Hello, Readers, it’s Co-editor Gail!
Welp, the Zoom production of Spoon River Anthology I was in has ended, and as the post-show let down crash sets in, I thought I’d write a postmortem blog for this unexpected and wonderful experience I had.
I think all three shows went excellently without any major hitches or errors. Thank goodness for that because I was always worried my wifi or power was going to suddenly shut off or I would suddenly completely blank on a monologue or start reciting the wrong one! But nope! Technical elements worked great thanks to our crew, I remembered my lines and when to say them and I made all my costume changes!
Another thing that I am so pleased about is that the response from my loved ones and other audience members has been incredibly positive! In every show, there comes a point where the cast has been doing the same thing for only each other over and over again so many times that it becomes unclear if what you are doing is actually any good or will be received well from an outsider’s perspective. But based on everything I have heard personally and anecdotally; it appears we pulled it off and managed to truly touch and engage those who watched our performances.
However, there were somethings I missed because we performed via Zoom.
I missed getting to really interact with the cast and crew pre- and post-performance. Normally, we would all get to chit-chat and joke around in the dressing rooms before we go to places as we get our costumes and makeup on and in the process, pump each other up for the show. The same goes for after the show with being able to celebrate that we did it together and maybe even go out somewhere to eat afterward. But because this production was over Zoom, I could not talk to anyone before or after the show. I got ready alone in my room and then in the meeting we had to remain muted and off camera and then after the curtain call, the meeting just ended in an instant.
I also missed interacting with the crew as well and using theatre lingo. Usually, the crew gives you periodic updates on how much time is left before the show begins and the cast gets to respond with “thank you 10”, “thank you 5”, “Thank you places”. But I didn’t get to do any of that this time. But I did get to send sign-in emails to our stage manager and they always sent me back a response that made me laugh and smile.
Most of all, I missed thriving off of the energy of a live audience. Live audiences are what theatre is all about! The vibe of an audience deeply affects performance whether they are loud and boisterous or have a quiet intensity. When you have their attention, you get the fuel to give your performance your all. On Zoom, our audience was off camera and muted. No visible or audible reactions, no applause. We knew we were there and that did have an effect in ways that were both nervousness and confidence inducing, but otherwise, it looked and felt like the same thing were doing for just each other for several weeks. But in some ways, not being able to see or hear our audience made it easier to keep a cool head and stay focused and I still got a version of that cloud 9 post-show high I always get from doing theatre.
Overall, I just want to thank everyone who was involved in this show. Cast, Crew, Creative Team, Audience, everyone! You all made it such a fun and uplifting experience that despite the strange and unfortunate circumstances, I will never forget and will cherish always.
Gail Bello is a poet and playwright from Waltham, Massachusetts. She graduated in 2019 with a BFA in Creative Writing and a minor in Theatre from The University of Maine at Farmington. Find her previous publications at https://thaumaturgedramaturge.wordpress.com and follow her on Twitter @AquajadeGail