‘Home for the Holidays’ – literally
THESE ARE TIMES for experimentation in the theater and arts. The new stage may be on Zoom, in a parking lot or live from people’s homes. The new theater may come to you via a YouTube channel. Taos thespians, producers and directors (and audiences) are experimenting with all of these and embracing many as we adjust to a new normal. Lucky for us, it’s just in time for the holidays! Grab some eggnog or your favorite beverage and popcorn and join Taos Onstage and Dixon Players in their two live performances of “Home for the Holidays’’ via their YouTube channel Tuesday and Wednesday (Dec. 15 and 16) at 7 p.m. both nights.
Charlotte Keefe, the director for Taos Onstage explained the history behind this year’s show. “We have presented a live holiday radio show/dinner theater at Taos Mesa Brewery in the past. Dixon Players, founded by Holly Haas, does some type of holiday show as well. With the help of Taos Onstage’s co-founder Susan Lewis, we collaborated on a virtual holiday show.
“Our brains started percolating on what we should do. After several brainstorming sessions, we surfaced with a combination of things—Reader’s Theatre of abridged versions of ‘A Christmas Carol,’ ‘It’s A Wonderful Life,’ and ‘Miracle on 34th Street.’ Because these are abridged versions we renamed them – ‘Mrs. Cratchit’s Christmas Carol,’ ‘George’s Christmas,’ and ‘Santa Revealed.’ “
The rehearsal and casting process critical to a polished performance is always challenging during the Northern New Mexico winters. A pandemic lockdown creates a new kind of challenge. Keefe said they auditioned cast from their homes via Zoom.
“We sent out an audition notice via our email lists, Facebook, etc.,” Keefe said. “Those interested in auditioning emailed Susan. If they were doing an individual act, they were to tell us what they planned to do and what date they could do it. If they were auditioning as actors, they also gave us their preferred date. For the individual acts, we
‘In Zoom, there is the added element of technology and connectivity ... Sometimes someone’s face freezes or the voice is in slow motion. Someone can lose their internet connection — a variety of things can happen. We hope none of that happens, but it could! Rehearsals have been fun and the actors have been great sports.’
CHARLOTTE KEEFE
Director for Taos Onstage
gave them a specific time slot to audition. Actors received audition scripts via email that they used for the Zoom auditions. Then we had call-backs for some. This process took about a week. After all this, there was an ensemble group of seven actors to perform the Reader’s Theatre portion. Each person will play multiple parts.”
Keefe said she approached her role as director as “I would do when directing a Reader’s Theatre or radio play with an emphasis on vocal intonation and facial expression.” Blocking or navigating the actors’ place and movement in a play is very different in a virtual rehearsal. “With Zoom, the challenge is figuring out when the actors come into the scene. That means when they turn their video on and off. One thing we have to work out is timing. With Zoom technology, there is a delay that must be considered. Because actors may play several parts in one script, I like for the actors to put on a hat or a scarf to represent the character. The actors have to learn how to enter and exit at
the right time, look into the camera, be engaging and remember which hat they are wearing for each character.”
Keefe said she and the cast “approached this as an experiment. We know it won’t go as planned. That is the beauty of a live production — even on Zoom. In a live performance, things can go wrong. If an actor forgets a line, comes in at the wrong time, a phone rings in the audience, a prop is missing, etc. But actors are ready for all of those things. They think on their feet, cover for it and the play keeps moving as if nothing happened. On Zoom, there is the added element of technology and connectivity. We have experienced this during rehearsal. Sometimes someone’s face freezes or the voice is in slow motion. Someone can lose their internet connection — a variety of things can happen. We hope none of that happens, but it could! Rehearsals have been fun and the actors have been great sports.”
Co-director Lewis said “‘Home for