Are too many scenes in a play a problem?

johnalia

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Hello Everyone!

As I had mentioned earlier that I am writing a play script and as the story is developing and being a first timer, I am facing some difficulties. One major problem I see is that there are lots of ''scenes'' in my play. Basically the play tells the story from both times, the past and the present mainly in the Act II and therefore the set is changing quite frequently because the scenes are happening in different places at different times.

I am not sure if this is a problem or not but how difficult it is to change the set during a running play and would it be costly production to do so? So I thought of asking you guys whay you say or if you can suggest me a better way handling this problem. Thank you in advance for your time and suggestions.

Best Regards,
John Alia
 

cornflake

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The set may or may not be changing -- you're not the set designer? I guess I'm not sure what you mean.
 

johnalia

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The set may or may not be changing -- you're not the set designer? I guess I'm not sure what you mean.

No I am not a set designer, I am just trying to write a script for a play. What I mean is that scenes are changing quite often. For example, one scene is happening in an office and the next scene is in the restaurant or in the classroom etc.
 

cornflake

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No I am not a set designer, I am just trying to write a script for a play. What I mean is that scenes are changing quite often. For example, one scene is happening in an office and the next scene is in the restaurant or in the classroom etc.

If people are just flitting in and out of different locations -- I'd ask myself why that is. Do they need to go to a restaurant to have whatever conversation they're having? It's like changing the setting of an existing play; there has to be a solid, explicable reason to do it, not just 'but it'd be cool if MacBeth took place in an Indian cab dispatch office!' or something.

If there is reason for all the moving around, then fine. If there's not, stop moving them, heh.

Regardless, sets aren't your issue. You're picturing 'I said it's at an office, so the set would look like an office as I picture it, with windows, cubicles, desks, a boss' office, etc.. and when we move to a classroom, it's going to have rows of students and a blackboard and teacher's desk and ...' but, as you're not the set designer, you have no idea how any of that would be conceived. It might all exist on a single, small platform with half walls making 'rooms' that people walk in and out of, it might be a bare stage with a single student desk to indicate classroom, replaced by a single office desk to indicate office.

In short - make sure your characters really have to keep moving to different places. Then, kind of regardless of that answer (but it's an important question), forget about it, because not your problem.
 
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Tsu Dho Nimh

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What do you mean "the set is changing quite frequently because the scenes are happening in different places at different times. "

If you are jumping around in space and time, I'd worry about losing your audience's attention more than the difficulties of showing it on stage.

This is not like the movies - you can't freely cut back and forth because things have to be physically moved into and out of the sight of the audience. Or somehow hidden and revealed with lighting and projections. But that is not the author's decision, it's the producer and set designer who handle it.
 

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The answer is, it depends. Do you imagine that the entire set and furniture have to change for each scene? Then yes, that's a problem. The audience would get lost if they had to suffer a complete set change every few pages. Theaters will avoid plays with production costs or number of workers backstage being too high. On the other hand, if a desk (for example) can be brought in for "the office scene" while the rest of the stage disappears into darkness, that's doable. With budgets the way they are at the moment, productions tend to have one basic set with elements that come and go. The days of complete scene changes are gone. As a playwright, how the set is accomplished is not your job, but it is important to keep theatre limitations in mind if you want the play produced. I can't tell you how many times I've worked for a theater and they have decided against plays they wanted to do but couldn't afford. And there are other considerations. In one play last year, the script called for a fireplace, but the play was being produced in a small thrust space with no room for a fireplace. The theater had to get special permission from the playwright to make that change. Some theaters won't go to that trouble, so if the production seems unrealistic for their timeline and budget, they'll simply pass on it.
 

johnalia

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What do you mean "the set is changing quite frequently because the scenes are happening in different places at different times. "

If you are jumping around in space and time, I'd worry about losing your audience's attention more than the difficulties of showing it on stage.

This is not like the movies - you can't freely cut back and forth because things have to be physically moved into and out of the sight of the audience. Or somehow hidden and revealed with lighting and projections. But that is not the author's decision, it's the producer and set designer who handle it.

Thank you for your reply! I meant that the characters are playing their roles at different locations in different times i.e. from the past and in present time as well, that's what I meant with the ''changing scenes''. You are absolutely right and I don't want too that my audience loose their attentions but luckily the scenes are brief enough that will hopefully keep the audience focus.
 

johnalia

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The answer is, it depends. Do you imagine that the entire set and furniture have to change for each scene? Then yes, that's a problem. The audience would get lost if they had to suffer a complete set change every few pages. Theaters will avoid plays with production costs or number of workers backstage being too high. On the other hand, if a desk (for example) can be brought in for "the office scene" while the rest of the stage disappears into darkness, that's doable. With budgets the way they are at the moment, productions tend to have one basic set with elements that come and go. The days of complete scene changes are gone. As a playwright, how the set is accomplished is not your job, but it is important to keep theatre limitations in mind if you want the play produced. I can't tell you how many times I've worked for a theater and they have decided against plays they wanted to do but couldn't afford. And there are other considerations. In one play last year, the script called for a fireplace, but the play was being produced in a small thrust space with no room for a fireplace. The theater had to get special permission from the playwright to make that change. Some theaters won't go to that trouble, so if the production seems unrealistic for their timeline and budget, they'll simply pass on it.

Thank you Ms Johnson for your brief answer. I don't think the whole set needs to change but few chairs and tables around would do the job and like you said that can be done by disappearing them in darkness. I didn't realize this before how lights can change the whole atmosphere of the stage but Thank you for bringing this important piece of information.
 

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Not an expert in set design but it is remarkable what can be achieved with lighting, a couple of chairs, and a tea-tray.

One thing a theatre manager said to me once though, perhaps slightly tongue in cheek, was "if it can't be produced with three actors then forget it!" so resist the cast of thousands as being too expensive.
 

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I'm also writing a play, not my first. (None has been produced, so take this advice as non-professional.)

When you write for the stage, you need to consider factors novelists don't: the obstacles and costs of staging. In general, the fewer actors and the fewer distinct settings, the cheaper to play before an audience.

Stagecraft can and does involve having multiple sets on the stage at the same time, with lights up or down to place the audience, using a set to represent two places and times indicated by a single, large change--the huge portrait of the company founder is there or a large abstract painting hang in its place--or writing simply enough that a black box (no sets, just some chairs and maybe a table) theatre can stage it.

Finish your play as you envision it now, and before you do a second draft, rethink whether the many scenes need to be set specifically where they are and why. My current play's first draft involved four sets, but the second took it down to two. If it's any good (who knows???), this increases the number of markets to whom performance rights could be sold.

Maryn, only on her third play
 

mrsmig

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Just bear in mind that an audience needs to keep up with the action. With multiple changes of setting (even with a minimalist set), you run the risk of disorienting those watching.

Live theatre isn't like watching a movie or reading a book. There's no way to rewatch or turn back the page if you're confused. Theatre exists in the moment. Those changes in setting (and in your case, time) will need to be crystal clear.
 
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Doug B

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I'm with Maryn: Write it as you see it. Then sort it out. The staging of a good story can be handled.

I've directed plays with over a dozen locations on a stage 25 feet wide with no wings. One specific play comes to mind. I made three generic acting areas on the stage. Everything was black so it would disappear. The walls were black, the tables were black, the bed was black with black sheets and a black blanket. The only color came from the actors and what they carried on with them. An actor wearing a coat meant outside, a shirt meant inside and a tee shirt meant a bedroom. The scenes morphed from one to another with no stopping of the action. I'll try to attach a photo. If it works, you see a bedroom scene. Notice how the focus is on the actors and not the set. To digress for a moment: This play in the photo is "TORSO".

The main reason I did it that way was because you lose the audience focus for three to five minutes (not including the actual time to change the set) every time you have a scene change. It takes time for the audience to leave the real world and join the imaginary world of your play. If you have a five minute scene with scene changes on both sides of it, the audience will not even remember that scene.

Doug B
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It can be majorly problematic to have too many scene changes, absolutely. It sounds as though you are not writing for a specific company/theatre as of yet...which is often the case. You do have to keep in mind that every scene change that involves a different set has to be fulfilled on the stage. If you are moving around to too many sets you immediately narrow the audience of potential theatres, especially when it comes to funding, set stocks, etc. A lot of companies would not be able to take on plays with too many set changes...no matter how magical they are at coming up with different sets with the limited stock they have on hand. Then you also need to consider time and the time between scenes---set changes, etc.

As Doug pointed out, it is possible. to pull off multiple sets/scenes. But depending on how big you're aim is...you might have to consider less is more.
 

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You could have a, say, generic 1950s era mini-set on the left of the stage and the "regular" set on the rest of the stage. The 1950s set could be blacked out when not needed and vice versa for the "regular" set.
Or, check out the play "The Time Machine" based on a H G. Wells story. This young Steampunk guy from the 1800s or so invents a time machine and goes to the future (the 1950s, at least when we produced it at our high school). There are scenes in both eras in the play. Good luck.