Reasons to be Pretty

Reasons to be Pretty is a stage play by playwright Neil LaBute. The play is an exploration of relationship between two late-20's/early-30's couples. It's a surprisingly deep play, deeper than I took it to be on the surface, and is one that I've come to appreciate.

This particular play also happens to be the next play that I am involved with at the local community theatre. It is going to be the final play that we are hosting in our current building; we're having a brand new theatre built right from the ground up that will be ready for us to use in 2024. It's very exciting. There will be two nearby restaurants, making an evening out for a play or musical an actual destination.

This play has been consuming a lot of my time. I am not one of the actors; I am the back-stage Stage Manager, responsible for ensuring that everything works the way it is intended to work, that the lights are queued and sounds updated accordingly, and so forth. If it is involved in the play, if it can be seen, touched, or heard, I am responsible for it. At least, I am responsible for it once the Director has finished. The Director creates the play. I ensure it runs smoothly.

We have four actors for the two couples and they're currently doing a bangup job. They are making my job much easier. There will also be stage crew, another four people, who will be responsible for updating the props and stage between scenes.

Half of the scenes in the play take place in a warehouse break room. Three of the four characters work for the company that runs the warehouse. So we (the Director and I) have decided that the stage crew will also be employees of that warehouse, allowing us to create the illusion of continuity. Further, we've decided to allow the stage crew to interact with the actors during these scene breaks. I will also be allowed onstage during these scene breaks to direct the changes, as if I was the warehouse manager. This would be challenging since, normally, I would stay backstage and be in touch with the sound and light booth over a headset, so we've decided to expand the illusion to include that booth; the light/sound technicians will now also be considered stage crew, to whom I will be allowed - and expected - to yell directions to during scene breaks ("Hey! We need light here!").

My expectation is that scene changes will be small comical interludes to break up the heart-wrenching nature of the story. To that end I plan to have my crew and I improvise much of what we do, and to push the envelope as far as we can without intruding on the show itself.

As an example, during the intermission between Acts, I plan to have some of the crew and myself on stage at the tables as if we were on break, chattering about whatever. I'm hoping to egg them on into an impromptu chorus of The Lion Sleeps Tonight, or to make up a blues song on the fly (I plan to bring a harmonica and a kazoo).

Of course, in true community theatre fashion, we're all volunteers, the stage is not quite yet complete, and opening day is in less than three weeks. We've got this! And if we don't... well... it's live community theatre. What could go wrong?

---

(c) All images and photographs, unless otherwise specified, are created and owned by me.
(c) Victor Wiebe

---

About Me

Sometimes photographer. Wannabe author. Game designer. Nerd. 
General all around problem-solver and creative type.

---

Blind Skeleton

Online Radio: https://blindskeleton.one/radio/
Three Tune Tuesday Live Stream: 12:00pm (noon) EST

Frogs of War Games

Tidwick

The Feet Community

What I Learned Today