What is Close Quarters?: A chat with “Thin Walls” Directors Krystal Ali and Jeff Bollen
WIT’s new production Thin Walls brings the famed Close Quarters improv format to WIT’s stage. Armed with a cast that includes current and former members of The Broken Bones, iMusical, Nox!, and multiple Harold teams, directors Krystal Ali and Jeff Bollen have made a show that adds production elements and format twists to make it a show unique to WIT. Ahead of Thin Walls’ debut on Friday, June 26, we caught up with Ali and Bollen to discuss the show.
What is Thin Walls? And what is the Close Quarters format?
Jeff: A show performed in the Close Quarters format will take place in one location throughout all scenes, where the characters will have access to different rooms or spaces within that location so that their experiences can impact what occurs in the other spaces. Thin Walls expands on that idea by really coloring in between those guidelines to spice things up! We’re aiming for each show to feel like a connected and unique experience.
Krystal: It’s a deep dive exploration into a specific day with specific people in a particular location. These characters become impacted by time, each other, and the location itself.
How did the show come about?
Jeff: I took a class on the Close Quarters format [at WIT] in 2015 and loved it. In recent years I began teaching Close Quarters for WIT, and felt it needed to take the stage in a bigger way. But I was so format-focused that knew that I needed someone to help liven up the show. Krystal was the first and only person I thought of—I was so happy she agreed to co-direct, and we’ve been partnering with this unbelievable cast to bring it to life!
Krystal: It was an honor to be asked to direct the show. I really wanted to focus on how the cast brings this format to life on stage and what elements could we add to the originally format to elevate it for our stage. I added a few elements to the format and immediately started to think about how tech could play a role in this show as well and asked Kourtney Ramseur to join the team.
How has it been rehearsing a show that requires such specific skills from its cast?
Jeff: There was a heavy emphasis first on the mechanics of Close Quarters. To properly convey the idea of Close Quarters to the audience, timing and small details matter. Fortunately, we have seen at every rehearsal exactly why we chose this brilliant cast, because they were quick studies of Close Quarters which has let their creativity shine.
Krystal: We have an incredible cast! We split up our rehearsals to focus half the time on scene dynamics and the other half on format execution. The cast has already surpassed our expectations.
Do you have any favorite moments from the rehearsal process so far?
Jeff: At a recent rehearsal, we asked the cast to bring ideas for a particular part of the show which allows for a lot of interpretation. I thought I knew how they would approach this, and wow was I wrong. Watching them develop the show beyond what we could even think of was such a beautiful testimony to their creativity and skill!
Krystal: This whole process has been very collaborative with the cast and one rehearsal we asked the cast to share some of their own true experiences. Some of the best scenes came from us playfully using their stories. Lots of laughs all around.
Why should someone come out to see a Thin Walls show?
Jeff: There’s a little bit of secret sauce we’ve put into the show to make sure the audience enjoys themselves. Our booth tech Kourtney is an unsung cast member, because there are tech elements she’ll be guiding that will really make the show pop! It’s going to look like a polished theatrical experience to the audience, which was important to us.
Krystal: This is a new type of show for the community expanding on a format that is not often seen on the WIT stage. And for those that are less interested in the technical pieces it’s going to be hilarious. The cast is super smart, silly and will surprise you over and over again.
Thin Walls runs for six performances through Aug. 1.