Tuesdays at the Theatre
Tuesdays at the Theatre ‘Schampagne Popping’ opens to small audience
Published:Tuesday | October 15, 2019 | 12:00 AMStephanie Lyew/Gleaner Writer
Schampagne Popping opened at The Barracks Theatre in Kingston last Saturday to a small, but intimate gathering. The start of the play was delayed by 15 minutes due to the small turnout but the actors, like the true professionals they are, made sure they entertained.
Schampagne Popping tells the hilarious, yet serious, story of a team of call-centre agents trying to get by in life while having to deal with the stress and demands of their job. It featured five actors: Trudy Bell as Sister Passion, Stacy-Ann Facey as Diamond, Andrew Kelly as Oraine, Dennis Hall as Devon Tattle, and Dacoda Mitchell as Meeka Harvey.
Pollyanna Myers was among those in attendance, having ended up at The Barracks Theatre almost by accident.
“I ended up at this theatre because another was sold out, but I am glad I made the decision to come and see it.”
AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT
Having made the decision to see the play, Myers left the venue satisfied.
“People may think a play or theatre on a whole is struggling, but I don’t, despite the opening night’s small audience. What I have found out is people love to laugh. Comedy and plays are always the better option for entertainment, but the only way the word will get out is if people like me attend and spread it. I would come back again to see this production.”
Orville Hall, director of Schampagne Popping, said that the physical relationship between a production team and an audience is not dependent on the number of persons seated in a theatre waiting on the show to begin, but the ability of the actors to engage whoever is present. With that said, Hall encouraged the actors that the show must go on.
“The truth is I take on projects that deal with issues that are relatable to the average man in the street, which is where much of the support theatre receives comes from. So I tell my actors even if it is one person in the audience, that one person will tell five and that five will tell 10. It’s not about remembering lines, and the focus must remain on the message.”
The content director believes that with the pragmatic reviews from members of the audience, though small, word will spread and the production will have an even greater pull. It is Hall’s fifth theatre production but the second production that he has collaborated on with Bell, who is also the writer of Schampagne Popping.
TIMELY ISSUES
The first was Living Dangerously, which had received a jump-start from a sponsor which helped with the promotion locally and overseas, Hall said.
“We want people to realise that scamming is really a plague in our society and raise awareness, educate the public, and try to rid the society of this disease,” he said.
“It is no longer a play, in the sense of the word, but a way to deliver truth about what is happening in the world, and we are happy to know that in the small audience, there were persons who recognised our aim. Hopefully, sponsors will come on board for the duration.”
Meanwhile, a slightly disappointed Bell told The Gleaner that the absence of a full house has no bearing on performance.
“No matter how many times I perform, there is always the anxiety watching the audience grow from small to medium and then a packed theatre. But as actors, we learn it is important to wear the expressions needed for a good production that has persons viewing unaware of what is going on internally.”
Schampagne Popping will run on weekends until Saturday, November 9.