Oak Alley

I think it would be interesting to take Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and put it on in one of the historic plantation houses down here. There is a specific one I am thinking of called Oak Alley Plantation that is located between Baton Rouge and New Orleans in Vacherie, LA. Here is a link:

http://www.oakalleyplantation.com

The architecture of this house would be ideal for the idea I have in mind, because it has expansive verandas that surround both the first floor and the second floor. The show could be done intimately, with smaller audiences, so that people are not crammed too harshly into small and uncomfortable places. The audience would come to see the show under the pretense of attending Big Daddy’s birthday party. The party itself would be held on the main floor, and as audience members come in, they would be treated like party guests/family members; their coats and tickets would be taken, and they would be offered a drink and perhaps some food. The party would be complete with entertainment provided by the screaming “no-neck monsters” as Maggie so lovingly calls Grooper and Mae’s children. This would all be part of the pre-show, and at any point, audience members may choose to go upstairs to Brick and Maggie’s room. While downstairs at the actual party, audience members may be allowed to sit at the dinning room table with the actors. However, once they go upstairs, the audience would be outside Brick and Maggie’s room, on the veranda. Ideally the window/door leading from the room out to the veranda would be large enough that when open, the audience gets the sense that they are looking in on the private lives of these characters, but their vision of the action is not obstructed enough to be aggravating. This would create an interesting dichotomy of being part of the family downstairs, and feeling intrusive, like they are interrupting a private conversation, while upstairs. Anytime the characters come out on the veranda, the audience would again be included in the action as if they too belonged there as part of the family.

            I think by creating an environment that is incredibly similar to that written in the play and using the found space of the plantation home, it would cause the audience to feel closer to the action and subsequently closer to the characters, as though they are just observing and being a part of these people’s lives instead of simply going to see a show. Whether the space would be accommodating for an audience would factor into how much the space enhances or diminishes the overall experience. Obviously, for money-making reasons, it would be better to have a large audience, but this idea would be much more successful for a very small audience. Again, this would increase the intimacy as well as narrow the focus of the actors and the audience as a whole. With this idea, it would put the show in a very naturalistic frame.

            I think the quote from Kantor is incredibly valid. Often times, just walking into a theatre sets up an expectation for what is to come. In found spaces or site-specific places there is more of a chance for spontaneity and the unpredictable to happen. Audiences know what to do when they walk into a theatre. They find their seat, sit down, blend into the crowd, and watch with a certain distance existing between them and the action onstage. There is a safety to traditional theatre spaces, because there is an understanding for how they work. With found spaces and site-specific spaces, it takes the audience out of the realm of the comfortable and puts them in a situation where they don’t know what to expect; there is more risk, a little more danger, and therefore an excitement and perhaps a little fear of the unknown. So, before the show even starts, there is already an air of anticipation and wonder.