How Do I Stage Beaumarchais Plays?
- 1). Study the personal and professional history of Beaumarchais. A passionate Frenchman with plenty of conflicts with the French government, his illustrious history includes financial problems, legal issues and the loss of two wives. Knowing about his background helps you understand the inspiration behind many of Beaumarchais' plays, including the one you select to stage. While dramaturging may not be necessary for many productions, plays as historical as Beaumarchais' require such research so the director can be briefed on the life of this unpredictable playwright and his motivations behind penning his plays. For example, "Le Mariage," written in 1781, was banned from performance because of its tendency to satire the aristocracy of the time. Studying the edits made until the ban was finally lifted provides a dramaturge with various scripting perspectives to pass on to the director.
- 2). Sketch and design costuming for your Beaumarchais play. Eighteenth-century fashion in France was very different from anything a costume designer may have encountered through work on modern plays, and extensive research and visual examples are keys to success. Men's coats were full and long, with vests worn open to accentuate ruffled shirts. Pants were fitted and cropped, while wigs were very popular. Females dressed more elaborately than any other time in history, with plenty of wide dresses and tall hair. Known as Rococo fashion, dresses could be up to 6 feet wide--a challenge any costumer for your play should know about far ahead of time. The culture of 18th-century France was all about outdoing your colleagues in dress, leading to many flamboyant and excessive fashion statements that were inconvenient, yet considered glamorous for much of the era.
- 3). Practice a French accent, as well as any other dialects common to the time period. Beaumarchais used Spanish and English characters in his plays as well as those from his native France. Such characters were especially notable near the time of the Enlightenment, when France, Haiti and America all had revolutions. While you have no way of really knowing how exactly the characters may have sounded, keeping things authentic to the culture the character derives from is key to a realistic performance.
- 4). Brainstorm sets with the designer and carpenters. Set changes were minimal in Beaumarchais' day, and were only used to convey the most basic of settings for a scene. Depending upon the play you choose, you may need to design and construct militia backgrounds to signify time of war, a royal courtroom or banquet hall for scenes involving aristocratic characters, and a street scene or ballroom for more everyday settings. More prolific productions, such as Victor Hugo's popular "Les Miserables," would be good for a set designer to research for ideas on what sort of sets to include in a Beaumarchais production.
- 5). Cast your play. A casting team and director should look for bold and vibrant actors who can portray the heartache and colorful dialogue found within Beaumarchais plays. Many are set on themes of tragedy and tyranny, so the best actors for the job should be able to display a wide range of emotions. If you can cast lead roles who are able to speak French fluently, it may be a worthwhile challenge to use some of the original French dialogue, or perform some shows completely in French. Otherwise, a believable regional accent and a strong penchant for drama without being too comical would be good standards for casting decisions.
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