All In The Timing

I was very excited to see this production in action, as I was a volunteer during some of its construction. I even managed to get my name in print. :)

I decided to mix up my blog on All In The Timing, so I included a little personal introduction and background along with my views on the performance itself.

The above prop is my claim to fame. It was used on the set of the third short play “The Universal Language.” With the guidance of Mr. Scott Green I helped to create a little piece of theatre.
As Daytona State Colleges’ Scenic Design and Technical Director, Scott plays a major part in this play and all productions put on by Daytona State College. Besides being extremely dedicated I found Scott to be cheerful and accommodating even under the great pressure of the countdown to opening night.
I was a fan of theatre before taking this course, I already had a great appreciation for the courage and hard work it must take to act live on stage. The opportunity that I was offered in helping set up this production has given me a new and even greater respect for not only those actors but also the crew behind the scenes.
I was amazed to learn how each set is designed and constructed primarily by hand. The theatrical department of Daytona State has an entire warehouse style area specifically setup for this construction complete with high ceilings, hundreds of props, scene screens, paint and shop tools such as circular saws and almost any size plywood you may need.
I also met the Stage Manager, Lindsey Akins, whose responsibilities included organizing the volunteer help (myself) and many other areas of production. I personally helped Lindsey trace the letters for the pull down prop in “The universal Language”

(Lindsey Akins-Traceing letters for The Universal Language prop)

I would like to say kudos to all involved with this production. I found great dedication and skill in everyone I met on stage and off.I am very glad to have met all of these new faces and most importantly to have been a part of this experience.

Below are a few pictures and a short video of the behind the scene construction of this very entertaining play.


From the drawing board by Scott Green

A work in progress



Up and Running

This prop was constructed with a few wires and a child’s bike that was turned to move the clock pieces





working out the kinks

Ever wonder how they raise and lower the props and very heavy curtains? Weights and Pulley system at work

The following is my take on the evening, my roommates’ opinions and the audience reaction during and after the performance.

On Thursday evening I finally got to witness this play in full swing I brought my roommate. From the moment we walked through the doors the atmosphere of the theater was relaxed. We sat on the left side of the theater with only a few audience members. The majority of the audience sat in the middle, this gave me a great vantage point to observe the audience reaction. I must admit the play held my attention greatly and I had to remind myself to look over at other audience member’s. The audience was involved with each scene from the beginning. The vibe in the theater was light and happy. The audience was not very large I would say they were friends and family of the cast, mostly due to their reactions. They were friendly, encouraging and familiar.

The actor’s interaction with the audience was interesting and effective. At one point during the second play, Words, Words, Words, the actors were jumping around and behaving very silly the audiences initial response did not seem to be as loud as the actors wanted so I watched as they became more extreme and interactive until they received a greater response. Another interesting and impressive incident occurred during our live performance, there was a blackout. This happened during "The Philadelphia" there was a loss of power for only a short time, even though we could not see them the actors did not skip a beat, we could hear the dialog as if nothing was different. Thankfully, the lights were on before they had to move around the very dark stage.

I eavesdropped as the audience shuffled out of the theater and their responses were very positive ranging from “I’m impressed” to “What a great performance” I overheard nothing negative…which is good because I would have disagreed strongly.

My roommate does not attend plays very often and has never taken a drama course so it was interesting to hear her take on the performance. Although, my roommate enjoyed the entire play her favorite play was “The Universal Language” she felt the connection with the actors, almost as if she was learning along side of them. We are both still impressed by how hard the actors of this play must have worked to speak in nonsense as if it were really a second language.

Overall, we thought all five plays were well organized with simple but effective sets. The lighting and clocks, around the theater and on the stage, definitely helped create an atmosphere that made you feel included in the performance. We left feeling light and happy the same way we felt during the play.