Interview: Centre Stage Artistic Director Laura Nicholas Discusses Virtual Production of 'NIGHT, MOTHER

What starts out as a normal evening at home turns dark quickly in Marsha Norman's, 'NIGHT, MOTHER.

Greenville, SC's Centre Stage launches a first of its kind pre-recorded performance of this classic, award-winning one-act play on October 16 and 17.

'NIGHT, MOTHER explores the importance of family, relationships, and mental health through the eyes of a mother and her daughter. The performance was filmed on stage during COVID-19, with social distancing protocols maintained by everyone involved during the rehearsal and performance process.

BroadwayWorld asked Centre Stage Artistic Director Laura Nicholas to tell us more.

---

BWW: Tell us about the production.

Nicholas: 'NIGHT, MOTHER was part of our 2019-2020 Prisma Health Fringe Series. It was originally scheduled to be produced in conjunction with our Mainstage Spring Musical, 9 TO 5. Of course, we were not able to produce either of these shows within the timeframe we had planned due to COVID, but we were still able to get the cast and crew of 'NIGHT, MOTHER together to create something totally different, and maybe even better than what we were anticipating! Phyllis Henderson plays Thelma (Mama) Cates, and Lisa Sain Odom joined the production as Jessie Cates.

How are you handling rehearsals and recording?

Rehearsals for this show actually began back in February, prior to any shutdowns. We had to halt all production in March, but then began again in August completely socially-distanced and taking strict safety precautions. The cast rehearsed for only two weeks prior to filming and wore masks until dress rehearsals began. Everyone else either zoomed in or wore masks for the entire process. Temperatures were taken and logged prior to every rehearsal, symptoms were monitored, and the actors each had separate designated areas to sit and store their personal items. The show was re-staged to be performed without either actor coming into close contact with each other. Thankfully, this show lends itself almost entirely to this type of staging with only a few exceptions where you might want the actors to have close moments. One thing we really did have to think about is all the eating and smoking in the show. The last thing you want is for the actors to end up sharing cigarettes during a pandemic! We were particularly careful about keeping everything separate and sanitized without distracting from the story. We recorded the show on one long day with a local filmmaker, Collins White, from Other Vision Studios. We worked through the show section by section, repeating shots as we went to get different angles. It was a lot like one of our typical technical rehearsals and also very different! I think we all learned a lot through this process.

How much of a "filmed" look are you going for?

For this project, we really wanted to capture something totally unique--a hybrid of film and theatre. I spent much of March, April, and May researching other virtual productions and comparing different approaches to digitizing the live experience. By June, it was clear to me that we would need to at least dip our toes into the film realm if we were going to keep producing into the fall. Some things just can't be produced outside, especially our Fringe Series! In my research, I had seen some productions filmed with just one or two static cameras and those productions just fell short for me. It didn't really capture the energy of the actors onstage, nor did it make good use of the obvious change in medium. Luckily, audience members who come to Centre Stage already have experienced the various interesting angles possible on a thrust stage! I hope this film actually feels a little bit like sitting in the audience in our space, but also feels like something totally different and exciting.

Have you had to adapt the staging or make other accommodations to produce the best possible virtual experience?

The staging was adapted mostly just for social-distancing purposes, but was still staged like a play as opposed to a film. For future projects, we may adapt further for the camera, but Collins White did a wonderful job capturing the staging without much adjustment on the fly. I actually think the staging is a nice reminder that you are watching a play as opposed to a movie. It makes the project feel more theatrical than it would otherwise.

How do you think this play in particular will work in this setting, without live audience feedback?

This play actually was made into a film in the 80s shortly after it premiered on Broadway. Admittedly, I've not seen the film, but I've heard it's great! The popularity of the film is what made me believe this play could easily translate from stage to screen. Everything is in real time, the cast is small, and there is only one location. All of these elements make filming much easier. Of course, for the actors there is nothing like live audience feedback. I imagine there are things we might have gleaned from the usual immediate response of an audience, such as what moments might come across as comic or especially moving, but I also think the director, Christopher Rose, has done a great job anticipating as much of that as possible!

One of the best parts of your Fringe Series is the post-performance talkback with cast/crew and representatives from sponsoring non-profits. How are you handling that for this production?

Although we won't be able to have our usual talkback, we are holding a panel discussion that will be free and open to the public before the streaming dates on October 13th with the director, Prisma Health representatives, and Mental Health America of Greenville to talk about some of the important themes in the show. It should be an enlightening discussion!

---

Centre Stage's production of 'NIGHT, MOTHER will be available to stream October 16 and 17 only.

Get tickets to this pre-recorded event by visiting https://centrestage.org/night-mother-by-marsha-norman/, or by calling the Box Office at (864)233-6733 Tuesday-Thursday from 2-5pm.

To post a comment, you must register and login.