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Well folks, this last October saw one of the most challenging production I think I will ever have the honor of doing.
The Laramie Project (if your not aware) is the story of the Matthew Shepard murder back in 1998. Moises Kaufman of the New York City-based Tectonic Theater Project made several trips over yrs to conduct interviews, collect transcripts etc. They then took over 200 hours of interviews and turned it into a 3hr production. The story line starts just before the murder and follows the citizens reaction from start to final court proceedings.
Other than the incredible emotional load this production packs, it is a very difficult production to stage. There are about 63 characters for 8 actors. Here's what we did to work through the logistics. Me? I was the assistant director for this monster.
First thing I did was to figure out which character went to which actor (I used the cast list at the beginning of the script). Listed them as M1-4 and F1-4. After auditions I'll put the actors names in. I also did a spreadsheet so we could see who was on stage on any given page. Works out to be about 7 characters per actor.
The other thing we did was to make the Narrator an isolated character. This makes one character that the actors don't have to worry about, and helps cut down on audience confusion.
And the director wanted the part of Dennis Shepard so that was one more part taken out of the mix (grin).
Each actor had their own table and coat tree for props, and costumes. and on the wall above a chart with the characters listed in order of appearance, and the prop/costume.
It also helps to have a VERY organized and strong stage manager to make sure everyone is ready.
I'd really recommend doing this production. It will challenge you, and your theater on so many different levels.
Break a leg!
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