mise en scène
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“What did you just say?” Henry said. His voice boomed outward, filling the room.
“You heard me.” Terry replied. His voice was quieter, but sharper, cutting through the air like a knife. “She never loved you. That’s why she came crawling to me last night.”
Henry took three steps forward. “You. If you keep spreading lies I’ll—”
“Stop, stop, stop.” Both Henry and Terry’s shoulders slumped.
“What now?” Henry said. “I did everything right. I used the right volume, the right words, the right look.”
Kevin stormed onto the stage. He made a beeline right for Henry, stopping far too close for his comfort. “You’re supposed to stand here!” He said, pointing to a place a few inches in front of Henry.
Henry looked at the spot. Then at his feet. “You’re kidding right?”
“I am deadly serious.”
“That’s like, two inches. Nobody in the audience is going to notice two inches if I’m not exactly in the right spot.”
“Oh, they’ll notice. The entire scene will be wrong if you two aren’t in the exact right spot. Everything will fall apart. Everything is hinged on you being right there. The lights, the sound, the set. Everything. It all comes together into one harmonious whole. One that falls apart if you two are even an inch off your mark.”
“That doesn’t make any sense.”
“Yeah, I gotta agree with that.” Terry said. “I mean, what about the audience members to the far sides of the stage? They’ll be seeing things a lot differently than the ones in the center. Will everything come together the same way for them?”
Kevin fumbled over his words for a moment. “Of…of course it will! I made absolutely sure of it!” It was obvious he had done no such thing. The two actors looked at each other with knowing looks. “Look, just…just trust me, okay? I have everything planned out. A grand vision of the entirety of the stage working in perfect harmony. The ultimate display of flawless mise en scene.”
“Do you even know what that means?” Henry asked.
“Of course I know!” Kevin spat. “It means you have to stand in the exact right spot or everything falls apart. That’s what it means.”
“Look, can we just get back to rehearsal?” Terry asked. “We’ve got, like, five more scenes of just the two of us, and I’d like to finish up while it’s still kind of light out.”
“Yes, fine. Get back to it. But this time, stand in the right place, damn it!” Kevin stomped off stage, only slightly less irate than when he came on.
The two actors rolled their eyes in near perfect synchronization. They both knew it would not be that easy, not with this director. But, the show must go on. Even if that show was just a rehearsal for the actual show. They got into position for the start of the scene, making very sure they were in the exact right spot. And then, they started to act.
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I wonder how many amateur directors out there are like this. I'm not an actor, so I wouldn't know. Maybe someone more familiar with the stage can shed some light on the subject?
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