Caught Mesquite Community Theatre's final performance of A Bad Year for Tomatoes. This was my first trip to MCT's Black Box at the Mesquite Arts Center. The space is a bit odd and difficult for staging shows.
The show itself was fine. I had Assistant Directed this play a couple of years ago, but because I also served as Stage Manager, I never really got to see it once we were in full tech and costumes.
In Mesquite, Act 1 lasted an hour and forty-five minutes. I know some of that is just because the Act is written long, but I think the pacing could have been a bit tighter. I saw folks leaving at intermission. I don't know if it was because they weren't enjoying it, or if they just had to get home and were afraid that Act 2 would be just as long. Act 2 only ran 25 minutes, which did make the total time fairly reasonable.
When I was involved with this show, the Director suggested that we move intermission to after Scene 2 of Act 1. That would have made the balance better, but there are costume and makeup issues that would make such a break difficult to pull off. However, it would make more sense because Scene 3 is a couple of months later than Scene 2, and then Act 2 follows Act 1 Scene 3 later the same day. It seems that the entire reason for the Act break is because of the costume and makeup issue.
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2 comments:
Hey, a fellow theatre lover. Followed your links from Thinklings to find this. I work for a couple of city owned theatres in Tulsa. Currently directing a bio-play about Edna St. Vincent Millay, doing lights and sound for the O'Connor Girls and Neil Simon's Fools. Good for you for following your passion.
No link to Undermain Theatre? Pretty edgy, yes, but great theatre down there in Dallas.
I'd never even heard of it before.
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