One Acts and Theatre Spaces

(It's going well with blogging in English, isn't it?)

Another spring comes with another Broad-Ways OneActs Festival. 8 short plays during one evening. Theatre making heaven and hell all combined.
I didn't really want to talk about the Festival that much.. i was just.. comparing the two OneActs I've been part of. And how different it is (or is it?)

Last year I was a performer in two of the plays (huzzaaah for non-existent but apparently somewhat existent acting skills..) and this year I was a lighting technician.
And now, when it's all over, I'm just thinking... that you can experience theatre in so many different ways/levels.
Chatting away in the green room, doing make-up, getting nervous before stepping on the stage, wishing you'd remember all your lines and blocking.
Sitting in the box, in the darkness, with just a bit of light to see the Book and see your cues, pressing GO, being ready to change in case of emergency, occasional chatting on cans.

It's really weird. Two different worlds in theatre. Each essential for the existence of the other. And then on the night colliding with the third world of the audience.

It is actually quite obvious, isn't it. But I just realised that I've lived through both of the experiences (sadly not the third one because during my first year I had something at the same time with OneActs and I couldn't go to see it..).

But what's also interesting for me is the difference between the spaces. Last year OneActs was held in Morland Centre, which is a.. community hall thingy? whilst this year it was in Arad Goch - a professional theatre space. Because last year it was basically one big room, and a side-room which served as green room; there was the feeling of a community, of a Broad-Ways Sociaty community. Techies chilled with actors, directors where present etc. This year I felt more... detached. I was stuck in my box, and went backstage only a few times.. It's probably just me because I'm lazy enough not too be bothered to get down the stairs and what not.. So this year.. I felt there was more of a division - Actors belong to the green room, directors are not allowed because there isn't enough space anyway, techies in the box or in the backstage corridor area.

It's nothing new. Just...new to me I guess? As being in the box is actually quite a new thing for me, getting used to the isolation (again, it's probably just me being antisocial..).