Bang! Getting everything spot on
View(s):As the days draw closer for ‘The 39 Steps’, a spoof on a Hitchcock thriller, Smriti Daniel speaks to sound specialist Sajeda Akbarally and Props man Chalana Wijesuriya, who literally have to bring cinema to the stage
 Sajeda |
 Chalana |
Every one of the 61 keys on the keyboard represents a different sound – from trains and cars to people and animals – she can summon each with the push of a finger. Sajeda’s sound effects are a critical part of the upcoming production of ‘The 39 Steps’ a play whose lineage extends back to the Alfred Hitchcock thriller and the John Buchan novel before that.
“It’s a spoof and that only makes it that much more complex and interesting,” she says. Having mined the internet for the sound effects and turned to Soundtrax to produce the rest, Sajeda says timing is everything. She started with memorising the script – “things like gunshots can’t be even half a second off. In some places I can’t afford to blink because I might miss my cue.”
For Chalana Wijesuriya being in charge of props means managing 300 separate items. From small elements of costume to chunks of stage scenery that will be dragged into the spotlight by the actors, it’s a matter of knowing exactly where everything is. It’s why he and his team of six are planning on staging their own run-throughs for practice. “This is the biggest production I’ve ever been in ,” says Chalana explaining that the notion of a four man play is deceiving in this case. “When you go and you see a rehearsal, you’re like ‘oh my God’ – it’s literally a cinema on stage.”
Pix by Indika Handuwala
For Sajeda, Chalana and the rest of the team, this learning curve is as steep as they come. “We keep learning. Everyday new things come and we have to figure out what goes where.” They’re also working within a script that specifies the backstage crew shouldn’t really be seen, the props must simply be on hand as soon as the actors need them. “To make it smooth as a movie, that’s the idea,” says Chalana.
With the challenges piling up, Sajeda says it’s nevertheless been inspiring to watch cast and crew pull together. “It has been a really wonderful experience for me.” Here’s hoping audiences will feel the same.
The Performing Arts Company present The 39 Steps directed by Nafeesa K. Amiruddeen and starring Sean Amarasekera, Arjuna Wignaraja, Ashini Fernando and Mohamed Adamally . The play will go on the boards at the Lionel Wendt Theatre from May 11 to 19, with a break on the 15th. Tickets can be pre-booked via FB page ‘The 39 Steps – at The Lionel Wendt Theatre,’ and are on sale at the Wendt. Tickets are priced at Rs.2000, Rs.1500, Rs.1200 and Rs.700 downstairs and Rs.500 in balcony.
The principal sponsor is Cargills, in aid of the One Trust. The co-sponsor is Commercial Bank. Media sponsors are The Sunday Times, the Daily Mirror and TNL Lite.
The production’s Communications partner is Triad, suiting partner Hameedias and sounds partner Soundtrax.
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