Stagecraft:
I’ve
watched many chamber music contests in my time.
Many. And I feel that stagecraft
is the thing that either gets left literally till the last moment (the teacher
whispers a hurried “BOW!” just as the students are about to go on stage), or
never gets addressed at all. But for me,
stage etiquette is just as important as preparing the music.
Coming
on stage
Decide
who will come on first. Think about this
logically. If you are coaching a flute
trio using three music stands, it makes sense to come on (if entering the stage
from Stage Left)
Player 2 Player 1 Player
3
Why?
Because
they’ll be coming on in front of their music stands to introduce their
piece. Then, after the introduction,
Player 2 moves to their stand from the left, Player 1 follows, and Player 3
turns to the right and moves to their stand.
It’s kinda hard to explain in words.
Try it with three different coloured pens or something. You’ll see what I mean.
If you
are a flute quartet, you would come on
Player 2 Player 1 Player
4 Player 3
The same
thing happens. Players 2 and 1 move to
the left. Players 4 and 3 move to the
right, then BOOM – you’re in the right order.
Think
about your ensemble and what makes sense for where they are positioned on
stage. (Page turners – you’re not
actually part of the ensemble. This
means you don’t come up the front when the performers are introducing the piece
and you don’t take a bow at the end.
Just come on stage after the players and head straight for the piano).
When the
group comes on stage, they should have their music in one hand and their
instrument in the other. If possible, I
like to have their instrument in the hand that is facing the audience. That way the audience (most of whom are proud
mums and dads and aren’t necessarily musical) can see. Music should be in a folder (at the very
least) and ideally should be matching. I
have made up black folders that my students all share. They are made of three pieces of black A4
cardboard that can be spread out for pieces that require 3 pages to reduce page
turns.
Once on
stage, don’t bow. The audience will have
started clapping the moment the players are on the stage and more often than
not they have stopped clapping by the time the players are in the middle. And then you get that awkward thing where
they don’t know whether to clap again, so some do and others don’t then
everyone laughs with awkward embarrassment and it’s just not worth it. Just walk (briskly) on stage and smile.
You
should have decided in advance who will speak and what they will say. Something along the lines of: “Good
[morning/afternoon/evening], we are [insert name here]. Today we will be performing [name of piece]
by [composer].” That’s it. No “witty” in jokes, no explanations of the
group name and no “We hope you enjoy our performance.” Because you know what? You say that to me, I lean back, cross my
arms and think “Yeah? Make me.” All you
need to say is a greeting (and “hi” or “g’day” or “umm…yeah…” are NOT
acceptable), who you are, what you’re going to do. That’s it.
No-one cares about anything else.
Once the introduction is over, go to
your music stands.
Why not
go to your music stands first, tune up, then address the audience? Because it’s rude. You don’t walk into someone’s house, make a
cup of tea, sit down, then say hello. Acknowledge
your audience first. It just makes
sense.
Once at
your stands, do adjust them so they’re in the right position and at the right
height for you. The stage manager will
have done their best to put things the way you want them, but they’re not
psychic. DON’T put your flute on the floor. Arrange beforehand which of your teammates
you’ll give it to while you adjust yourself.
Then return the favour for them. If you’re not familiar with how the
music stands operate, cast a look over at the stage manager. They’ll help you.
Tune up,
then begin the piece.
Finish
the piece.
At the
end, all lower your instruments at the same time (pianists excluded) and LEAVE
YOUR MUSIC WHERE IT IS. Seriously. Don’t touch it. Come back around to the front of your stands,
in reverse order of how you got there.
Don’t come through the middle of them.
Hold your instruments in an appropriate manner. One person needs to lead the bow. Everyone else looks at them out the corner of
their eyes and you bow together. Make
sure everyone is in the line before you start the bow.
How to
bow? Go straight down, then straight up
again. Pretend you’re in a barrel and
can only move down and up. Look at your
feet and in your head say “Ooh! I’m wearing shoes.” This is the correct amount of time to bow. Don’t flick your hair out of the way on the
way up, adjust it after you’ve stood back up if needed.
It’s a
lot to explain in words. Try it, step by
step and hopefully it should make sense to you.[i]
[i] If it makes you feel any better,
one parent, observing me coaching a group in stage etiquette, did remark that
it was like being in the army…
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