FINAL REPORT FROM :
Preliminary Adjudicator, 1999-2000,
Jim Schaefer,
 

TO:
THE EXECUTIVE,
Western Ontario Drama League.

AT:
The Palace Theatre,
Home of London Community Players,
Sunday, February 20, 2000.

                  OVERVIEW OF THE QUALITY OF ELEMENTS OF PRODUCTIONS:
                                  ASSESSMENTS OF THE ORGANIZATIONS:
                                 STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF WODL:

THE PLAYS
 

          What a wild and wooly ride through 20 Ontario hamlets, villages, towns and cities to see 21 productions of British,
          American and Canadian plays from Sept. 30, 1999 to Feb. 18, 2000.
          The oldest plays were written by William Shakespeare in the 1590's: Romeo and Juliet, produced by the
          Kitchener-Waterloo Little Theatre and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, produced by the Young People’s Players in  Simcoe.
          The most recent play was written by London, Ontario playwright Norah Harding. Her 1995 play, This Year, Next Year,
          was produced by Theatre Tillsonburg.
          Of the 21 plays adjudicated, 11 were American, seven were Canadian and three were from Great Britain. A 22nd play,
          a British farce was canceled just before opening.
          By my calculations there were: 10 comedies, five dramas, five memory plays and a musical.
          Two plays about World War Two (Dear Ruth and This Year, Next Year) were produced around Remembrance Day
          and hooked into community organizations and services.
          Three plays (The Melville Boys, Play On! and, Dear Ruth) offered dinner theatre.
          I liked the selection of plays. I felt there was a link between these selections and the audience in most cases. A couple
          times, the audience really wondered why they were there as the play, or the production of it, did not reach them.
          I feel the audience is the most important part of the theatre equation. We have to find out what the people we serve
          want and what wants them.

     I got the sense that the WODL members were trying to answer that question so we didn’t get a lot of plays that the director
     “always wanted to do” and the audience wondered “what the heck was that?”
 

THE PRODUCTIONS

GENERAL

          Production budgets ranged from hundreds to thousands of dollars. The most expensive show was Brigadoon by the
          Royal City Music Productions, in Guelph at the fabulous new River Run Centre with 74 people on stage and an
          orchestra of 17 for this popular Lerner and Loewe musical.
          Other shows were produced for far less with repainted flats banged together for a set and clothes out of the actors’
          wardrobes for costumes.
          The Western Ontario Drama League participants used town halls, church halls, rented theatres and in many cases, their
          own theatres for their shows. A couple of jewels were: Sarnia Little Theatre’s Imperial Theatre which housed Mass
          Appeal and Guelph Little Theatre which housed  Beau Jest.
          Sight lines were a major problem in a couple of venues including The London Community Players’ Palace Theatre
          where your festival will be held this year.  As audience, we want to see and hear the show.
           If you can’t change the stage, raise the set and if you can’t do that, get those actors to stand up. An actor lying down at
          centre stage at a critical moment in your production may be symbolic and dramatic and all that but if we can’t see, it’s
          lost on us.
          Is there something you can do for festival?  If not, please tell the five companies of the challenge.
 

DETAILS

          Production values are dependent upon: time, money and people.
          It often seems that we run out of these as we get down to the final stretch in the race to opening night.
          Details make or break the production side of a show.
          We, the audience, say, ok, we’ve got “willing suspension of disbelief” going here and these people are saying we’re in a
          Toronto home in 1949 (1949 by Embro’s Thistle Theatre) so we don’t want anything to jar us out of this magical dream
          world which they have created..
          We, the audience, want it to be great and wonderful. We want the magic.
          Once  the production heads, take that first step to have, for instance, authentic pre-World War One English upper
          middle-class home stage properties as in The Winslow Boy at Burlington Little Theatre, then they have to follow
          through with everything. (They, by the way, did a fine job with a huge gramophone, copies of Punch magazine and
          newspapers of the day as did the 1949 crew with radio and screen door.)
          One place where at least four productions fell short was set dressing. Too often, the prints on the wall had just arrived at
          the theatre from the nearest company member’s home. Someone had run out of time.  The selections did not fit our
          sense of the dream world. They jarred and so we spent time worrying about them and not about the story and
          characters.
          Lighting was often flat and filled with holes. I know some theatres just do not have the lamps for variety or artistry. The
          alternative is to light them generally and forget specials, spots, and cycloramas.
          Of course, it’s always lovely to have one “moment” when technical and artistic meet. For example, in the Binbrook
          Little Theatre production of The Melville Boys, the production crew had 12 lamps to light the whole show.  They still
          created a moment when the character Mary (played by Kim Powell) waits at a window. She is still, pensive, brooding.
          And the sunrise special shines through the window and gives us that moment.
          The quality of costumes ranged from the actors’ wardrobes through pull and press to the Goodwill scrounge to the
          expensive rental and, in some cases to design and build.  Again details provided visual glitches for us: the price tag left on
          the bottom of the shoe (which we could read at 50 metres), pants too short and most important, colors that clashed with
          the actor or character.
          Someone needs to take a hard, long look at the actors in costume under lights because we, the audience, have to look at
          them all night long. Also, you must know that some colors just don’t look good on some actors. It’s not the actor’s fault.
          It is our responsibility in the artistic team to check out the look on stage.
 

PRODUCERS

          Producers created lively posters and programs and some went all out to make the show an experience. At Elmira
          Theatre’s production of Dear Ruth, the audience entered a lobby festooned with World War Two memorabilia. When
          we entered the theatre, we were met by Dime-A-Dance canteen women and U. S. service men and women. The music
          was loud and period. We certainly caught the spirit and flavor of the era. Long before the play started.
          Producers need to pay more attention to audience notices.
          In Guelph, a babe in arms was in the audience and in the middle of the second act of Beau Jest, started to talk. In
          Sarnia, a beeper went off in the second act of Mass Appeal during a critical moment.
          These may have been avoided by program notes, lobby signs and, in the case of the baby, an alert front of house staff.
          Characters in plays in Dundas (You Know I Can’t Hear You When The Water’s Running) and Burlington (The
          Winslow Boy) smoked cigars and cigarettes on stage. The audience needed to know.  My hint is for producers to take
          these kind of notice verbatim from a Stratford Festival or Shaw Festival or big Toronto production.
          I like a program with lots of information. Most programs I read gave me a lot yet some did not include biographies of
          actors, directors and crew heads. My particular interest is for inclusion of your playwrights’ biographies. This adds to
          my sense of appreciation and understanding of the show. The program for the Woodstock Little Theatre production of
          The Motor Trade, for instance,  included a note from the playwright, Norm Foster, about the importance of natural
          dialogue and what he listens for when he is writing.
 

DIRECTORS

          It was great to meet so many different kinds of directors.
          Most were WODL vets, some were first timers and a couple were quite young in age. This is good.
          In the private adjudications,  I really wanted to figure out who made the choices and if the decision-making expanded to
          the artistic and productions teams or not.
          I liked the productions with team-work best because I could really see, feel and hear the results on stage.
          A challenge many directors had was finding the fourth wall and passing the gift of the show through it to us, the
          audience. Directors had actors mumble monologues to floors, the gods, upstage; anywhere, but out to us. A couple
          times the audience was at a very different height from the actors on stage and the director did not compensate.
          The second challenge was what I call: juice. In love scenes, I want love; in hate scenes, I want hate. I want the passion
          of anger and disappointment. It is an element that we in the audience want to feel. That’s why we don’t rent a video but
          come to see something live.

THE ADJUDICATIONS

GENERAL COMMENTS
 

          I enjoyed doing the adjudications. I enjoyed the challenge of judging, of remembering, of doing the public and of doing
          the private.
          There were a couple times when the actors and production heads did not know I was coming. I understand the intent
          not to put undue pressure on them and that’s ok, if they don’t mind suddenly being told they have to stay after
          performance for an hour. I could feel the resentment in one instance and actors kept leaving in the second.  I think
          everyone should be told.
          I did one adjudication without the director and in a second one, the director was clearly distracted and kept leaving. In a
          third instance, the director was just not paying attention.  Wow! That made it a challenge for me as I was moving all of
          my performance notes through the director to the actor. (It seemed like the proper protocol and it worked.)
          Clearly, the signal given to the others present by these directors was that this adjudication didn’t really matter, so, why
          pay attention.
 

ON STAGE

          I did most of the private adjudications in the theatre with me on stage.
          This worked on several  levels:
          It gave me an immediate point of reference. ( I was there and I could walk over to the lighting hole and stand  in it or
          walk up to the set dressing and talk about it. I could discuss blocking traffic jams by going to the place on stage.)
          The non-theatre adjudications were too in-their-face as I had to move around to see the people that I was talking to and
          thus, showed my back to others. It was awkward to say the least.
          It gave the adjudication the proper weight. Each time I did a green room or lobby adjudication, this was reinforced. The
          atmosphere was too light. There was chatting and no concentration.
          Some of the theatre company had snacks for the actors and crews and that was ok but I didn’t like the alcohol present
          at some of them. It’s not a party. It’s an adjudication.  Let the party happen afterwards. I think you’re high enough
          coming off a performance and  it’s a challenge for a cast or crew member to settle down and take part without adding
          alcohol. I know you all think you can handle it but there were two instances when I thought, “This person is no longer
          sober.” And I steered notes around them.
 

WODL REP & BILLET

          I liked having the WODL rep in the adjudications. They helped set the tone in the public and private. I would like to
          particularly thank Diane Dicks for her backup.
          I also liked it when the intro went from local rep to WODL rep to me. In this way, the audience could see the levels of
          WODL structure.
          I felt very comforted having the local billet option even though I did not need to exercise it. I was anxious about the late
          night driving home particularly and considering I had a best friend survive a fatal car crash during this time, I was doubly
          cautious so the billet option gave me some measure of a cushion.
 

LETTING THE AUDIENCE  KNOW

          There seemed to be a mixture of ways to let the audience know there was to be a public adjudication. These need to be
          shared with every member:
          The program
          Lobby signs
          A curtain speech ( Yes I know you might think it wrecks the ambience of the preshow but it’s a special night.
          Professional theatres like Shaw, Stratford, Blyth, Huron Country or the Grand Theatre London often have a curtain
          speech for a variety of reasons.)
          A lobby speech
          A speech at the end. This is difficult as the audience wants to go. It is better to give them some prep time. “Yes I’ll stay.
          No dear, we have to go to the Henderson’s.”
          I know as the local theatre company producers, you don’t have a lot of control over when the adjudication takes place. I
          know you offer a couple options and the Adjudication chair chooses.
          I would try to get adjudication on any performance except opening night. I think there is already a lot happening on
          opening night because this is the first time the audience becomes an active part of the experience. I think that it’s too
          much to add adjudication to this.
          Who is the audience? Well, you produce for your local audience and that is a paramount consideration. Secondly, when
          you are entering a play in this process you are also looking at a different audience ( the preliminary adjudicator, the
          audience in the festival venue, the second adjudicator, the audience in the Theatre Ontario venue and that adjudicator).
          I would say that you should concentrate on the local audience. And, everything else will fall into place.
          Trust the magic process of theatre and the circle that it makes when the play is given life and delivered to the audience
          as a gift.
 

MY SENSE OF THE INTENT

          Public Adjudication: I wanted the audience: to learn, to be entertained, to realize the production is in a competition. and,
          to see the local theatre in context with others.
          Private Adjudication: I wanted the artistic and production teams, the cast and crew to learn, to talk, and, to listen.

THE WAY THEY WENT

THE PUBLIC

          I aimed at 10 minutes for the public and one hour for the private. I kept to about that too.
          I always tried to get the public going as soon as possible.
          I started with a quote and told them why I was there and then what I saw and what I felt about it.
          Sometimes I mentioned areas I would be addressing in the private.
          I focused on those parts which impressed me and I singled out exceptional  individuals in the casts and crews.
          Often, I praised the theatre group for their contribution to the cultural life of the area and the audience for supporting it.
          I noted renovations and improvements done to the sites.
          The audiences always seemed attentive and when I kept to the 10 minutes they were grateful.
          At the end, often I repeated the poem. Then I thanked them.
          Often someone would come up afterwards and we would chat for a bit.
 

THE PRIVATE

          I aimed at an hour and was usually in the ballpark. I was always a bit anxious to get going but I waited until signaled by
          stage manager or producer.
          I began by introducing myself and my role. I talked about in festival and out-of-festival and awards.
          Then, I asked each person in the theatre to introduce themselves and explain what they had to do with the production.
          My introduction continued as I explained the roles, goals and responsibilities of  private adjudication.
          I talked of the seven fears of actors and how one of them is criticism from others and how I wasn’t the director or the
          play polisher, and that as adjudicator I get to give my impressions and observations and then make some choices about
          awards and finalists. My notes could be accepted or flushed but I did want to be heard.  When I felt this was clear, I
          went on.
          Next, I asked a lot of questions of: the director (casting, rehearsals), the producer (budget, run, program, why the theatre
          chose this play, how), the actors (where they were in the run and how they felt about it), the department heads (details).
          Then, I went through the notes I had taken during the performance. I directed acting notes through the director to
          determine who made the choice. Sometimes it was the actor and sometimes the director and, of course, sometimes, they
          made it together.
          I tracked technical notes back as well to see where the choices had come from. Sometimes the director had let the head
          make the decision and sometimes the director had overridden the department head in matters of hair, costume, props,
          lights and sound.
          In some instances, almost all choices came directly from the director.
          Sometimes my insights and observations were understood and if the play got to be done again, perhaps the team would
          remember these.
          I asked questions. I listened. I heard their response to my notes. I asked if they had questions.
          Then, I wrapped  it up and thanked them for their attention.
          Sometimes I chatted briefly with a few of the participants. Most were, like myself, anxious to get home.

THE SELECTION

          My criteria for selection included these ten elements: creativity, teamwork, risk-taking, potential, degree of difficulty,
          theatre skills, exploration, the audience connection, juice, and, comedy/life.
          I also followed the WODL guidelines and did not take into account: geography, the spreading of awards or the ages of
          the performers or the first-time participants.
          I did consider: the amount of time in performance and how well the group could reproduce the show at festival.

 THE FESTIVAL DATA SHEET

     (I wanted more information on it. I have underlined what I would add to the form.)

     Date of Adjudication

     Time of curtain (there was a 7:30 at Sarnia and a matinee at Woodstock)

     Theatre Group

     Theatre (because sometimes it’s yours, sometimes it’s rented, sometimes it’s out-of-town)

     Production

     Playwright

     Director

     Producer or stage manager

     Play history ( example: Canadian, 1987)

     Production History (which performance will the adjudicator see?  Example:2nd of 7)

     Number of Actors

     For festival/ Out-of-festival (check one)

     Private adjudication only

     Public and private adjudication

     (and the rest of the form was fine)