This week McDaniel Theatre Department will be putting on the musical “9 to 5.” Based on a 1980 movie of the same name, both musical and movie are classics known for their humor and feminist story. The musical is set to begin on Thursday and run through Saturday. Start times for each day is at 7:30 PM.
The production stage manager Gené Fouché, department chair of Theatre Arts and assistant professor, spoke with me on Monday about the upcoming production. Following is most of our conversation.
Q: Do you direct every production here?
A: “I do not direct every play; I direct one production a year.”
Q: What made you want to direct “9-to-5?”
A: “Well, it’s just… a fun musical. It’s got good music. And sometimes our students put forth a list of plays that they’d like to see us do… last year one of our students gave us a list and this was on it and I thought it was a good fit for us and the students we have.”
Q: Is there anything different that goes into a production of a musical than a non-musical play?
A: “There are really three directors. So, I’m the stage director, so it all kind of falls under me. But I have a choreographer who does all the dances, who stages the dances and a music director who makes sure they can sing all the parts and that they have the correct harmonies and all of that stuff.”
Q: So, in a non-musical production, it would just be you?
A: “Yeah.”
Q: So, the story has pretty strong feminist themes, right?
A: “Yeah… it took place at the heart of second wave feminism. So, it was a time when women were not CEOs of companies and that was kind of unheard of and a lot of times the women in the offices were secretaries subjected to sexual harassment, things like that. And so, this addresses all of that and sort of makes the women the heroines in the play.”
Q: It’s a comedy, so I imagine that makes the message more accessible too, right?
A: “Yeah that’s true, and musicals usually bring in bigger crowds… For the community it will be a good way in if they’ve never seen a production here. Everyone knows 9-to-5 who’s my age. They’ve all seen the movie. So, seeing a musical of it is a good night out for them.”
Q: A lot of people have been saying to get tickets early, so it’s pretty popular?
A: “Yeah, I mean…. the pre-solds for this are pretty good so far. The pre-solds for this are kind of comparable to the last play [on the lower stage] we had final.”
Q: And that was “Stupid F***ing Bird?”
A: “It’s about comparable to the final numbers for “Stupid F***ing Bird” so far. And usually, people wait to buy their tickets until day-of here. So, we never really know how many we’ll going to get. But I am expecting it to be a pretty popular play.”
Q: Every McDaniel production I have been to has had a high quality. So, what kind of goes into ensuring that level of quality?
A: “So, you don’t have to be a theatre major or minor or have taken a class to be in a production. But it certainly helps. So, I think all of our leads in this play have at least had acting classes with one of our acting professors and some of them are in the music department as well, which helps. … They are students so, it’s a learning process for everyone. … But I think everyone is doing a great job and they’re trying their best and that makes for a good production.”
Q: How long does the pre-production last?
A: “We started the day that classes came back. So, we kind of started a little behind.”
Q: How often do you practice?
A: “It was six days a week. But not everybody was there all the time. So, at the beginning of the rehearsal period, I only called certain people at certain times. So, the last two weeks we’ve had everyone there all the time. Because when you start running, you start to need everyone.”
Q: How many times do you a full run through of the play before it starts?
A: “I mean it’s different for every production. With this one we probably done it all the way through five times.”
Q: Would it be six this Wednesday for the free admission day?
A: “It is an invited dress rehearsal.”
Q: “So, it’s kind of like, not quite rehearsal, not quite full production yet?”
A: “Right. So, audience members who come to that need to be ready for the show to stop if it needs to. It’s really our last time to get things solidified. And it’s not advertised either. So, that’s kept for classes who, like the theatre classes, require… [students] to see the show. So, that’s an opportunity for them to come see it for free. … So, we don’t really widely advertise that. But lately we’ve had good numbers.”
Q: Are you excited for the play?
A: “I am, yeah.”
Q: I imagine you’re tired?
A: “I’m pretty exhausted at this point. I’ve been here every single day, and I live 45 minutes away. So, I can’t go home for dinner. … It’s been a lot of 14 hour days—in a row.”
Many thanks to Gené Fouché for finding time in her busy schedule to speak with me. She was great and I am excited to see what they have in store.