College Production: Floyd Collins or Little Fish? — Page 2

Are you worried about filling seats? It's college theatre--does it have to pay for itself?

I think both of these shows are really challenging for a school--I've seen dissapointing professional versions of Floyd Collins (one of my favorite shows). I admire you for tackling either of these. I don't have high hopes for the quality but they'd be great experiences for the students.

---

Hey iluvtheatertrash, I would actually talk to the musical director first. Little Fish has a VERY specific orchestration (I have the score). I don't think it could be done without a full Rhythm section at least. Floyd has it's own demands. Just be careful when choosing them.

I think it's great you're doing new innovative theatre. I think people don't realize that if a theatre school is doing productions I think it's more about education than thrilling audiences. Do we want to entertain? Yes but let's be real about doing shows like Zombie Prom and the like just for audience consideration. The primary question is what are students learning about singing acting? The audience is merely a secondary consideration (which makes it different from commercial theatre).

what's missing? what problems did you find with it. I thought it is wonderfully written.

I know you were at the concert, but I have to say - the score sounded great with the instruments they used there.

I have to say I miss the drums. I mean it's a rock score. I think it needs to rock. I think it's a little more important than the bass, but I didn't write it.

How's the "Little Fish" score vocally? I've never heard any music from it, but I really like the idea of the show. I wish they had recorded the concert. How high is the male part?

Cool. Yeah, it sounds like it's great music, maybe one day we'll get a recording.

I saw Little Fish twice at Second Stage. I loved it.

I think it was Piano Guitar and Bass.

I have done the show twice (played Homer) and I disagree with the notion that it might not work in a black box theater... if you have a good set designer, and even more importantly, a GREAT lighting designer, you could pull off FLOYD COLLINS in a black box pretty easily... it can be surrealistic in its staging. The thing is, there aren't a lot of young people in the cast - Floyd was around 40 and Nellie isn't too young either... The father is around 60-ish...

As for GREAT AMERICAN TRAILER PARK... that is just as difficult a show - but because it's funny, it's not seen as such. When I saw it here in NYC, the performances were uniformally so good and many of the actors had amazing comic timing.

Both shows would be difficult... FLOYD COLLINS can be a musical nightmare if you don't have a strong musical director AND orchestra.

im sorry was there not a table in front of your couch where drinks and food were placed because i believe there was and i would know if a drink were spilled on me so ...nice try

I'll probably do it in thrust.

Most likely am going to get some nice blue fabric for the swimming sequence and cut openings in and let the cast swim in and out of it. Our black box is our primary theater space and is pretty roomy, shockingly, so that it would work pretty well in there. And the effect, with the audience there, would look very neat, I think.

Have a lot to think about, but have some really cool ideas that I'd like to see actually come to fruition, although I'm sure a great deal of them would be left on the table and never make it to production.

---

Updated On: 10/14/06 at 12:31 AM