Rent Evaluation

After presenting our workshop of ‘Rent’ I have received the feedback that audience members who didn’t know the show struggled to understand the story, for various reasons. One of the main issues was sound; the audience couldn’t hear what was going on very well. One reason why this could have happened is because with our stage, once you go behind the arch sound is practically inaudible. This is why I would move all the scenes forward so they are in front of the arch, I would do this by ensuring the table is constantly in front of the arch as we tend to gravitate around that. This will better our chances at not losing sound before it even gets to the mics. We could also look at performing in a different venue all together, one with better acoustics so we can’t blame the stage if the audience can’t hear us. However if we did move our show to a new venue, I would still like to use a cabaret style seating to keep the audience relaxed during our performance and I would like a bar so the audience could feel free to get a drink and enjoy in during the performance. The venue would also have to be close by so travel to and from wouldn’t become an issue, if we found a venue up in London we would be spending a bit of the shows (currently non-existent) budget on travel alone. Another issue with using another venue would be that we will have to find time to rehears at the new venue before the performance. 

I would also spend some time working on projection to ensure that the mics we use will pick up all the lines and so the audience can hear the show and therefor better understand the plot. This implies finding the time in the rehearsal schedule to work on projection. Another way to improve sound is to have individual mic packs, although they will ensure we are all heard they will cost a lot of money so we would have to spent time fundraising and forming a budget for it, they would also need a tech rehearsal before the show. To get the audience to understand what is being said, I would have the parts like tune up spoken rather than sung. So the audience have a better chance of hearing every word coming from us rather than words attempted to sing with no tune or rhythm to guide them.

Another way to get the audience to better understand the plot is to have the whole plot performed, so I would like to add in all the parts that we cut out to ensure the audience understand what is happening. Doing the whole show means putting back in numbers like ‘over the moon’ and ‘contact’ both of which bring complications of their own. Contact is a very adult moment in the play so we would have to ensure our audience is suitable to view it and so we must market our show towards an older audience. Over the moon is a Maureen number so we would have to have more rehearsal with her. I would also bring in more cast members so there is no multi-rolling and the song Christmas bells will have the cast needed to perform it. However a bigger cast would then have to be put in Tango Maureen and Santa Fey, but I like that it is a small cast for those moments so I would have specific scenes in which I either want lead roles or ensemble in the routines, so for Santa Fey I would put only ensemble members in the dance but for Tango Maureen and What you own I would have only the lead roles on stage for those moments. I would like to look at ‘Today for you’ because that song sets a lot of the plot and backstory for the characters Angel and Benny. I don’t think our audience fully grasped what had happened in the story so I would like to choreograph it in a way that helps animate the story Angel is telling trying to get the audience to laugh at Angel and therefore like her.

Despite the fact that the audience struggled to hear us on stage, I would like to bring in a live band to play. I think a band will help fill in quite moments like some of the set changes and with a band they will work with us if we mess up on stage, rather than a backing track that will just carry on playing regardless of what’s happening on stage. However we will have to add a rehearsal with the band at some point before the performance so they know what they are doing. We would also have to decide whether or not we are looking for a professional orchestra or individual musicians. Both will be professional and hold the ability to be given the sheet music, play it and we just adjust to how we have changed parts. However an orchestra will come as a unite when individual musicians will come individually and therefor will cost more. Both will cost more than a backing track and we will have to find a place to put them in the hall. I think the best place for them would be the back of the hall so they don’t block the stage or the performers.

I would also develop some of the staging; I don’t feel like we used the side stages as much as we could have. I feel like we should have only used the main stage for when they are in the apartment, possibly use the two ends of the stage as other places (like the street where Mimi gets drugs at the end of Happy New Year or a phone where parents and Alexi call from) The lower stage in front of the main stage I would shrink and make the two side platforms bigger. I would move Tango Maureen to one of the side platforms and move the dance to the floor around the audience. This means that we would have to have less tables and a smaller audience to fit dancing room around them. I would put over the moon on the same platform as Tango Maureen as they are supposedly the same place. I would like to change Life support so instead of being in a circle in front of the audience, I would dot us around the room with some of us in the audience just so the audience feel included in this intimate moment.

I would like to invest in some more set so we have more junk to put on stage for the opening (rent) I would like things like a small step ladder, lights, boxes and stuff. I would add an amp and some sound equipment to put on the platform where Tango Maureen is happening and a phone booth on the other platform for Collins to call from in the Opening of Rent I would also put things like Santa Fey and I’ll Cover You on that platform while moving the dances off the stage and on the floor in front of the stage “outside the apartment” so to speak. All these extra set, band, sound equipment will need a budget so we will have to spent time fundraising for this performance. I would also like a bit of the Budget to go towards costumes, get some coats, hats and scarfs for the homeless and get some better stuff for our characters.