In theater, a common phrase is “keep the drama onstage.” It seems pretty simple, but when a production has disappearing castmates, love triangles and an excessive amount of sardines, “no drama” seems to be a herculean task.
“Noises Off,” a beloved British farce, is the Sullivan Theater’s newest production. A play within a play, “Noises Off” follows director Lloyd Dallas and the cast and crew of his fictional new show, “Nothing On.”
Nothing is going right at dress rehearsal: missed cues, lost props and a continuing series of unfortunate events. And just as the show opens, the comedy of errors gets wilder. Things continue to complicate as the cast, crew and director try to keep the show from completely falling apart.
Sophie Rollins, a senior anthropology major at LSU, will be making her Sullivan Theater debut in “Noises Off.” She is thrilled to be in the show, which she’d never heard of.
For such a unique show, the audition process didn’t have actors just read from scripts. Instead, they practiced clowning activities and other comedy bits, Rollins said.
“This is a lot of physical comedy, which is something I recently fell in love with from the last show I was in, ‘The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals,’” Rollins said. “There were a lot of opportunities for almost this slapstick type of thing, and I was so excited to do more of that.”
In “Noises Off,” Rollins plays Brooke, a very pretty girl who’s new to acting and who may have been cast for superficial reasons.
“This is her first lead role and she’s trying her absolute damnedest,” Rollins said. “She has memorized her lines and her blocking, which gives me a lot to play with, sticking to the script in places where she should be adapting, especially when it comes to act three.”
Rollins describes the show as a story where “the director is trying to wrangle these people in fighting and battling egos. It’s just what happens when you get a bunch of actors in a room and give them a reason to hate each other.”
“Noises Off” is Rollins’ first community theater production, and she said though she didn’t know what to expect walking in, she’s having a fantastic time. She particularly appreciates the experience of working with adult actors for the first time.
“Having these more experienced figures complimenting the choices I make and saying, ‘That was really funny when you did that,’ means so much to me because they know what they’re talking about,” Rollins said.
“I can’t imagine someone not being delighted by the script, this production. I can confidently say that everyone in the show was so perfectly cast and embodies the roles so fantastically.”
Brittany Zimmerman is usually backstage helping with costume changes or sewing clothes, but for the first time on the Sullivan stage, she will be standing under those bright lights. As Belinda Blair in the show, Zimmerman plays a key part in the comedic chaos that is “Noises Off.”
“It’s always nice to kind of step out front and play rather than be backstage,” Zimmerman said.
Zimmerman said the rehearsal process has been unique, as every day the cast improvises something that’s then added to the script to make it even funnier.
Zimmerman described the show as a “high-octane physical comedy from start to finish. There will be moments where you can’t catch your breath because there’s so much going on all at once.”
“Noises Off” is certainly a show of firsts: the first time performing at the Sullivan for some and the first time directing a professional show for the director, Madalyn Mullins. She’s used to directing kids as a theater teacher.
As far as first shows go, Mullins said “Noises Off” is “pretty daunting,” but her teaching experience has influenced her directing.
“I’m always the kind of director and teacher where this is a collaborative process. I want to know people’s thoughts,” Mullins said.
Still, Mullins said working with adults is “really exciting” and has been predictably different from working with children.
“It is very nice that, working with adults, they write down all of their blocking,” Mullins said. “They’re also not at the age where they’re scared of being silly, so it’s just fun.”
Mullins’ efforts have not gone unnoticed among the cast.
“Madalyn, our fearless leader, is so amazing and just an incredible, incredible director to work under, especially for this show,” Zimmerman said. “I couldn’t imagine it under anyone else.”
Zimmerman is most excited for people to see act two, which she called her “45-minute ballet” where she organizes “structured chaos.”
Overall, Mullins said the show gives insight into how a theater works backstage, showing the audience “how the sausage gets made.”
“Noises Off” opens Aug. 15 and runs through Aug. 24. Tickets to the show are $25, but students have a discounted rate of $20. The Sullivan Theater website has tickets and more information about the show for anyone interested.
