At the beginning of the second act; there will be a scene in which Jerry and the show's producer drops by the green room, has a few words with the group, and after he leaves, one cast member will say, "I'm sorry, guys, but I can't do this," and leaves. Until that moment, no one will know who the drop-out will be.
What will that character do after that?
Hang out in the audience and interact with the crowd.
No, really.
No. Only that actor will know and will be told just prior to that night's performance.
Will you have the audience ask questions?
I'll have to.
Welcome to The Jerry Springer Show.
Will there be fighting?
It's something we're working on. It's a part of the real Springer show, so we have to do it, but we don't want anybody to get hurt, either.
Will you have any control over the show once the Springer segment starts?
Yes. I'll be playing the role of Cecil Jacobson, the producer of the show. In real life, one of the producer's jobs is to work with the guests during the commercial breaks and let them know what's working and what's not. I'll be doing that, so, yes, I will have some control over the show after it's begun.
Is that all you'll be doing?
No. I'll also warm up the crowd, confer with Jerry, and keep and eye on the time.
Any truth to the rumor that you'll also be "keeping score?"
Yep. I am keeping score. This means that I'll mark a point whenever I think a cast member has scored.
How will you know?
There's no right or wrong, here, but trust me, we'll all know when someone scores a point. Some examples:
--winning the audience to your side.
--making the audience hate you more.
--causing the crowd to yell "Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!"
--getting a laugh.
--breaking a cast member.
--dealing well with a suprise.
--dealing out a suprise.
How will anyone know if they won?
All members of The Springer Eight will pick a theme song. Whoever wins the most points gets their theme song played over the curtain call. Then everyone will know.
SECRECY
What's all this about secret information?
The play is set during the second semester of 1995. However, everyone was given dossiers about their character that details some of the events that happened during the previous semester. Also, the cast members have been only been given the scenes in the script that they are in. There are a lot of secrets in this show. All members of The Springer Eight has information that no one else knows. Although some of The Springer Eight will share secrets, no one will know for sure who knows what about who. Some people will have the whole story, while others will just have part of the story, and still others will have faulty information that they'll believe is the truth.
This sounds kind of like a murder mystery party.
It is--but with one big difference. It's not so much of a "whodunnit" as it is pure OPEN COMBAT.
How do you expect to keep all of it secret? Some secrets will be revealed during the rehearsal process, won't they?
This is the question I've been asked the most. Here are some answers:
--If you give away a secret, that's a secret you no longer have. You won't be able to use it against someone at the worst possible moment, and worse--it may be used against you.
--If you "trade" a secret with someone else...they could (and probably will) lie to you about their secret.
--There are at least 80 secrets between The Springer Eight. I'd be shocked if they all got out.
--Information is much more precious when it's kept secret.
--This whole system is designed so that if information is given away, there'll be a better chance of it being misinterpreted and confused--and so nothing can really be given away, because there will always be that nagging doubt that you could have got it all wrong.
--The Secret System is also designed to keep people on their toes and guessing even through the run what's going to happen. People will dig, get paranoid, and get involved.
Will the cast have any input on any of the secrets?
Yes, but I have final approval. However, people are encourged to lie.
Will there be secrets added after the run starts?
We'll see. Probably.
Springer is somewhat known for having suprise guests. Will this show have any?
MOO-HOO-HOO-HOO-HOO-HA-HA-HA-HA!!! Maybe.
