Article: Moving the Orchestra Out of the Pit

Article: To Clear Space, a Pit Orchestra in the Basement

By: Patrick Healy

Published: March 23, 2012

New York theaters are trying a new system of placing orchestras, not in the pit, but in a distant room in the theater or even in a building around the block. The musicians watch their conductor, who is in the room with them watching a small black and white television screen showing the actors onstage. Sometimes, as in “Spiderman: Turn off the Dark” the orchestra is actually separated into two rooms and a system of cameras has to be put together so the musicians can see the conductor, the conductor can see the actors, and the actors can also see the conductor. While the directors seem to enjoy the new system of separating the orchestra and the actors in order to make a bigger stage for the set or to add more seats to sell, there are mixed reviews amongst the musicians. Some talk about how convenient it is to be able to relax unseen between numbers, while others miss the interaction they experience between the actors and the orchestra, adding another element to the music.

As a musician and actor I do not like the idea of having the orchestra in another room. To me the musicians and actors must breathe together, feeling the mood of the audience and each other. If they are in different rooms how can this happen? It is like trying to gauge a person’s mood through e-mail. There are no facial expressions, no voices to help convey tone. Also, the audience will not be able to tell if a live orchestra is actually playing, the sound will just come through the speakers. Eventually, it could just be recorded music. The orchestra would play it once and the track be played every night. I would prefer a live orchestra because of the way the orchestra and the actors interact during a show; they may slow down or speed up if a mistake is made or even skip over a part if worse comes to worst. While more money can be made by making room for more elaborate sets or more audience seats, I fully disagree with the idea because it takes a fourth dimension (interaction) away from the performance.

(425)