For the Mem Aud crew, The Lord of the Dance show was a success; however, for the production's road crew, it was probably a little disappointing. This show was slightly different from other events hosted by Mem Aud. Normally organizations (like University Program Council) seek shows, but The Lord of the Dance was th opposite. The production actually requested to perform, but only about 1,100 tickets were sold. The crew itself was very satisfied with our crew and Mem Aud's service, but I can only assume it must be disappointing to perform for a smaller audience than usual.
For stage hands and managers at Mem Aud, a show is successful based on how efficiently we get trucks loaded and unloaded and sets built and torn down. The faster we finish, the sooner we get to go home, and when you've spent 12 hours or more at the auditorium, going home is your biggest concern. Because even when the last truck is loaded, and the performers are all on the tour bus, the theater's stage crew usually still has work to do. Normally we don't stay much longer after the road crew heads back to their hotel, but there's always work to do in the theater. We have to restore the stage, and what doesn't get finished the night of the show, gets finished the next day. Often soft goods and electrics have to be restored to what is normally up at the auditorium. Soft goods are the different curtains we use, like the traveler or borders, and the electrics are all the different stage lights.
The work call for The Lord of the Dance began at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday and ended around midnight. The road crew and performers were very nice and polite, which they usually are. It must be exciting to meet new people and see new places every couple of days. I also found it pretty cool that many of the performers had accents. I'm not sure if they were Irish, Scottish or a combination of both, but I was surprised either way.
Well as promised, here are a few more pictures from The Lord of the Dance:
Above left: A copy of the event prep show log. Stage managers have to log all the work the crew completes, and the the time it takes to do it.
Left: The road crew and stage crew unload the floor pieces, which are what enhance the sound made by the dancers shoes.
Right: The first row of floor laid.
Left: Signs hang throughout the
auditorium to direct performers around backstage.
Right: A rack of men's
costumes hang in the dressing room.
costumes hang in the dressing room.
Left: This is one of the dressing
rooms used by the female dancers.
Right: A basket of costume shoes
sits outside the dressing rooms on
each floor of the dressing room tower.
7 comments:
This definitely made me feel like I had an exclusive look at what goes on backstage. I never thought that a production would approach OU wanting to perform. That was pretty interesting to me. You said that the road crew was pretty nice and that usually they are, even though they might have been disappointed by th audience outcome. Are there any stories about when people weren't especially nice? Do you get to stay and watch the performances for free?
The pictures definitely take me through the inner workings of backstage. I like your comparison of the goals of the stage hands compared to the programmers (i.e. ticket sales). I'd like to see more links. Perhaps a link to Lord of the Dances official page.
This is really interesting. I used to be in drama and did a little stage crew in high school and loved it. I’ve always wanted to do something with it here but never really had the time. I’m kind of surprised that they didn’t sell that many tickets. Do you how big the crowds are that they usually perform at? And why did they want to come to Athens?! I know this group is internationally known, one of my friends in high school was a clog stepper and he loved these guys. I wonder why they thought it was a good idea to come here in the first place? Are they doing a college tour or something?
I have been involved in the theater since I was about 7 because my relatives volunteer at the local theater in my town. There is so much that goes into a play/performance (both before and after the show.) How did you get involved with this stage crew work at Mem Aud? Can anyone apply?
The pictures really help show what being a stagehand entails. I’ve often wondered how outside performers viewed the poor audience size. I personally thing the poor audience is caused by the poor advertising. For example, I saw the commercial for The Lord of the Dance for the first time the actual day of the performance. I think only those who have actively engaged themselves in the theater know when and what is coming up.
Sounds like setting up for a show is a full-day thing. How do classes play into that? And how many shows are at mem aud in a given week?
Great work.
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