Almost famous
Photos: Rachel Fus
Unfortunately for the cast of First Year Players’ (FYP) production of ‘FAME,’ Goldstein Auditorium shuts down at midnight.
FYP’s dress rehearsal Monday night – starring 24 freshmen organized by more than 50 upperclassmen – featured a complete set and full orchestra. The group had been going strong for the past five hours, and the actors showed no signs of slowing the run of their physically – and vocally – demanding musical.
But then they’re told to stop. To take off the vibrant makeup, remove their vintage costumes and put back all props.
It’s midnight, and on the way out of Schine, the cast is still singing songs from ‘FAME.’ The troupe – part of Syracuse University’s student-run theater organization for freshmen and transfer students with non-drama majors – will return tonight though, as they have every night this week.
On paper, it’s called ‘tech week,’ in which all elements of the show – sound, lights, costumes and dance – come together. To the cast, it’s just known as ‘hell week.’
THE SHOW
Set in the competitive New York High School of Performing Arts in New York City, the musical follows student actors, dancers and singers working toward one common goal: becoming famous.
‘It’s about fulfilling dreams and wanting to be famous,’ said Alex Rabinowitz, director of this year’s show and a junior film major. ‘That’s something we can all relate to. I really enjoyed getting to see the show every night of the semester. When this is over, I’ll be upset that I don’t get to see this show every single night of my life.’
REHEARSALS
The cast has been rehearsing since Jan. 24, with a rigorous schedule full of acting, dancing and singing. With all of the demands of the show, Sundays and every other Monday were the only days without rehearsals.
For the past three weeks, rehearsals have been every day. But Raymond Lapena, an ensemble member and freshman public relations major, said all of the practice has paid off, and the group tries to fit everyone’s schedule, such as when Lapena has Groovestand rehearsals, an SU a capella group.
‘As we’ve gotten closer to show, it’s definitely become more intense,’ he said. ‘But we’re on track. I really enjoyed learning techniques from music students and having to work at dance rehearsals, because it’s not something I do a lot, but I have fun at those rehearsals.’
GETTING DRESSED, HAIR, MAKEUP
Preparing to perform includes putting on vintage-looking 80s clothing and eccentric, brightly colored makeup, such as blue and hot purple eye shadows. Getting dressed takes the least amount of time, because the cast is trained to pull off quick costume changes. Makeup takes at least 15 minutes to put on, and hair could last for 20 minutes or more, and involves a lot of hairspray and at least 20 bobby pins, said Hannah Cordell, a freshman photojournalism major who plays conservative dance student Iris.
‘The lights will wash you out, and then the audience will miss a lot of facial expression,’ she said. ‘So we do have a makeup artist on set, and we help each other out. Everything is pulled together fantastically. And the costumes are great, all the fun high school 80s outfits. You wonder what the heck they were thinking when they got dressed in the morning.’
NOTES
During each run-through of the show, the director, music director, choreographer and their assistants take notes to give the cast items to improve for the next performance. Individual notes include, for example, acting points and suggestions for what to think about during a scene or song. Group notes could include points for nailing the right cut-off notes during songs and special arrangements on set.
‘I’d say notes are very effective. They’re reminders for the next performance,’ said Beth Higbee, musical director of the show and a junior music and biochemistry major. ‘There are also positive notes, too, about things it’s clear the actors worked on since the last performance.’
WARM-UPS
Vocal, acting and dance warm-ups are an essential part of any rehearsal or performance, said Katlyn Morahan, choreographer of the musical and a junior broadcast journalism and Spanish major. The dance rehearsals she instructs are typically four hours long, so warm-up exercises help get the performers energized before they start working, she said.
‘The warm-ups are great, and they’re really helpful,’ she said. ‘It helps unite (the performers) before they’re ready to go on stage each night.’
Each of the three warm-ups usually takes 10 minutes. Vocal preparation helps the actors warm up their voices to sing, dance warm-ups usually include going through a stretch and acting sessions feature an energizing game.
GETTING MICED
Part of the sound equipment for the show includes 17 wireless microphones. All 14 leads have their own microphone, and then there are three ‘swinging mics,’ which rotate between performers after certain scenes.
Each actor tapes the wire to the back of his or her neck, loops the wire around the ear or through the hair and then tapes the microphone to the side of the face, so the microphone doesn’t move or make noise while the actor performs.
The hardest thing with getting miced is putting it where the actor won’t hit the switch to turn it on and off, said Michael Contino, a freshman broadcast journalism and international relations major who plays Goody, an obnoxiously funny trumpet player.
‘My mic fell out of my clip during the song ‘Fame,’ so I had to put it in a different place for the next scene,’ he said. ‘I’m glad I found that out now, instead of during a performance. This week is all about trial and error and getting things right.’
RUN-THROUGH
This is the time for the actors to put their hard work to the test and try to simulate what the actual performance would look like. Run-throughs took place Sunday, Monday and Tuesday night, with the final one happening tonight. The cast goes through the entire performance, only stopping for a 10-minute break between the first and second acts.
‘This is really our time to run the show with the orchestra, full set, lights and sound,’ Rabinowitz said. ‘I’m very pleased with the run-throughs we’ve had so far. If it weren’t for finalizing the technical aspects, the cast could have put this show on days ago and it’d be great.’
Published on April 1, 2008 at 12:00 pm
