The stage was set, the lights dimmed, and the audience held their collective breath as Taylor’s Society of Performing Arts (SPART) transported us to a world of drama, laughter, and intrigue with their halloween production: The Haunting of Hill House.

The play was showcased on the 26th of October 2023, amid dusk in the Experimental Theatre. This Halloween special was in collaboration with Etc’s Halloweek. Can you imagine the dedication and countless hours put in by the cast and crew behind the scenes? What about the adrenaline and excitement backstage as actors prepare to step into the spotlight? Let’s dive into some stage secrets and find out what occurs behind the curtains.

The Story
The power of live performance lies in its ability to captivate. The play started with a thrill, hearing the mother of our main character, Eleanor, screaming orders from behind the curtains. This immediately attracted the audience’s attention and had everyone on the edge of their seats.

The story then continues with Eleanor receiving an invitation from Dr. Montague, to be a guest at his manor and to participate in his paranormal study. It is known that the Hill House manor is haunted as it has a long history of murders. The plot escalated as more supernatural phenomena occurred, forming a lot of unanswered questions in the minds of the audience.

Pre-climax of the story hits when we find out the study started with Eleanor’s late uncle’s ability to see and talk to the dead. Shock coursed through the crowd when it was revealed that Dr. Montague was the cause of the death of Eleanor’s uncle, and the shock continued when Dr. Montague revealed his true feelings for Uncle Henry.

“My favourite scene was when Dr. Montague finally reveals that he loves Uncle Henry, it had a lot of emotion, as we find out that he killed Uncle Henry as well and I felt like tearing up at that moment.” -Faryaal, Eleanor Vance’s actor.

The play then concludes on a cliffhanger, where we see Eleanor and Theodora stuck in a loop in the Hill House manor, with no way of escaping.

Eleanor Vance - A Character Study
Being in the audience, watching Eleanor Vance as a character is truly compelling and you can’t help but analyse her. In all the scenes in the play, Eleanor is portrayed as a highly vulnerable character and is emotionally fragile. Her vulnerability could be strained by her mother, who subjected her to constant criticism and control as seen in the first scene, where  Eleanor’s mother screamed  at her, asking her to send dinner.

Her immediate connection with Theodora, another one of the Hill House’s guests, shows her desire for connection and a sense of belonging that she has lacked in her life. Theodora is portrayed as a more outgoing and confident character, while Eleanor is more introverted, creating an interesting dynamic between the two. “I had to make the character more stiff and submissive, so like my hands clasped together in front, and head bowed down.” -Faryaal

It is definitely not easy to play a character like Eleanor, portraying an emotionally fragile persona. As Mitunasree, the director described,  Faryaal really gets into character when she is acting. She puts herself in the position of the character and imagines the emotions they feel. And according to Faryaal, she is not going to deny that it is a lot of pressure playing the main character for a one hour play. However, the crew was very supportive of her, and kept telling her how they believed in her.

“The character seemed headstrong and had been through a lot, which is what drew me to play her. In the first scene, we see her as someone who is very caring towards her mother, so I find it as something I could relate to as I’m the eldest sibling and I feel protective towards my family.” -Faryaal

Behind the Curtain
We love hustlers and grinders. This whole play was pulled together by SPART within one month of rehearsals and preparation. Mitunasree, the director, mentioned how their rehearsals were usually Monday to Thursday nights, 7pm to 9:30pm, and sometimes even on Saturdays from 12pm to 3pm.

The crew would also play games during rehearsals, one of them being an acting exercise where each actor was given a character, like Mickey Mouse, and they would sit in a classroom together and act as the character.

A challenge faced at the beginning of producing the play was that the script was initially written very novel-like and the language used was very formal and old, so Mitunasree was worried that many of the audience would not understand the dialogue. To tackle this challenge, the crew, as a team, improved and adjusted the script to make it more script-like. “Usually as a director, I would go for humour  as I like to engage with the audience, but I chose not to do that this time since this play is a bit more serious.” -Mitunasree

Another issue amidst the play for Faryaal was how fast they had to change clothes in between scenes, as the time interval was not very long. If they were acting out a scene where the characters are indoors they would have to take off their jacket and gloves, but if they were outdoors, they would have to put them on quite quickly. “To do that within five seconds was quite chaotic and kind of a struggle, but we all managed.” -Faryaal

At the end of the day, despite the challenges faced whether during the preparation phase or on event day, the actors and the whole crew did a really good job handling the obstacles and managed to pull through. As an audience, the play was a success.

“If I could go back and do something differently, I wouldn’t. My actors did such a good job so I have no regrets about anything.” -Mitunasree

Art of Improv
What is improv? Improv, short for improvisation, in the context of theatre is a form of live performance in which actors create scenes or dialogues on the spot without a scripted or rehearsed plan. Improv encourages teamwork, as actors must trust and support one another to create cohesive scenes without a script.

The Haunting of Hill House play had several improvised scenes. For example, in the scene where Dr. Montague kills Lucas with the knife, the prop used was a tube full of fake blood. However, when Syed, Dr. Montague’s actor, stabbed Arwish, Lucas’ actor, the tube pushed back and the blood did not come out.

“Arwish had to subtly press on it to get blood all over his shirt, which worked, and he timed it really well.” -Faryaal

A bit of a backstory in the scene where Theodora faints to the floor, the actor, Alia, actually banged her forehead on the floor pretty badly which started to swell. It was mentioned that she had a minor concussion from the fall, yet continued the play. This resulted in a humorful line said by Theodora when she was interacting with the ghost of Hill House Manor.

“When Theo was talking to the ghost, and she said “What is going on bro?!” and the ghost responded with a nonchalant “I don’t know.”,  that was not scripted and I was trying so hard not to laugh and it made the audience laugh too.” -Faryaal

The crew, including Mitunasree, also did not expect the audience to laugh as much as they did. Initially, they thought the audience would be disappointed by the slight mess-ups but everyone in the crowd very much enjoyed the play and thought the improvised scenes were part of the comedy.

Theatre 101
What is the difference between a stage manager and a director? In terms of their responsibilities, a stage manager is primarily responsible for the logistical and organisational aspects of the play. They handle things like scheduling, and coordinating rehearsals, and ensure that all technical and backstage elements run smoothly on the day of the production. A director on the other hand is responsible for shaping the artistic vision of the production. They work closely with the actors to make decisions regarding storytelling, character development, tone, and so on.

The director, Mitunasree, is a second-year mass communication student, who has directed multiple plays, this play being the fourth. A piece of advice from her to all aspiring play directors out there was to have confidence. It serves as a source of inspiration and motivation to the cast and crew. When a director exudes confidence, it encourages the entire team to believe in the vision and work harder to achieve the desired results.

Faryaal, who is a psychology student, pointed out how your chemistry with your fellow actors is a big factor when it comes to acting. On set, the actors would play acting exercises together, get to know each other better, and one time they even went thrift shopping together for costumes. Once you have built a connection with each other, it’ll be easier to give honest constructive feedback and take feedback when it comes to acting.

To be part of a play, it requires a high level of commitment and dedication. Some plays have a rehearsal period of two to four months, while others, like this one, have a rehearsal period of one month. As a university student, how would you balance your academic commitments with your role in the play? Here’s how our main actor, Faryaal, handled it;

“It was quite difficult due to the tight schedule, the only way for me was to cut off my social life for the whole month. Arwish, the actor who plays Lucas, also said the same thing. I would go to class, then go to rehearsals, and sometimes I would do my assignments during rehearsals. But it was a great experience overall, all us actors became really close and bonded together fast.” -Faryaal

Summary
In summary, Taylor’s Society of Performing Arts did an amazing job for this Halloween special, The Haunting of Hill House Play. I had a great time watching and I know many others who would say the same.

To all aspiring actors or directors out there, like Mitunasree said, go for it. Despite the level of commitment required, it gives you a great overall experience, and of course, new friends.