Posts tagged with theatre
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“ One must not put a loaded rifle on the stage if no one is thinking of firing it.”
Chekhov, explaining what has become the narrative technique ‘Chekhov’s gun’. If you put a gun on the stage in the first act it will go off by Act 3.
stage right
she crouches at the edge of the stage: poised, predatory.
over the duration of rehearsals, the show breaks down to a list of parts - her focus is the smooth, effortless machinations of a successful backstage crew. there is only time, even beats, in between acts; props to be laid out for the next part; a responsibility to eliminate any element of surprise for the performers.
she holds the props to lay out for the next act. the moment comes and a silent gun fires. she counts the beats of music which wash over the gap, moves through the passage, sets up the stage and resumes the starting position for the next round.
the audience barely notices, but there are two performances here tonight.
