Wow. I have never had such a successful show run. After the difficult and frustrating dress rehearsal I tried my hardest not to make any foolish mistakes and the three performances went great! I had so much confidence and while I was calling cues for spots, I was surprised at the confidence and order I had. There are still little quirks I need to fix - for spots don't need to hear me talk to myself about remembering not to take a cue before the tag - but I am glad to be able to see the improvements I have made in this job.
Now, we did have a very interesting closing night as the air conditioner kicked on and we had to strike fog from the show and apparently the curtains were being pushed upstage by the draft and it was scaring a lot of the dancers. Apparently the phantoms didn't want us to have three great shows all in a row. My favorite part of the matinee showing was when a member of a lower team decided to bring their cell phone onto stage as they danced. We don't know who it was, but a cell phone fell to the floor and got stepped on, flipped open, and kicked around. We couldn't help but laugh at the idea of a dancer bringing their phone onstage. I didn't even know the costumes had pockets, let alone one that could keep a cell while spinning and jumping around.
Strike was finished in record time: out before midnight. I mainly got to drive the truck around. I really like that job and find that I am doing it a lot. I don't have to do too much work and I get to work on my leadership skills as I direct the dancers how to load, unload, and put away equipment. Also it allows me to know more of the dancers as we talk in the truck on the way to the RB and sheds. I will really miss this job when I leave.
I did learn that I may, most likely, be working with Ballroom next year. Mark has asked Stephen to help with Folk next year - which seems like the team Stephen will really enjoy. I'm excited to work with Ballroom again. I really enjoy the people and it is great to see the new numbers. They are traveling to Oregon and Washington for the mid-semester tour and the eastern coast for the summer tour.
From September 2009 to March 2011, I will be posting to my other blog. For those who want to follow my mission experiences in Florida Fort Lauderdale, please go to:
dancetechinservice.blogspot.com
Sunday, April 13, 2008
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Stagehands have astonishing learning curves. It's not unusual for stage crews to have trucks full of unknown scenery arrive at a theatre on Monday, which we need to assemble and understand to open a show we've never seen before... on Tuesday night.
Most people, if confronted with such a task, would flatly say it was impossible.
Stagehands find ways to make it possible. We learn quickly, we draw upon years of experience, skills and training, and (all too often) we drink lots of coffee and work all night.
I've had one longstanding handicap in my career as a stagehand. I don't drink coffee.
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