Festival de los Muertos Reflection

Festival de Los Muertos Reflection

1.What were your expectations of being in Stage Crew or Play Production when you first signed up for the production? Did the teacher clarify how rigorous the rehearsal schedule would be, and which conflicts in being a crew member or actor made you feel the most worried about the process of dedicating yourself to a major show.

Well first of all, being in both Stage Crew and Play Production, the highlight of this production for me was my experience as being one of the three student directors. My expectations of directing Los Fatherless were nothing as to what directing ended up being. I came in thinking it was going to be easy to direct a bunch of actors to bring my vision to life, but once I got my cast and handed out those scripts, I realized that I wasn't getting myself into anything that wasn't going to be difficult. I had been in stage crew the previous semester for Romeo and Juliet as the assistant stage manager, so I already knew how rigorous the schedule would get for the Festival. Especially because we only had two months to make it all happen. I'm just glad we managed to pull it off as great as we did. Everything was well worth it in the end.

2.How did you react when you found yourself under the authority of a student director (actors & crew)? What were your hopes and fears about this process, especially since it was the first time that Mr. Copley did not direct the play. At what point in the rehearsal process did you "see" a director's vision and authority really come to life?

As a student director, I suppose I could tweak this question around a bit and say how it felt to actually have the "director authority" over my cast. All I can really say is that it wasn't easy. I would try to have talks with my actors and tell them just how hard it was to try to take authority over them, especially in the beginning, when most of the actors would fool around during rehearsals. I remember one of my actors telling me that it was hard for them to listen to me, since I was their age and if it was Mr. Copley telling them to do something it was totally different because he was an adult. I saw where they were coming from, so I tried to direct them in a way that was easy for them to get involved in the creative process of actually making the play come to life. My actors would tell me ways they thought a scene should be done, and most of the time I would use their suggestions. Some of the scenes were done exactly the way they described it to me, but most of the time I just tweaked it around a bit. I'm extremely proud to say that the play turned out to be completely amazing in the end. I do have to say one thing though, and Copley, you make directing look so much easier than it really is! I really enjoyed directing Los Fatherless, and I'm so thankful for the opportunity.

3.Which area of the crew needed the most encouragement, motivation or training in order to satisfy the normal standards of rigor that Eagle Rock Stage has got used to over the years? Which area of the crew were the most self-motivated? In their/your defense, describe the difference between crews of the past and reflect on the impact that the decrease in professional mentorships had on this production.

To be honest, I think that this semester's stage crew wasn't the best. The area that needed the most encouragement, motivation, and training was probably in committing to crew days. Hardly anyone showed up for any of the crew calls, and during most of the rehearsals, most of the stage hands were never there. It was a harsh transition from the R&J crew to this semester's stage crew, at least for me. I really missed working with the R&J stage crew. Most of them were committed, and only some weren't. Sadly, this semester it was the complete opposite. I think the fact that we only had Matt and Nick helping us out was another negative thing. I mean, Matt really is a huge help, but having more mentors helped us out a whole lot last semester. I honestly thought we weren't going to have Nick helping us out this semester, and I was grateful when I found out he was. He really is the best help we could get. Either way, for this production to be student-lead, it turned out great.

4.This question has three components: At the end of the first night how did you think the audience found the experience? Where you satisfied with their reaction? Do you think that student led festivals are a good idea for the first semester?

At the end of the first night, I truly believe that the audience absolutely loved the experience. Most of my friends said that they could really relate to the characters in the play, and it was something that they were familiar with. I was really satisfied with their reaction, especially because I didn't hear one negative thing about the whole night. And then of course, there's always that feeling you get on a show night with a full house, a feeling that you can't describe. Basically, all our hard work was so worth it in the end. I think that student led festivals are a good idea for the first semester only because it gets the audience pumped up for the big production during second semester.

5.Is Chicano theatre relevant? Is it important to recognize multi-cultural works that are not usually in the school's curriculum? What were some reactions to the Latino elements of the production that you heard from audience members?

I think that Chicano theatre is relevant, and I find it extremely important to recognize multi-cultural works that are not usually in the school's curriculum. It lets the audience become more informed of another culture, and allow people to be better understood. Some reactions to the Latino elements of the production that I heard from audience members were basically just that everything going on was something that the younger audience could relate to. It was somewhat funny what my dad's reaction was, though. When I asked him what he thought of it, he said that usually he wouldn't really understand a play that was in English because he doesn't speak it well, but since there was a lot of Spanish words used in the plays, he understood exactly what was going on.

6.If there was something that you wish you could do over again, what would it be? Is it a suggestion you would have made to the director, or is it the correction of a mistake, or was it something in your preparation as a performer or crewmember?

In all honesty, there really isn't anything I regret about this production. I really enjoyed directing, and I'm thankful for all the help I got, especially with the soundtrack and the blocking. The only thing I wish I could do over again was with my job as stage manager. I feel like I could have done so much better in getting this semester's stage crew to be just as good as last semester, but I was so caught up with directing that I didn't have the time or energy to. For some reason this production really tired me out. Maybe it was things that were going on outside of stage, but I really wish that I could have done a better job.

7.How could we improve the relationship between crewmembers and performers?

I think the relationship between crewmembers and performers was pretty decent. The only thing I think we could do to improve it would be to actually get the stage crew to stay during rehearsals to get to know the actors while doing their job of running the stage. Like that, the actors won't feel anything negative towards the crew for not being there as stage hands, for not building the set in time, etc.

8.What are your plans for the future regarding high school theatre? What are your goals for next semester? Do you need a break? Do you want to try out for a lead, director, manager, or crew? Most importantly, where do you feel you can improve?

My plans at this point are to stay in Eagle Rock stage, and see where this new teacher takes it. It's going to be really weird without Copley, and for that reason I'm kind of dreading it. In my eyes, Copley is Eagle Rock Stage, and it's going to be tough to get used to the new teacher. I'm happy that this is going to be my last semester of high school, but at the same time I really wished that I could finish the year with a "Copley production." Mr. Copley, I'm really going to miss you! I kind of want to try acting out for a change, just to experience every aspect there is to experience of Eagle Rock Stage. I've directed, I've been a stage manager and I've been part of everything there is to be part of in stage crew, and now I really want to experience the feeling an actor feels in front of an audience. If I do managed to land a role in the next play, I still want to be in crew only because I love it so much. I feel I can improve with my position as stage manager though, and be more assertive. I feel as if I am, slowly but surely.

9.Imagine what it will be like for a new drama teacher to take over the program. Describe in detail where you think the new teacher will need help. Which activities would you like to make sure that the program maintains?

Its getting really hard to imagine Eagle Rock Stage without Copley, but I think the new teacher will need help in learning about the auditorium. It seems stupid, but I really think that's the most important thing. There are many things that happen in the auditorium, and getting to know every part of the auditorium would be really helpful. I really hope we get to keep our fundraisers because they really do help us out a lot. Actually, I really hope that everything pretty much stays the same.

10.Which performer or crewmember surprised you most in their efforts? Explain.

I can't really pick just one performer or crewmember, but I've got to say David as an actor. At first I thought that I had made a really huge mistake in asking Copley to let him be in the class because he was constantly coming in late and he would miss some rehearsals in the beginning. After a while though he turned his act around and did an amazing job as Diablo. I'm really proud of all of my actors though, every single one of them. They proved to me that they could really pull off the intensity of the play, and they truly did make "Los Fatherless" the best show of the night.

11.In one word, describe your personal experience in Festival De Los Muertos.

Memorable