Gabrielle Bailes is a theater artist from Louisiana and has lived in the Roaring Fork Valley for eight years. She has performed and designed with TRTC and VOICES. Gabrielle holds a Bachelor of Arts in Theater from Marietta College and is a Board Member of VOICES. She is a big believer in the arts.
When I was in my first year of studying theater at Marietta College, my classmates and I went to see a production of “Seven Guitars” by August Wilson at Carnegie Mellon University. By that time, I hadn’t seen many live productions at all — in fact, I could have counted them all on one hand.
I loved Wilson’s “Fences,” which I had seen a filmed version of, so I was especially thrilled to be seeing another of his plays, but live. We sat relatively close to the stage, maybe seven to 10 rows back. Our professors tried to use the opportunity to teach the greener students about theater etiquette.
I remember looking around the theater trying to see if I could tell what kind of lights were being used, which ones were on and what colors there were. I tried to note as many details about the set as possible before the show even started. I remember the costumes vividly and loved the colors. I was particularly impressed with the skill of each actor.
While I do tend to study sets before the opening line, I also love going into plays blind. I love it when every moment is a surprise.
My mother gets frustrated when we watch movies together, because I can generally guess how it will go and can’t help but spoil it. Fortunately, live theater tends to surprise audiences a lot more often.
There are so many beautiful moments that happen. And with a trained eye one can detect production choices, from the way a character moves to how quiet or loud they are to the textures of clothing and set pieces.
I don’t know if it’s simply from sharing a physical space, whether all audience members’ heartbeats sync up or if it’s a chemical romance that permeates the air, but some moments stay with the audience.
What really took me aback during Wilson’s show, and inspired a feeling within me that remains to this day, was the climactic moment when there was a confrontation. The audience could tell that something physical was going to happen. I expected that for the major blow there would be a blackout and that the audience wouldn’t actually see any violence. But alas, the moment was as colorful as the rest of the play, leaving little up for interpretation, for the audience could plainly see the swing, the impact and a spurt of blood that soared through the air. Then came the blackout.
When I saw the way the actor moved his body and the blood shooting in the air, I was stunned. It felt so real. I inhaled and held it in as I pushed myself all the way back against my chair. I stayed like that for about a full minute; I could not breathe. I was frozen in awe: In awe of the performance, in awe of the technical skill and in awe of how all of that came together to convey a formidable and impactful story.
I’m usually a crier at shows or movies. I can reach an emotional place easily. This one though, this was different. I think there was something extra that happened because of that moment. I would not have felt that way watching a film. And I love films! It’s just that we’ve all seen violence and drama on screen that’s far more intense. But when it’s real people in front of you, there’s that extra something that leaves a deeper and longer lasting impression. That’s theater magic.
“Women’s VOICES: Theater Magic” from VOICES Radio Hour will air on KDNK on Friday, April 12 from 6 to 7pm. You can listen to past episodes of VOICES Radio Hour at www.voicesrfv.org/voices-radio-hour To buy tickets to the 2024 Women’s VOICES Theater Project, visit www.voicesrfv.org