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Creating a New Company....What to do first?
4th
August 2008
By Lauren Doutch
THINGS TO DO:
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Create theatre company
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Assemble production team
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Hold Auditions
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Cast Show
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Rehearse
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Perform
Looks simple doesn’t it?! When you list it like that, creating a
theatre company looks so simple that anyone could do it. However, we
all know that there is quite a bit of ‘behind the scenes’ work that
we, the performers, don’t often see. So I could only imagine the
amount of work that can go into creating an entirely NEW company!
First, I spoke to Gil Bilson the artistic director of New Beat
Theatre Company, who are currently preparing for their production of
Rent.
CREATE THEATRE COMPANY (March 2006 – March 2008)
TP: How did the idea come about to form New Beat Theatre Company?
Gil: It really sprung from our desire to put on a show! As we
started evaluating why we wanted to start a new organisation, I
realised that there is a real gap between student and amateur
theatre, in my mind. By placing the company in a CBD based location,
we hope that we can make a company which has all of the
professionalism and dedication of an amateur company combined with
the innovation and friendly atmosphere of a student group. The best
of both worlds!
TP: Where do you start in forming your own theatre company?
Gil: I suppose the first thing is to question your motives. You want
to be careful that the company isn’t just a venue for a single
person’s artistic interests, because I think a company has to be
greater than the sum of its parts. Once you establish your reasons,
which for us were bridging the student/amateur divide, you start
going through the paperwork!
TP: So was that hardest part in creating the company? All the paper
work?
Gil: For me it was really the drafting of the constitution. As
Artistic Director I felt it was important to set the tone of the
company in stone, as it were, but also to allow room for growth and
development. That said; the hardest part was also one of the most
rewarding, as I feel like we have protected our own aims and
intentions by doing so.
TP: Why did you choose ‘Rent’ as your first production?
Gil: It’s really a passion project for me. I’ve loved the show for
nearly nine years now. I think it was one of the great works of our
generation; it speaks to us on a true and personal level. But I also
think it is a perfect show for our company: it is popular but allows
for so much creative freedom. It has great drama and a nearly
flawless score. Most of all, it is a fun show about friendship,
which makes it ideal for amateur theatre.
With Gil also being the director for Rent, he had to find a
musical director and choreographer. His prayers were answered in
Tanya Chaves (MD) and Joel Bow (choreographer).
ASSEMBLE PRODUCTION TEAM (MARCH 2008)
TP: What drew you to be a part of the production of Rent,
especially with a new company?
Joel: What drew me was the challenge of choreographing a show that
is not known for dancing. It’s hard to come in as choreographer on a
show that doesn't have much definite chorey, it’s not Hello Dolly or
A Chorus Line where you can come in and choreograph 20 counts of 8
in a group number and finish with a few lifts and a button picture
at the end. You have to be delicate when choreographing a number for
a stripper who has HIV and is a junky...she wouldn't do triple turns
and stuff (although my beautiful girls can!). You have to be
realistic about you are producing and the challenge of that is what
appealed to me.
Tanya: I saw RENT two years ago in
New York and fell in love with the fusion of musical genres, and the
raw storyline this production has to offer. Having worked with
director Gil Bilson on previous occasions, I had a lot of faith in
his “interactive theatre,” vision (even if I didn’t understand right
away!) and was very excited for a chance to work with him again.
With a stellar production team assembled, the scariest element (for
both production team and performers alike) was next.
HOLD AUDITIONS (May 2008)
TP: How was the audition process? Did you get as much interest as
you expected or did it go beyond expectations?
Gil: The audition process was a blessing for us. We had such a
strong standard set from the very beginning and it was a very
difficult process to sift through so much talent! We were very lucky
to be able to consider every factor of the actors’ relationships to
the characters. We ended up having nearly eighty people audition.
Tanya: I always thought doing such a well loved show would mean we
would get a lot of auditionees, so in that way I wasn’t surprised
that we had a lot of people apply. The standard of performers we
received however was really amazing, especially as we are a brand
new company. We have walked away with a superb cast as a result.
Joel: We had the luxury of casting all first choices, in all roles.
So the last thing I had to do was to ask the cast why they
auditioned for the show. I asked Cameron Mitchell (Mark), Gina Mets
(Mimi) and Sam Kitchen (Collins) to share their reasons.
Cameron: I've always been interested in Rent after seeing it
when it came to
Melbourne
all those years ago.
Gina: Rent happens to be one of my favourite musicals. Mimi
is a role I’ve always felt I’d be well suited to. Thankfully through
New Beat Theatre I’ve been able to take up this role.
Sam: I fell in love with the music and story of Rent about 7 or 8
years ago when a friend lent me the original soundtrack. Since I
played the ‘I’ll Cover You Reprise’ for the first time, I’ve eagerly
had my eyes set on playing Collins. The role has been written so
well and the relationship between Angel and Collins is really
touching.
Gil, Tanya and Joel had their cast! Only two things left to cross
off the list! However, the next part was one of the longer processes
that needed to occur.
REHEARSALS (End of May 2008 – August 2008)
TP: So production team, how have the cast been to work with?
Tanya: Honestly, the cast of this production is the best I’ve worked
with, through all the shows I’ve been a part of whether it was as
Musical director, asst MD or repetiteur. Each one of the leads and
each member of the ensemble have an extremely high level of singing
and performing ability and there is no weak link at all. That is an
amazing luxury to have as a musical director, and made casting and
solo choices very hard!
Joel: The cast have been great! When a cast rocks up, unpaid, with
harmonies and script down, it was like I was working with the likes
of the Production Company. This is a serious cast. It’s a young,
happening, sexy, alive cast with no divas, which is always nice!
Gil: The cast have been fantastic. The concept is a very difficult
one to envisage, but they have trusted us and played with us as we
brought the show to life. It is such an involved show for everyone
in the production, that you really cannot afford to have a weak
link, and we are very lucky with that.
TP: And Cast: how has the rehearsal process been working on Rent
with the production team and other cast members?
Gina: Personally, for me it has been amazing. Not only has the
production team been incredibly supportive, but also the cast has
been hysterical. I’ve heard that casts become extremely close during
Rent but it’s hard to believe until you’re thrust into the intensity
of it.
Sam: I’ve really enjoyed the rehearsal process for this show; the
cast are really down to earth. It’s a group of talented people that
have the same passion for Rent as you recognise in yourself. Rent
has such a passionate story that it’s impossible not to get swept
away in the story and characters during the rehearsal process.
Cameron: It has been one of the best experiences I've had in amateur
theatre so far. The whole cast is really supportive of each other,
so the atmosphere makes it very easy to learn new things every
rehearsal. Also, thanks to the close proximity of age, and the
varying levels of experience (from a few shows to those with
professional experience) the amount of information on offer is
incredibly vast. Anywhere you look during rehearsal, you see a very
talented person you could learn something from.
TP: How does this production of Rent differ to the other ones
we have seen in the past?
Gil: How doesn’t it?! The core change is in the staging. We stage it
in an innovative, interactive way, which really emphasizes bringing
the audience into the community of Alphabet City in a non-intrusive,
emotional way. With the close proximity of the actors the audience
is also able to see more expression, more detail. This allowed us to
change the tools and ways the actors perform, and so we’ve got some
numbers which are so internal, so subtle they are almost like a
close-up in a film, while others use the entire space to create a
surround-sound effect. The strength this brings to some of the
numbers is incredible! The characters are the same ones we all know
and love, but they can just be experienced in a variety of different
ways now.
Gina: I’ve seen shows before that have left me wishing I could have
been on stage, having as much fun as the cast is having. This
interactive experience allows just that. Having the audience up
close and personal allows them to become emotionally and physically
involved in a scene, which, in a show like Rent, is important.
Tanya: The interactive format not only sets us apart from all the
other versions of RENT that I’ve seen, but also from all the other
plays and musicals that I’ve seen in my life! I think Rent
really lends itself to this type of theatre.
So with only a couple of days until ‘rehearsals’ can be crossed off
the list, I asked the cast what they were most looking forward to
when the show opens on the 7th of August.
Sam:
That would have to be the massive sing that awaits me every night.
The relaxed and talented Tanya (our MD) has encouraged me to really
explore stretching my voice and challenged me to push the
boundaries. It’s exciting to keep stretching yourself as a
performer and this is certainly an enjoyable challenge.
Cameron: Being part of a troop of performers that I am honoured to
be a part of, and seeing how the show grows as we perform it to a
live audience.
Gina: I think I’m looking forward to seeing the audience’s
interaction with the cast. I know it’s going to add an amazing
dynamic to the show that you just can’t emulate in rehearsals.
Hopefully the audience will feel urged to join in and become the
community of Alphabet city.
TP: So do we all have any last words to say to the readers?
Gina: I really encourage the TP community to come and experience
rent in this format, because we’re just that: a ‘community’. We’re
all trying to sustain our passion for theatre and without support we
know that’s impossible.
Joel: I have done lousy shows, great shows, paid shows, shows that
have cost me fortune. New Beat's Rent is that hot, I'm not
even gonna lie about it. If you don't like the show, I will eat my
hat....
Cameron: Despite the venue being that of students, don't
underestimate the possibilities of a cast that loves what they do!
Stay open minded! Don't be intimidated by the lack of seats!
Sam: After running the show numerous times I still get chills when I
hear some of the solo voices of the cast and especially some of the
big full cast numbers. I’m hoping the audience will have as many
spine tingling moments as I have during the rehearsal process.
Gil: I think any new company has a bit of a curiosity and a bit of a
stigma attached to it. Expectations are high (or low), and
particularly with a production, which pushes the boundaries,
audiences may not know what to expect. Nothing is greater than the
unknown to me, and I hope you come along and prepare to have an
experience unlike anything you’ve seen before!
Here’s hoping that ‘make the show a success’ can go on the list at
the end of the run. Make sure you help support a new company in what
is surely to be an unbelievable unique experience!
 New
Beat Theatre Company is performing Rent at
The Union Theatre, Ground Floor,
Union House at the University of Melbourne.
The run starts with a preview on Thursday 7th August,
then continues with shows
until Saturday the 16th of August, starting at 7.30pm
(Matinee on Sunday 10th August at 2.00pm)
Ticket Prices
$26 for Adults, $19 for concession.
For Preview performance, all tickets are $19.
For Gala Opening Performance (Friday 8th August), all
tickets are $35 (includes drinks and finger food).
Groups of 12+ will also receive a 15% discount upon purchase
Booking Details:
Book online at:
www.newbeattc.com
E-mail:
tickets@newbeattc.com
Or
Call: 0430 237 712 |