Ara’Kus on Broadway
by Tobias MacRobie
Thanks for making it magickal!
Building the World of Aeterno Elementum
For those who haven’t seen Aeterno Elementum, it’s a very minimalistic stage setup, a raised platform where the band sets up the drums and other instruments, and some stairs where the choir stands. Doesn’t seem like it would be that much work to put it together, right? That’s exactly what I thought when I arrived at the theater to help setup the stage. How wrong I was. So very wrong.
Steve, our Creepy Effin’ Monk and carpenter, arrived with what looked like a disassembled house on the back of his truck. A mountain of wood that was stacked so high that Steve’s truck was visibly sagging under the weight of it all, and when we started unloading it the truck starting groaning in relief. Now I’m not a mechanically minded person, nor am I in very good shape, so the process of unloading the truck was a nightmarish experience all its own. To make things worse, the stage was on the second floor of the building. It wasn’t until we had lugged all the heaviest, most awkward pieces up the stairs that we discovered the elevator. That was also about the time we found carts to help us wheel the material inside. I nearly wept at the sight of a four-wheeled cart, and it was then I realized why the wheel was one of mankind’s first inventions. It took nearly an hour, but eventually we’d managed to haul everything on stage, and construction began.
In the interests of saving time and, consequently, lives, I kept far away from the power tools, and left the actual construction to our carpenter Steve. I wouldn’t have had the slightest idea of how to assemble the lumber yard that was now scattered across the stage, but Steve and the others handled it while I tried to pull sweet, sweet oxygen into my burning lungs. It was about this time that our light technician showed up. Being new to theater myself, I was surprised just how crucial a good lighting job is to a production.
Aeterno Elementum explores some very dark themes, and takes place in a world cloaked in darkness, and too much light would obviously kill that atmosphere. Yet, too little light and you might as well be listening to a book on tape for all that you can see of the stage. And that’s literally the extent of my knowledge about lighting, luckily for all of us at Ara’Kus we had the very talented Simon Clark and the crew from Stageworks Productions, who brought such subtle nuances to the performance through lights that it still boggles my mind. Taking a bunch of glorified light bulbs and making them art is something that completely escapes my grasp, but it was truly something to behold. They made it appear as if light were pouring through a stained-glass window for “Stain the Dove” and the aquatic blue lighting of “Syren’s Embrace” truly gave the scene a new depth. I may never understand how they managed to pull it off, but I’m glad I was there to see it. Of course if we couldn’t hear the awesome Ara’Kus band and choir, the lights would all be for naught.
For that, we needed a sound technician, we needed: Alex Kiwerski. I know even less about sound design than I do about lighting, but here’s what I learned from what I saw. Each band member does a “sound-check”, singing, playing or talking into the microphone. Then the sound technician then balances these sounds, probably through magic, and makes sure no one is too loud or too quiet. All I really know is this: When the band played and the actors spoke, the audience enjoyed it because a guy in the back booth used his wizardry to keep it all from becoming an incomprehensible mess of sound. Though the amount of wires this all required did make it look like there was a multi-tentacled hell demon lurking back stage, and several rolls of duct tape were sacrificed to bring the beast to heel.
Mankind's best defense against eldritch horrors.
In all, setting everything up took around three hours to complete, but when it was done, the world of Aeterno Elementum was built and ready for the actors to give it life.
Rehearsal
Everyone who works on Aeterno Elementum donates their time, and so when it comes time to rehearse for the show, much of the challenge came from trying to schedule them around people’s jobs, after all, souls taken from the damned don’t pay the rent. As it happened with the November shows, our only opportunity to rehearse with the entire cast present were the two days before the show started. If that wasn’t nerve-wracking enough, several new scenes had been added, as well as several changes to existing scenes. Additionally we had two new actors (the Assassin General, and the Archbishop), who were going to have to learn the show from scratch. There was no time to lose. The first rehearsal was started before we’d even finished constructing the set.
Rehearsals are a lot like that last night of studying before the big final. Except instead of staying up all night reading textbooks, and occasionally curling up into the fetal position and weeping hysterically (or was I the only one who did that?), you begin to run yourself ragged trying to memorize cues, speeches, music, and choreography. Also there are swords involved, and knives, and polearms, and shields, and kickass music.
Which makes it the most awesome cramming session ever.
Okay, so maybe it’s not at all like cramming for a quiz, aside from the stress that is. Putting on a production like Aeterno Elementum is a lot like trying to assemble a Rube Goldberg machine; it has so many moving pieces that it boggles the mind. For example, many of the cues are based on the music, such as when the lyrics “So Fight” are sung in the song “Conquered”, the Seattle Knights charged into another huge battle. Many of my cues, by contrast, were based on either the movements of the cast or specific pieces of dialogue spoken by the actors. I was mostly responsible for moving props on and off stage. Eve Cooper, who had graciously stepped in to be our Stage Manager, was coordinating the lighting effects with what was happening on stage. One of the biggest parts of this was making sure the lights blacked out at specific times, so I could remove props and bodies, without ruining the illusion for the audience. All of these pieces had to move together seamlessly, or the whole thing would fall apart.
Half the reason for rehearsals is to see where the machine breaks down and explodes in our faces. One of the biggest hitches we originally ran into was our Fire Gate. In Aeterno Elementum’s “Lure of the Flames” there is a scene in which a woman is burned alive in a theater; of course we don’t actually burn anyone alive (at least not intentionally). Instead we bring out the Fire Gate, which is a thin white sheet stretched out between two thick columns, and lighting effects are projected onto it to give the appearance of fire. During rehearsal we found that moving and storing the Fire Gate was a pain because it was so big and unwieldy. It also had to be brought on stage, and removed again, during a roughly 15 second blackout. The lighting fixtures were so low hanging, and the Fire Gate so tall, that the two responsible for moving it had to be squatting in order move it under the lights. Byron, a Seattle Knight and clad in 75 pounds of armor, and me had that honor. We ended up looking like a pair of Fiddler crabs trying to move a boulder, awkwardly sidling off, stage left. Thanks to our rehearsals, we were able to identify the problem with the Fire Gate, and perfect our Fiddler crab moving style. And that was the easy part, compared to what most of the actors had to go through.
I feel your pain, my brothers!
Aeterno Elementum has its fair share of battles, featuring Assassins, Demons, Vikings and Knights. The weapons that we use during the battles come courtesy of the Seattle Knights, and are actual weapons, not rubber or wooden props. While the weapons aren’t all that sharp, even a blunt sword can do a lot of damage if not wielded properly. Luckily, the Seattle Knights are all practiced professionals, and have choreographed dozens of these kinds of fights. Even though these fights are fake, they are still pretty rough, especially when wearing armor ranging from 75 to 200 pounds. Many of the knights get thrown to the ground several times, and have to drag themselves back up to continue the fighting. It was during the rehearsal that they discovered the final fight of Conquered was lasting slightly longer than the song itself, forcing the band to slow down. So some small changes were made to the fight to fit it into the allotted time. That’s what’s great about rehearsal, it allows you to figure out where things need to change, because what happens in the script doesn’t necessarily happen on the stage.
Earlier I mentioned that Aeterno Elementum was like a Rube Goldberg machine, but unlike a machine, it has the ability to adapt. It’s like a river, even if you throw a couple of boulders into it, the water will still find a way to get around them. And that’s what rehearsals are for, to see where those boulders are at, and find a way around them.
Winter has Fallen
It’s been an amazing month for us here at Ara’Kus, and we’d like to send out a huge thank you to everyone who came out to see our November performance in Seattle. We were absolutely overwhelmed by the positive response we had from the audience, and we can’t thank you enough for coming out and supporting Ara’kus. For those who didn’t make it, you’ll have a chance to make amends for your grievous wrongs, and we’ll forgo sending out the assassins…for now.
With the year now coming to a close, we here at Ara’Kus are preparing to make some big changes. First of all, a new production is in the works, and it’s shaping up to become the biggest endeavor yet from Ara’Kus. I can’t reveal any specific details, nor a firm date of when this new production will be coming to stage, but keep a careful eye on the website for future updates..
And while you’re keeping an eye on the website you may notice a few things, mainly that yours truly will be posting articles, news and other interesting tidbits as I get them. I’ll be covering the behind-the-scenes workings of Ara’Kus, interviewing cast members, investigating the mysterious origins of Ara’Kus, and of course, giving you the latest news on our new projects. So keep your wits about you, faithful readers, because the Ara’Kus Horde is on the march, and we’re not stopping until we’ve achieved world domination…
Well, perhaps after we rest a bit. My feet are killing me.
Stay tuned for future updates!
Vote for us!
Vote for AraKus on RockMyMonkey.com
Rock My Monkey is a heavy music website by Mark Carras. He’s got some great articles on the site, and it’s also a great way to find new music. Go check it out and vote for our link every day, all you have to do to vote for us is to go to the site using the link above!
Aeterno Elementum comes to Seattle!
On November 4th and 5th, 2011 Ara’Kus Productions will bring heavy metal opera to the stage at the Broadway Performance Hall in downtown Seattle. Aeterno Elementum combines dark, atmospheric, story-driven performance theater with Ara’Kus’ signature style of symphonic, operatic heavy metal to create an experience that is greater than the sum of it’s parts.
Aeterno Elementum tells the story of a world not entirely unlike our own which has descended into darkness, and of it’s inevitable and violent purification. Featuring fire dancing, aerial performance, acrobatic martial artists, fully armed and armored knights in large scale combat, and a cast of highly talented actors and musicians of all types, this is a spectacle that must be witnessed in order to be fully understood.
On each night, doors open at 7:00pm, show begins at 8:00pm. Tickets will be $25 online and at the door, but seats are limited, so we recommend purchasing early.
Register here to receive vouchers for discounted tickets and regular updates about the show and everything Ara’Kus.
Thanks again from the Ara’Kus Productions crew. We’ll see you in Seattle.
Quotes from our recent reviews:
“…A seamless and breathtaking display that left me wanting more long after it was over.”
John Stevenson, Freelance Author (http://jmstevenson.wordpress.com/2011/08/27/aeterno-elementum/#comment-16)
“There is some seriously dark stuff here. This is theatre, baby. Theatre with blastbeats. I’m sold.”
Steff Metal (http://steffmetal.com/review-arakus-aeterno-elementum/)
“Definitely go out and see it.”
Chris and Morgue Anne from the Twisted Geeks Podcast (http://www.twistedgeeks.com/)
Steff Metal Reviews Aeterno Elementum
Steff Metal has written a review of Aeterno Elementum. Enjoy!
[...] Aeterno Elementum tells the story of a world descended into darkness – the rise and fall of mankind and our violent purification. While that sounds like the plot of every other symphonic metal album out there, not every other symphonic metal album comes with an entire performance piece – where actors, martial artists, armored knights, aerialists, fire dancers and a myriad of musicians add a life and body to the music. Just look at the ArA’KuS cast! [...]
The Women of ArA’Kus – Part 2
Jul 15
Posted by Jukebox Heroine
And now part 2 of my interview set with the women of ArA’Kus featuring keyboardist Rachel Brunson. If you didn’t read part 1, you can do so here. You can also check out the ArA’Kus’ website, and your favorite social media, facebook, bandcamp, and youtube.
A little background (from previous post):
Seattle-based heavy metal band, ArA’Kus, weaves a musical tapestry
read more
The Women of ArA’Kus – Part 1
Jul 9
Posted by Jukebox Heroine
This is part 1 of my interviews with the women of ArA’Kus. If you don’t know about ArA’Kus you can check out my previous post, their website, and other social media such as facebook, bandcamp, and youtube.
Seattle-based heavy metal band, ArA’Kus, weaves a musical tapestry of opera, fantasy, and theatrics into their live performances and musical craft.
read more