Hi! Previous Stage Technician and Thespian here!
Both ends of the spectrum are vital to running a successful show, whether it's the lead runners, or the boys in black that stand behind them. The operations side of Stagecraft includes numerous jobs that are vital to a smooth show with minimal technical difficulties and minimal headaches (there will be a lot of them!) Basic jobs include running the fly-rail system, which is a series of lines and pulleys that allow for hoisting and lowering varying props and backdrops, sound-board, lights, SR & SL Managers, prop runners, etc. A few pieces of advice I wished I knew before plunging in:
- Pants with pockets are your go-to article of clothing whenever doing any stage work. You will be constantly carrying around pounds of tools and objects including flashlights, tape, screwdrivers, walkie-talkies, etc. The more pockets the better!
- Write as much and as CLEARLY as possible. In many productions, there are particular events that occur at even more particular time segments. For example, when a client wants the light effects to sync in time with an audio backtrack, forgetting about that one time change in the song can drastically affect the presentation and therefore decrease the wow-factor live theater is notorious for.
- Stage slang, get used to it. SL manager needs a pit wash during the ACT III aria. There's no time to tell a story, time is MONEY. Show-time is when silent screaming is your friend, so learning the in-crowd jargon can shave 10 minutes off maneuvering that darn spotlight where you need it.
- Like carpentry? Great! You'll get REALLY good at it. Those fancy backdrops and props don't come out of thin air, and a theater's budget may have to make some adjustments to fulfill the client's necessities. If you can't build a platform, or hang a scrim, or put together a door, you'll find yourself moreso getting in the way than expediting the process.
And finally, STAY SAFE. You're dealing with heavy construction material and tools, so try not to lose your head (literally!) On an anecdotal note, I ran fly-rail with another tech during a local dance recital. Take note, the fly-rail system contains a set of pulley's and counter-balances to hoist sometimes VERY heavy pieces. The system we had was a counter-weight system of metal blocks of 25 and 50 pounds each, usually measuring 10 to 12 each pulley, Yikes! It's dark, it's hot and sweaty, and there's no room to even squeeze by each other. Long story short, while spiking a line to add more counter-weight, buddy's hands got a bit slippery and butterfingered a 25 pounder straight down the fly shaft below... grazing another stagecraft's arm (he was holding the ropes as extra precaution of slippage. Took it like trooper, until he tried moving it. Good thing there was a soundproof green room in the back! Let's just say my buddy wasn't working there too much longer. Enjoy! |