Drowsy Chaperone

The Drowsy Chaperone is an interesting show that was performed from October 31st to November 4th at Westminster College. The show is a parody of people in the 1920’s. The story revolves around a middle aged man in a chair who is a theatre fan who plays his favorite record for the audience to hear. The record is The Drowsy Chaperone and from start to finish the audience is in for a unique experience within this play. This play is comedic, upbeat and has a heartwarming story.

The whole show mainly focuses on the relationship between the glamorous show girl Janet Van De Graaff and the handsome, poised Robert Martin; the main characters of the show in Westminster’s productions were played by Hannah Timm and Ian Davis. They did an extraordinary job in all of their appearances. Being involved in The Drowsy Chaperone was a special experience for me. This was the first show that I had speaking lines in, acted and performed in and was involved in helping with the construction and deconstruction of the set pieces. I have been involved in musicals and theatrical productions for six years now.

Within those six years this year the year I was involved in The Drowsy Chaperone by far was my favorite production. This is due to the fact that I was highly involved in different aspects of the show. I greatly enjoyed being involved within the production of The Drowsy Chaperone as much as I was. I believe by being highly involved within the production of The Drowsy Chaperone, it has given me a better perspective to the work involved other than acting into developing a show. There is a ton of the work that goes into developing a play and I was always highly aware of this.

However, now I am much more aware about the set design and it makes me appreciate the actual show much more because of it. At times I thought things were unnecessary when we were producing the set pieces for example the day when we would paint all of the trim multiple times in various colors. First we painted the molding in a bright yellow, then a light brown then dark brown also, an orange glaze may have been added if I remember correctly. I did not understand the point in painting the molding so many times. I vaguely remember thinking we should just have bought dark brown paint and just used that.

I was thinking it would save us a lot more time and we could move onto a different more important project. Now, I understand that everything is important when producing a set this includes the smaller details. By repainting the molding numerous times it added depth to the wood. This helped add to the overall look to the set. Every minor detail is important even if it seems unnecessary at the time it reality it is important. Once the whole set was built and completely done I understood why so much time and effort was devoted to the set and how important the minor details were.

I have been in numerous productions in the theatre since middle school. I always knew that time was devoted into producing a set; however, I did not have a deep appreciation for the set. My opinion has changed drastically since being involved in the production of The Drowsy Chaperone. By being involved with in the construction process and set design I now have a better understanding of what it entails. The set pieces tell their own story within the actual show. Everything that is designed and placed within a set has a purpose.

There is a reason as to why it is placed and a reason to why it was designed in the first place. I learned numerous things while working on the set. Some of these things were; learning how to use the power tools, panting techniques, how to putty, building and helping construct certain objects. I had the pleasure of working on various projects I worked on the following things; constructing a door, painting the walls, painting the molding, helping construct the bed, working on the refrigerator, helping hang the mirror, helping hang the curtains, painting the statute pieces, helping with the windows.

When the opening night of the show came I became nervous for the audience to see the sets and backdrops, this was the first time that this had ever happened to me. , The Drowsy Chaperone is a unique show that is revolved around the 1920’s. Westminster College did a production of the show this year. The performers within the show did a memorable job. I enjoyed being involved within this show because I was involved in other things besides acting. The time and dedication to put on the show and the effort of the performers, workers, and faculty is shown. The Drowsy Chaperone is truly a memorable experience.