Stage Door Integrates Production and Student Research

Hollywood talent scout David Kingsley (Andrew Moorhead ’15) meets actressses Terry Randall (Hattie Smith ’15) and Jean Maitland (Brenna Darling ’16) at the Footlights Club, a residence for actresses in 1930s New

York.

(Photo Credit Don Guy)

Chapman University’s Department of Theatre is producing the 1936 classic comedy, Stage Door, directed by professor Dr. Nina LeNoir, with thirty-two student actors, four student stage managers, a creative and design team of seven students, staff and faculty, six additional support staff members, and a student production crew of thirty-three. That’s eighty-two students, faculty and staff – it is a big show! But ten more students enrolled in the course TH 329: Dramaturgy, taught by assistant professor Dr. Jocelyn L. Buckner, are the production’s dramaturgical team. They provide research and background information to the director, cast, and design team on the play’s historical setting, the script itself, and its production record. They answer questions from other members of the production team, from “What was the role of women in the 1930s?” to “How did men and women behave on dates?” to “How do you pronounce the name of the town that our heroine comes from (Elivira, Illinois)?” This research aids the director, designers, and actors in fully understanding the world of the play, and in bringing it to life for an audience.

The dramaturgs also attend rehearsals, providing feedback to the director on how well the story is being told. The TH 329: Dramaturgy students have created a
Stage Door blog site
that provides an additional wealth of information and background for the production team as well as interested audience members. Here, readers can learn about everything from the Broadway and Hollywood hits that the
Stage Door
darlings would have wanted to star in to etiquette and dating tips and information on the day-to-day realities of life in the 1930s such as the cost of a loaf of bread, working conditions for stage and screen actors, and advertisements for novel new consumer items such as zippered pants!

To share more of their research and aid audiences in understanding the context of the Depression-era play, the dramaturgs are developing an informative lobby display in the Waltmar Theatre, which will feature archival images, popular music, a timeline of cultural events from the era, and a period specific candy and concessions stand!

Stage Door
runs April 4-6, 11-13, 2013.  Tickets may be purchased
online
or by calling 714-997-6812.