As the audience steps into the CHS9 Band Hall, radiant light beams reveal separate papers with the numbers one to 30 hanging in the periphery of the stage.
On Thursday, the CHS9 Theatre Company showcased its fall production, “Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind: 30 plays in 60 minutes” by Greg Allen. The play consists of different variations of classic plays, most of the scenes appear to be a modernized summary of classic plays while the others were as simple as one line that related to the title.
However, unlike a typical show, “Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind” incorporates an interactive element where the audience has a chance to choose how their show develops. After each performance the cast poses questions to the audience that will determine the next scene performed.
“The biggest challenge was preparing our actors and technicians to always be paying attention and be ready for every scene,” CHS9 theater director Eugenia Montoya said. “At first it was a little intimidating doing a performance like this because I had never directed something similar, but it turned out well”
The cast had 20 seconds at most in between each scene, resulting in rapid costume changes. This often was a humorous bit of the show. While keeping the audience on its feet, the actors were able to showcase their duality.
“There were some brutal costume changes and we had to run and hustle so much to keep the audience from getting super bored,” CHS9 actor Samantha Foster said.
The show combined a pre-planned script and the audience’s participation, altering the story along the way. This non scripted narrative enhanced the story by adding real time adaptations that created surprise components in the story.
“Seeing the audience being really engaged with our actors was good and was one of my favorite parts of tonight,” Montoya said.
By the end of the play the actors and technicians had to beat the clock in order to truly complete the story and hold true to the second part of the title “30 plays in 60 minutes”
“I hope the audience walks away feeling like theater is engaging and can happen anywhere you want it to,” CHS9 technical director Colin Tomas said.“I want the audience to be proud of the fact that they are a part of that.”
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