Small Stage, Big Performance

By Luke Deming

The SVSU theatre department overcame a smaller stage to deliver big results in Sideman.

The show stars Tyler Frank, Caleb Knutson, Jenn Wilk, Amanda Mueller, Chad Baker, Mat Easterwood, and Anthony Roberts and focuses on Gene (played by Knutson), a jazz musician, that tries to earn a stable income by playing the trumpet with his three band mates, but fails to hit it big. Gene’s inability to provide for his family puts stress on his mentally ill wife Terry (played by Wilk) and his son Clifford (played by Frank). Clifford does his best to try and save his family from falling apart. Clifford also guides the audience through this memory play.

Most theatre shows, except for summer shows, take place in the large Malcolm Theatre, but due to a scheduling conflict director Janet Rubin chose to move the show into the 85-seat Black Box.

“We moved our season dates. When we did that there was already something booked in there and so we couldn’t get in. So we moved the show in here,” Rubin said.

Rubin and the actors had to make adjustments such as taking out one of the three seating units, but the adjustments were well worth it.

“In the beginning it was really like trying to put a big production in a small, small space,” Rubin said. “But now that we’re in here it was like a happy accident because I don’t think it would have worked nearly as well in the big stage.”

The smaller theatre did make designing the set difficult for technical designer Jerry Dennis.

“On this particular show [the size of the stage] did hurt a little bit. It would have been a lot easier to do on the main stage,” Dennis said.

In order to accommodate for the stage, Dennis had to rebuild the set multiple times.

“You are actually looking at the third incarnation of the set,” Dennis said. “It is sort of a compromised set, but it seems to be working so far.”

The stage wasn’t the only obstacle the show had to overcome. The second show of the fall usually takes place at the start of December, but The Sideman started in mid-November. While this took away almost two weeks of practice, Rubin is happy about its benefits.

“Everybody was pushed right at the end of the semester. Students were trying to finish exams, students who were coming to see the shows were worried about writing their papers, getting their assignments done,” Rubin said. “We thought there really has got to be a better way. So we made the change.”

Theatre junior Caleb Knutson said that he and the cast had to be more detailed and focus on their expressions with the close audience. He supported Rubin’s statement that this show really allows acting talent to emerge.

“Janet said at the beginning that this was an actor’s show,” Knutson said.

Drama and humor were prevalent throughout, but keeping the two balanced was a tough task. Balancing acting seriously while saying comedic lines was difficult.

“Taking it serious on the emotional level while you still have those funny lines. You hear the audience laughing and you are trying to stay in the scene,” said Theatre and Graphic Design senior Jenn Wilk. ”It is a serious matter, but it is written in a way where it’s somewhat light hearted.”

This show stands out with brilliant acting, comedic relief, and a great set. But Theatre senior Danielle Schoeny said there also is an important theme present.

“I really liked Clifford’s closing monologue where he was like they didn’t play for fame, they didn’t play to be rich, they just played for each other and I think that is really cool because it shows the bond that they had,” Schoeny said. “It reminds me that in life it’s about your closest friends.”