ABSTRACT Relying on themes present in Tony Kushner’s Angels in America, this thesis blends literary and historical analysis with my own experiences working on the play at Oberlin College. One part serves as a reflection on the practical component of the project-- being a production manager for Oberlin's production of Angels in America. I structure my reflection with three large concepts derived from the textual themes of the play: wrestling with the divine, creating systems, and interconnectedness. I supplement this with information about past productions of the play as well as my own textual analyses, LETTING THE WIRES SHOW revolving around Bertolt Brecht's influences on Tony Kushner. Theatricality and Production Processes for Angels in America Bryn Weiler Honors Capstone Oberlin College Theater Department Spring 2018 Table of Contents Introduction ............................................................................................................................................... 2 Methodology ............................................................................................................................................. 2 Production History.................................................................................................................................... 4 Brecht on Theatricality ............................................................................................................................. 6 Wrestling with the Angel ........................................................................................................................ 11 Difficulties in Professional Productions ........................................................................................... 12 Oberlin Winter Term Choreography Rehearsals ............................................................................. 14 Systems, Good and Bad .......................................................................................................................... 15 Adjusting Oberlin Winter Term Choreography System ................................................................... 18 Rehearsal Systems in Professional Productions ............................................................................ 20 Systems of Communication ............................................................................................................... 21 Communication with Actors .......................................................................................................... 21 Communication with Production Staff .......................................................................................... 23 Stage Management System ........................................................................................................... 23 Interconnectedness ............................................................................................................................... 30 Kushner’s Collaborative Process ...................................................................................................... 31 Facilitating a Collaborative Process at Oberlin ................................................................................ 34 Conclusion: The World Only Spins Forward ......................................................................................... 38 Bibliography ............................................................................................................................................ 43 Appendix .................................................................................................................................................. 45 Standard Rehearsal Checklist ........................................................................................................... 45 Production Manager / Stage Manager / Assistant Stage Manager Responsibility Breakdown ... 46 Pre and Post Show Checklist ............................................................................................................. 48 Sensitive Prop Procedure : E-Cigarettes ......................................................................................... 52 Sensitive Prop Procedure: Scythe .................................................................................................... 52 Sensitive Prop Procedures: Food Items ........................................................................................... 53 1 Introduction Ron Leibman, who played Roy Cohn in the 1993 Broadway production of Angels in America, is cited by director George C. Wolfe as saying that “Everything that happens in life happens in this show.”1 While it is true that the play’s many themes are far-reaching, Leibman’s axiom applies on a smaller scale as well: that of the making of the play itself. As I worked as the production manager on Oberlin’s production of Angels in America, I found that thematic concepts present in the play began to permeate my day-to-day work. The themes Kushner tackles—interconnectedness, struggling with the divine, the metaphor of systems—informed the process of producing the play. Angels in America does not hide its theatricality; Kushner urges “no blackouts!” in his introduction to Millennium Approaches, explaining that “the moments of magic… are to be fully realized, as bits of wonderful theatrical illusion,” and that “it’s OK if the wires show, and maybe it’s good that they do.”2 This paper is an exploration of those wires: an excavation of how a play that has grown larger than life over the past twenty-five years actually happens. Methodology This paper is a reflection on both the play Angels in America and my relationship to it while serving as production manager on a production at Oberlin for my senior capstone project. When developing a senior capstone project, there are several factors at play. Capstones are meant to be a natural growth or extension of an area of study; something that challenges and prepares 1 Bulter, Isaac and Dan Kois. 2016. “Angels in America: The Complete Oral History.” Slate: September 21 2017. 2 Kushner, Tony. 2013. Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes Part One: Millennium Approaches. New York: Broadway Play Publishing Inc. 2 for the next step after graduation. In the Theater Department, capstones often include a practical, experiential component that addresses aspects learning about theater that happen outside of the classroom. Serving as a production manager for this especially large project was a logical choice for me as a student who has focused on theater production and management. Working on a two- part play that stretched the limits of a typical Oberlin production brought challenges that tested many of the skills I developed through my various extra-curricular roles in the theater. The lengthy rehearsal process and construction in Hall Auditorium posed problems in terms of scheduling, the large cast and production team required diligent communication, and the many scene transitions, props, and technical elements necessitated keen organization. The goals of a production manager are clear-cut: make sure everything happens safely and on time, maintain organization and communication. Writing about this process was in some ways more difficult than actually taking part in it. Papers about theater management are not included in any liberal arts writing class; a chronological retelling of the process felt like it would not contain enough analysis of my role in the project, so I decided to divide up the experience thematically. This idea of thematic analysis of the production process was borne of a desire to somehow address the actual content of the play as well. To write about making Angels in America divorced from the themes and historical importance of the play would be to ignore essential aspects of the experience as a whole. As a paper being produced for a liberal arts theater program, it also felt appropriate to blend analysis of my practical experiences with more literary and academic analysis, drawing at times from other areas of study as well. I decided to explore the impact of Bertolt Brecht on Angels in America because his theory of political theater encompasses an aesthetic that is directly linked to the realities of theater production. In short, this paper is a hybrid, an amalgam of thoughts on the experience as practical and academic. This also 3 serves the original purpose of a capstone project, which is to complete whatever an Oberlin liberal arts education has been to the student. Mine has been equal parts academic and experiential, and this essay reflects that. Production History Angels in America was commissioned at the now-defunct Eureka Theater in San Francisco and presented for the first time there in 1988.3 The Eureka Theater was a small organization with a left-leaning acting company and mission. Kushner explains his initial attraction to the Eureka and the prospect of working with Oskar Eustis: “Oskar was kind of already something of a legendary figure in theater. The Eureka had interested me, because it was kind of a progressive, serious left theater in San Francisco.”4 Much of the Eureka company and administration felt a need to produce a play addressing the AIDS crisis, as the San Francisco gay community was deeply impacted.5 Kushner was commissioned by the Eureka to write a two-hour play for the company, and the first presentation of the play was in 1988. In 1989 Oskar Eustis became the resident director at the Mark Taper Forum and intended to bring the play with him to Los Angeles,