brain Sheldon) has transformed, and characters who once existed almost solely as illustrations are offered a voice, with their own senses of language, desire, and motivation. And Matthew's illustrations, which are the root of the inspiration of it all, are projected onto three patchwork sails, part of Spencer Musser's detailed and functional set design. Michael Musial's score offers a transformative sense of clarity and understanding to audiences experiencing Backbeard's story, servicing both the logic and the emotion of the piece in its actuation. The choreography by Michael Whitney and direction by Michael Musial allows the actors to be moving fluidly and creatively, free to share the candor of Backbeard's lessons but bound to the spectacle and beauty which ultimately services the piece's simplicity. Duncan Morrison's pig puppet sits at every performance upon Backbeard's shoulder, fully realized by the facility of Lynne Roblin's tremendous costume design, the versatility of which makes Backbeard's important transformation possible.

During a technical rehearsal, when a majority of the creative and production teams sat in the audience and watched all of their hard work and dedication become a fully-realized and harmonious theatrical production (hopefully just the first in the life that Backbeard has ahead of it), the question was partially answered. Theatre artists do what they do--create--because the act of creation is a significant reminder of how alive our art form is, and that it requires the work that we do to provide the art form with a heartbeat, a steady breath, and the prosperity and resilience to withstand the forces in our culture and society which actively work against it. There is an immeasurable pride and satisfaction in theatrical art which can only be achieved when it all finally works, and the collaboration of this discipline becomes an integral part of our lives.

These realizations may all occur before a show even opens, but the true test of an artist's work comes with its consumption by an audience. Backbeard's run is made up of several 10am performances, during which many local elementary schools will get the chance to take an excursion from the classroom to see Backbeard's colorful adventure. This past week, when children filed into the Schacht Fine Arts Center, a new magic began. When you present work aimed at such young audiences, it is important to consider that for a large majority of the children that attend, this will be their very first exposure to the craft that you've built your life upon. They file into the space, gaze at the set, and squirm in their seats with anticipation until it begins. And the wonder and enchantment that they will experience as they sit and watch the work unravel will be unmatched for some of them, just as it was for every member of the Backbeard team the first time they ever sat in a theatre. Years from now, when these children seek their own immersion in the craft of theatre, they will remember the first show that introduced them to the sheer magic of it all.

Ultimately, Backbeard has been a reminder for me (and I'm sure for many other members of the team) just why we do what we do. We create because it is in our nature, and there is a deep and important satisfaction associated with the successes of the craft. But further, we do this because we all began as audience members. We all had the jolting first exposure to theatrical art which has propelled us here, to Backbeard, and it is crucial for us all to remember that as 3,000 school children experience our work over the course of two weeks, it is Backbeard which may propel them to share in our work someday. At the end of the day, our work is fruitless if it not shared and experienced by an audience. We do this for them.

You have one week left to see Backbeard, running through June 12th at the Theatre Institute at Sage in Troy, NY. http://sage.edu/theatre.