It's that time of the season when shows open, patrons fill seats (or, in some cases, tune-in virtually), and directors are busy rehearsing and preparing their productions for opening night! Amid the excitement of opening Bike America, I sat down with director Dr. Bill Gelber, associate professor of theatre, to learn more about his directing process.
After last season's Zoom productions, Gelber explained that he was more than ready to get back to normal and rehearse with performers in the same space. How exactly are Zoom productions different than live performances? According to Gelber, not sharing the same space can create a disconnect between actors, directors, and audience members.
When rereading Bike America, he said he “tried to get into the mindset of the author.” Before he could dive into the rehearsals, he had to find those easter eggs hidden in the work of the writer--the buried plotlines that need to be brought to life.
With the return to in-person rehearsals after an 18-month quarantine, Gelber had to consider how best to meet the new pre-production checklist, such as weekly Covid testing for several members of the cast and crew.
As a director, Gelber believes in taking a collaborative approach, relying on the whole ensemble to create a production. He gives actors the opportunity to stage the story, while the production team helps shape the story's overall depiction.
Though casting a show may considered one of the most important factors in the production process, overcoming the challenges of an unfamiliar performance space is just as essential. Unlike most of this season's productions, which will be produced in The CH Foundation The Legacy of Christine DeVitt Black Box Theatre, Bike America will be played in the more intimate 48-seat Studio Performance Lab.
“The challenge is to make sure that everything can be seen by the audience”, explains Gelber, “and at the same time the actors feel like they have some room to do what they need to do.”
Utilizing this smaller space, actors work to create a much bigger world. According to Gelber, the intimate space creates a more inclusive environment for the audience, immersing them in the world of a cycling tour across America. And, of course, it puts the audience right in the middle of the action.
Over the course of his career, Gelber has directed many of the classical works for the School of Theatre & Dance. Last season, he directed a contemporary adaptation of Ibsen's An Enemy of the People which, in some ways, prepared him to direct the generation-Z focused Bike America.
Bike America ran from October 19-24 in the Studio Performance Lab.
