Marquette Theatre is bringing what many have called “the funniest farce ever written” to the stage this spring with their production of “Noises Off.” The cast of nine began rehearsals on March 3, and things have only gotten more hectic and livelier as they are deeper into the rehearsal process of this play-within-a-play.
“A farce is a play in which the situation starts to spiral out of control, so that all the characters are trapped in this snowballing avalanche of catastrophe,” Jamie Cheatham, Director and Head of Acting, said.
Not only is “Noises Off” a play inside of a play – more specifically, it’s a farce inside of a farce. The first act follows the production team in their preparation of the show, and the second act happens in two halves of the stage, one half showing the actors on stage, and one half showing the team backstage.
Whether it’s love triangles, British accents, missing flower bouquets or fire axes, “Noises Off” is jam-packed with action and shenanigans between the nine characters.
Kendall Syslack, a sophomore in the College of Communication, plays the anxious Poppy, who is the assistant stage manager. Syslack said the most difficult part of the show has been blocking, or the movement of the actors on stage.
“It’s so complicated to make sure that we’re getting the lines right backstage while also getting the lines right on stage,” Syslack said.
Since the show is a play inside of a play, Stephen Hudson-Mairet, scenic designer and professor of theatre arts, has had to work hard to create a set that reflects both backstage and frontstage.
“It’s one of those bucket list sets for a lot of theatre people,” Hudson-Mairet said.
Hudson-Mairet works with part-time shop supervisor and Marquette faculty member Peter O’Neill and a mix of students, some of whom work 5-10 paid hours a week building the set, while others are a part of the stagecraft class.
To follow tradition for “Noises Off,” Hudson-Mairet and the rest of the set crew built a 24-foot-wide revolving stage. The design that the set designers originally looked at for building the stage had to be reworked, since it was for a 20-foot revolving stage, and theirs had to be 24 feet.
“When we finally got the stage to revolve, we knew it would work, but it was one of those, ‘I hope this works,’ moments,” Hudson-Mairet said. “It was quite exciting.”
As they move into rehearsing the second act, Syslack said she is excited for audiences to see the show, even though it may be stressful to watch.
“I think it’s going to hopefully bring people a lot of joy,” Syslack said.
Syslack also said the cast is hoping to practice on stage at the Helfaer Theatre sometime in the next week. They have not been able to because of the set design taking place, so they have been rehearsing in the dance studio next to the stage.
“It’s this hilarious love note to the theatre,” Cheatham said. “Anyone who’s had any experience on stage deeply sympathizes with the chaos.”
“Noises Off” will take place April 17-19 and 23-26 in the Helfaer Theatre. More information about times and tickets can be found here.
This story was written by Annie Goode. She can be reached at [email protected].
