Can you believe that I actually flat out forgot about Techie Tuesdays? I was going through the site and came across the old posts. That is actually the only reason why I'm writing this one now. It's not that I'm not doing theatre anymore, because I am. I think it's that I'm doing too much theatre on top of my day job now. Oh, by the way guys, got a day job.
So what's up in theatre land right now? Well I just closed a very challenging show. A show in which nobody else working on it seemed to understand what my job description was. It was an interesting experience to say the least. On the plus side, I got paid for doing theatre? Soooo yay?
My next great theatre adventure is a touring show. Tiny tour. And by tour I mean a one show remount for now at a local elementary school, but it's something right. Like this is a show I'm really excited for. It's got all these new challenges like figuring out lighting in a school gym, sound, how to not get booed by the twelve year olds.
Also exciting, figuring out how to transport things to the space. Times like this, a truck or a driver's licence would really come in handy.
So right now I'm trying to put together a sound design, burn the cd and cross my fingers and rub my lucky horshoe, just praying that my cd player is loud enough for a school gym. I should probably be more stressed out than I am, but I'm sure that will come within the week.
So here's to another theatre life post. I don't know if I'll write about something theatre related every Tuesday, but I'm trying it out for the time being. I'm a tech. It's what I do. It may very well be who I am. I swear there's something about theatre. It's not just a job, it can take over your life, it can be a driving force, it can eat up all of your time. It's something you have to really love to do and I love it.
I get a lot of people thinking I'm a tech because I'm a failed actor, but no. I'm a tech because I love tech. Dressing in head to toe black six days of the week isn't great, but the rewards are amazing. You're working in a communal environment and seeing the results. It can be physically challenging work and that's half the fun.
Recently I've been doubling as an LX designer (lighting designer) on a small show I'm working on. Such a fantastic challenge. We're outdoors; it's a site specific piece, meaning the site is an integral part of the show. Because we're not in a traditional theatre space we can't use stage lighting. Challenge Accepted.
The other night I found myself precariously dangling off of a jungle gym, attempting to get a large work light up. I of course fell. Hurt like hell. But I managed to get the light up and felt like a genius despite my bruises. I also managed to figure out how to get a follow spot out of a flashlight. It's been so much working out these crazy new problems.
Now all I need to do is figure out where I can buy R99 gels in the city for cheap.
By the way guys, don't follow my safety advice. Never hang off of a jungle gym to hang a light. You could smash the lamp or you know, yourself.
Okay, so I promised a post explaining my long absence a few weeks ago and here it is. You know there are times at every job where things just pile up and you need to buckle down and get to work? Your boss is angry, your coworkers are stressed and you're pretty sure you're brain is going to explode?
That's tech week. Also known as hell week.
I may be exaggerating, but it gets pretty tense. Tech week is the point in time in a theatrical production that all of the technical aspects get added in. The cast, director and stage management have been in the rehearsal hall for the past few weeks getting the show on its feet. Meanwhile, the designers have been off with carpenters, cutters, stitchers etc. in their separate corners creating the sets, costumes, lights and sound. And then comes tech. You get one day, one weekend or one week to pull this all together. All these separate aspects gets added to the mix and it's up to the stage manager to organize it all.
So much fun.
Basically you work a 12 - 14 hour day, going through the sound and lights and then you run through the show. Hopefully you get through what's known as Q2Q (jumping through the script to lighting, sound, projections etc. changes) in one day, but it can definitely take longer. It's super stressful, everybody's tired. Everybody's running on caffeine and adrenaline, praying it all comes together before opening.
Watch Noise's Off or better yet Slings & Arrows to see this all in action.
I get home around midnight after a tech day and I'm exhausted, but I still have my notes to send out and cue changes to write in my script. Blogging takes a second seat, my books even go untouched. But that's my job and I love it. I contemplate various methods of murder/suicide throughout the week, but nothing feels better than seeing the show go off without a hitch, knowing all the hard work was worth it.
And now back to the book reviews!
