Those Assholes Are My Audience

Last night was our first Sitzprobe. I am so impressed with musicians and their ability to play so well so quickly. Having a band makes a world of difference in this show. Many of the notes we were struggling with are much easier to hear with more instruments contributing to the sound, and a lot of the music is more fun; Clancy has some really cool beats on the drum that truly enhance the excitement of the first act. I can’t wait to start running this show with the band, lights, and costumes! I never feel like I can truly become a part of the world until all of these art forms collide.

What I love about the theatre is it’s a melting pot for every art form. To put on a show, you need actors capturing a character, musicians playing proper tone and sound, singers finding feeling though lyrics, costume designers choosing fit and color to best represent the character and the story, lighting designers seizing a mood, and set designers bringing the world to life through sculpture, building, and painting. Being primarily a visual artist, I appreciate all of these coming together. It’s like an art orgasm, especially when all of these things come together well.

This show has been a roller-coaster of emotions; the cast is working so hard to understand the music, the choreography, and especially the world we are portraying. Jerry Springer is often laughed off as a big joke, and honestly I never took any of it seriously. I found it incredibly embarrassing for those people that choose to reveal their stories, however true they may be.  So the big question here is: How can I legitimize these people in order to give root to the story we are telling?

Yes, I am merely in the studio audience, I am never in the spotlight with a beautiful solo, but what would the Jerry Springer Show be without his audience?  We coined the “Jerry, Jerry, Jerry,” that everyone is accustomed to when thinking of the show. We are the constant in every episode, we are the energy, we are a panel of judges, criticizing and appraising the guests. It gets me thinking about who they are as individuals. Why did these people come to the show? Who did they come with? What are they hoping to see? Is it an attempt to relate to someone onstage? Is it an endeavor to feel good about their personal struggles?  Or are they there merely for entertainment?

Maybe it’s a combination of all of these things, I’m not sure. But I will say that this show has really made me think about types of people I would normally dismiss as scum (That may be harsh), and wondering about their lifestyles, their opportunities (or lack thereof), their character and merit…..I’ll leave it at that.