How to scam camdram and make your show stand out
Shan Tan-Ya explores how sometimes the most memorable shows are not necessarily the ones that get five-star reviews
As an undergraduate student, I survived a degree cycle’s worth of student theatre – and now, after a few years away, I’m back for more as a postgrad. With the benefit of hindsight and having talked to other theatre-going postgrads, staff members, and postdocs, it’s become clear that a five-star show isn’t always the one that audiences remember. Instead, we often remember a show for more unexpected reasons. Perhaps it’s time for a strategic rethink – the next time you pitch a show, consider one of the following courses of action to ensure your work is unforgettable long after the curtain has dropped.
“it’s become clear that the shows that really stick in the audience’s memories sometimes do so for the wrong reasons”
1. Do something bizarre and don’t provide an explanation.
Gimmicks are the clear winner for ways to cement your legacy – they make great anecdotes at reunions. Oscar Wilde’s biblical tale Salome transposed to what appeared to be a tube station; an unfinished Italian-language play ending abruptly with an English rendition of ‘The Sound of Silence’; Bollywood dancing in a Baroque opera – these just a few examples of the loving experimental touches that make the Cambridge student theatre scene so… memorable, even if not always for the right reasons. After all, if people are still asking, “Why did they do that?” months later, it means they’re still talking about it.
2. Choose a venue to which students are already emotionally attached.
Watching Merrily We Roll Along excellently staged at the (now-closed) nightclub establishment known as ‘Cindies’ was a surreal fusion of my two great emotional triggers –Sondheim musicals and the architecture behind the most embarrassing nights of my life. Similarly, having witnessed some of the least dignified debates in human history occur in the Cambridge Union building, I don’t think I could fully take it seriously as a setting for any drama. The more dissonant the emotions you provoke in the audience by your choice of venue, the more likely your production will be fixed in their long-term memory.
“we’re lucky to be able to enjoy such a rich theatrical scene here in Cambridge”
3. Defy (high) expectations.
Footlights, your reputation precedes you! Whilst the world-famous sketch group can usually be counted on to put on many high-quality, joyful productions, stand-up humour doesn’t always translate well for every audience. A routine that doesn’t immediately have you in stitches at a Footlight’s Smoker can make for quite the disappointing experience – perhaps a harsh expectation of students learning the comedy trade part-time and trying to fill some extremely large boots!
4. Orchestrate an on-stage disaster.
Whether it’s the unbearable tension or the heady mix of schadenfreude and pity, there’s nothing quite as intense as witnessing your first live theatrical mishap, especially when the subject of the scandal is your housemate or supervision rival. Call it breaking the fourth wall – I’ve never been so engaged as when experiencing the drama of an actor mangling their lines, or the mystery of which band member still has their mic on whilst chatting away backstage. The show may go on – and so will the satisfaction I get from dining out on these stories for years to come.
5. Put on an all-round excellent production.
This can work to some extent, though it’s not the most effective strategy on the list. I mean, great for you, but I’m afraid that your stunning success is simply not the best conversation starter for the rest of us. However, not to worry – there’s always the prospect of that sweet Varsity review, and hopefully the launching of a promising career in professional theatre!
On a more serious note, we’re lucky to be able to enjoy such a rich theatrical scene here in Cambridge, and even more fortunate in that it provides entertainment in all sorts of diverse ways. I look forward to diving back in, and can’t help but wonder: which moments will become iconic memories for me this time round? Hopefully, with this list behind you, you’ll soon give me my answer...
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