One of my favorite things to do as both an audience
member and as a writer is to go and see a theatrical performance on its opening
night. There’s something about opening night that makes it different from any
other performance. This summer I have been fortunate enough to see a number of
shows on opening night. And I wanted to talk a little bit about what makes an
opening night so special. Firstly, there is raw nervousness and excitement
throughout the show. Unless the show had an open dress, which means there was
an audience watching the dress rehearsal, then this is the first time the
performers are saying their lines and singing in front of an audience. It’s
great for the audience because there is a reality to the performance that can
sometimes be lost during a run. It’s also great for the actors because they get
real reactions. They might have to pause at the end of a song for applause or
at the end of a line for laughs. Something else that usually helps but
sometimes can hurt the performer is the energy of the audience. Most of the
time on an opening night the audience is fairly engaged and excited and that
gives off fabulous energy for the performers to feed off of during the show.
However, there can also be those times when a performer expects a laugh at a
certain line and the audience doesn’t react as planned. Or someone coughs
during a really dramatic scene and the actors must be fully focused to not let
the outside noise affect the scene. But those types of things happen all the
time and are not always an occurrence just during an opening. Something else
that I have come to enjoy is the rawness of an opening. It’s not a seasoned
performance. The actors have not been doing the show eight times a week for a
while and it hasn’t become a routine for them. It’s easier to believe that the
things happening to the characters in the show are happening for the first
time. Additionally, opening night can include a few snags or mistakes
throughout the performance and while some people might think it shows the
performers as unprofessional or under prepared, I think that these types of
occurrences add to the color of the show. It allows me to see how well the
performers can react to different circumstances that pop up. How well can they
improvise a scene if there is a quick change mishap backstage that they need to
cover for? Or how they react if someone trips over a set piece or if a prop is
missing? I find these small pieces of live theatre fascinating to watch. Maybe
it’s because I’ve been in similar situations as a performer so I understand
what it’s like, unlike most audience members. And maybe it’s that understanding that allows
me to notice the little things that weren’t meant to happen. But I would have
to say my favorite part of going to an opening is supporting the cast and crew.
Sometimes I know someone in the cast and like to surprise them on opening night
when they may not have anyone else in the audience. And sometimes I don’t know
anyone but still want to help fill a seat on the opening. Having a full
audience for an opening night is a great confidence booster especially if tech
week has been a bit rough. When you hear the applause after singing your heart
out and dancing as strong as you can even though your body is completely worn
out, you know you’ve done your job and done it well.
Now there are a few differences between an opening
night and a closing night but that’s another post for another day. Thanks for
reading theatre goers and if you have the chance go see a show on opening
night.
