Pasadena Little Theatre continues on with its 71st season, the most recent show “The Game’s Afoot” directed by Jeff Merriman being performed in early February and continuing to inspire locals to join and entertain the community through productions.
“Community theatre makes theatre more approachable to regular people,” says Director Jeff Merriman, “like those in the neighborhood, where going to the Alley is too cost prohibitive, or joining may seem too intimidating.”
According to Director Merriman, the audition process is open to the public and beginner friendly to those who have little to no theatre experience.
“Most auditions are cold reads from the book, or the script, which is basically the director picking sections of the script that we’re gonna do,” says Merriman, “I try to give a little bit of direction too to see how a person will take direction.”
After auditions, and potential callback auditions, rehearsals at PLT begin. Rehearsals start about 6 to 7 weeks before the scheduled performance dates.
“This show is a little different since we cast it before Christmas. We only had a 5-week rehearsal process,” says Merriman.
Every director has a different process, but Merriman’s rehearsals start off with a read-through of the script to give the cast an idea of the characters and story, as well as give them the vision he has for the show.
The first three to four rehearsals are called blocking rehearsals. This is where Merriman gives the show its movement, telling actors where to enter and where to stand. He goes on to explain that he allows the actors to make some creative decisions with their character’s movements.
After the blocking rehearsals, the production begins to run the blockings for another week or so before running scenes off-book, or without the script in the actor’s hands.
“This is the chance I can really go in and polish the show,” starts Merriman, “The show really grows when the script is out of their hands because their reactions to one another acting grows a lot.”
The last week of rehearsals is what the theatre community calls “tech week.” This is where the technical aspects of the show such as sound effects and lighting cues are layered in. At this point, full runs of the show are being done without interruptions.
Even those who are not fond of the idea of performing on stage can be involved in productions. PLT has many other ways of getting involved such as directing productions, creating sets and costumes, or being a part of the tech crew.
“One thing to do is contact the theatre, or even show up to auditions, and tell the director or stage manager that you’re not so interested in being on stage but rather backstage,” suggests Merriman.
In the past, PLT has spoken about the need for the younger generation to get involved in theatre. The theatre offers workshops for young actors that may be interested in stepping onto the stage that take place during school breaks (winter, spring, and summer).
“The biggest thing is get out there and do it. You can’t grow without being on the stage,” Merriman starts, “You can’t become an actor by just studying it, you have to perform.”
When asked about whether theatre has made a change in anyone’s life, Merriman goes on to speak about his own experience through the years and how it’s made a positive change in his life.
“When I got done with The Rainmaker last year, I told my wife, ‘I’ve now done everything that I had [planned] to do in my head from 10 years ago,” Merriman said, “I was so satisfied with my theatre career at that point in time.”
PLT plays a big role in the community with its volunteers’ involvement and is always open to more support, whether it be from volunteering or simply being an audience member.
“The biggest thing I would say is to show up. Come out and see a show,” says Merriman, “A lot of the time, our future performers and patrons are in the audience.
For more information, visit Pasadena Little Theatre’s Facebook page or website at pasadenalittletheatre.org
