5 Reasons To Work Backstage
Start writing a post
Entertainment

5 Reasons To Work Backstage

Seeing clearly without a spotlight

46
5 Reasons To Work Backstage
Pixabay

5:00 p.m.
Arrive. Put on all black clothing (and I do mean, all black, no gray socks or anything of the like) Eat dinner in 5-10 minutes. Sweep the hay off the stage for the Oklahoma performance. Flip a 2-ton house (takes 3 people). Lift the heavy cover (it takes four people) off of the pit for the orchestra. Take ladders, paint, and whatever materials other cast members used off the stage (this often takes a great deal of time). Sweep more hay.
6:00 p.m.
Vacuum the hay backstage. Tell the cast 30 until warm-ups. Take set pieces off stage for fight call. Wait for fight call to end. Sweep during fight call. Put some set pieces back on stage. Call cast for warm-ups. Clean the dishes in the green room. Vacuum the green room. Clean the green room some more. Light the glow tape in the pit. Sweep some more hay.
7:00 p.m.
Warm-up ends. Place several set pieces on the stage. Wait for some actors to end mic call. Quickly place the rest of the set pieces on the stage before the house opens. Close the pit cover (if all the orchestra members arrived). Light the glow tape for a good 10 minutes straight (even though you know it will fade within 10 minutes). Call places.
8:00 - 11:00 p.m.
The performance. Move as many as 7 set pieces at one time within 15 seconds before the lights come up. Make sure actors get in place. Sweep some more hay. Carry set pieces from one side of the stage to the other using the long way around because we can't walk across the stage. Intermission (set the orchestra free by lifting the cover, flip the house again without hitting the wall, sweep again, put the orchestra back in the pit, close the cover, light the glow tape again) Pull the curtain about 30 times during the show for entrances and exits. Pull the curtain without being able to see what happens on stage and judging all entrances by ear and music cues which all sound the same. Judge each curtain pull to the exact second. Get it too early, and you expose the audience to a character backstage prematurely. Get it too late, and the cast will be less-than-happy they have to fumble with the curtain themselves. Sweep some more hay. Put hay in someone's hair. Curtain call.
11:00 p.m. - 1:00 a.m.
Free the orchestra again. Clean the green room again. Sweep some more hay. Flip the house again. Receive notes from the director. Sweep a little more. Go home.
Repeat

Above represents a typical schedule of a deck crew member at Taylor University's Theatre. In the span of tech week alone, we lived in the theater for over 61 hours. Sometimes we enjoyed aspects of the job such as our backstage renditions of the song "The Farmer and the Cowman Should be Friends." Sometimes we disliked requirements such as having to sweep the never-ending slew of hay.

Love it or loathe it, backstage work has quite a few life lessons involved. Here's why you should bask in the light of glow tape before you getting in the spotlight.

1. You learn to work quickly

In one scene transition, we have to stack 3 hay bales, a stool, move a fence on, take a bench off, and take a heavy platform off stage (narrowly missing dangling lights) within 15 seconds. Go any slower and the light will spot us.

2. You get to be a part of the show

The show cannot move without you. While you may not be belting "Oh What a Beautiful Morning," the cast might receive a beautiful standing ovation that morning because you helped keep the show glued together. Plus, you get a free ticket to see a wonderful production.

3. You work with interesting people

Sometimes you will get yelled at (even for things which you had no control over). But sometimes you work with gems. At Taylor, production staff eats last after the cast. One of the cast members wouldn't have it. He brought the production staff a bag of snacks just for our consumption. Some actors will hug you and encourage you also. You really live for those moments.

4. You learn to appreciate gratitude

Actors tend to garner all the applause. However, when working backstage, a "thank you" from a performer for holding his or her curtain or grabbing a prop can feel like a standing ovation.

5. You make wonderful friends

I love everyone on deck crew. From interpretive dance to songs in the show to coming up with code names for ourselves, I wouldn't want to work with anyone else.





Not to mention. We all look pretty good in all black.




Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Student Life

Waitlisted for a College Class? Here's What to Do!

Dealing with the inevitable realities of college life.

41061
college students waiting in a long line in the hallway
StableDiffusion

Course registration at college can be a big hassle and is almost never talked about. Classes you want to take fill up before you get a chance to register. You might change your mind about a class you want to take and must struggle to find another class to fit in the same time period. You also have to make sure no classes clash by time. Like I said, it's a big hassle.

This semester, I was waitlisted for two classes. Most people in this situation, especially first years, freak out because they don't know what to do. Here is what you should do when this happens.

Keep Reading...Show less
a man and a woman sitting on the beach in front of the sunset

Whether you met your new love interest online, through mutual friends, or another way entirely, you'll definitely want to know what you're getting into. I mean, really, what's the point in entering a relationship with someone if you don't know whether or not you're compatible on a very basic level?

Consider these 21 questions to ask in the talking stage when getting to know that new guy or girl you just started talking to:

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

Challah vs. Easter Bread: A Delicious Dilemma

Is there really such a difference in Challah bread or Easter Bread?

25612
loaves of challah and easter bread stacked up aside each other, an abundance of food in baskets
StableDiffusion

Ever since I could remember, it was a treat to receive Easter Bread made by my grandmother. We would only have it once a year and the wait was excruciating. Now that my grandmother has gotten older, she has stopped baking a lot of her recipes that require a lot of hand usage--her traditional Italian baking means no machines. So for the past few years, I have missed enjoying my Easter Bread.

Keep Reading...Show less
Adulting

Unlocking Lake People's Secrets: 15 Must-Knows!

There's no other place you'd rather be in the summer.

951093
Group of joyful friends sitting in a boat
Haley Harvey

The people that spend their summers at the lake are a unique group of people.

Whether you grew up going to the lake, have only recently started going, or have only been once or twice, you know it takes a certain kind of person to be a lake person. To the long-time lake people, the lake holds a special place in your heart, no matter how dirty the water may look.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Top 10 Reasons My School Rocks!

Why I Chose a Small School Over a Big University.

133939
man in black long sleeve shirt and black pants walking on white concrete pathway

I was asked so many times why I wanted to go to a small school when a big university is so much better. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure a big university is great but I absolutely love going to a small school. I know that I miss out on big sporting events and having people actually know where it is. I can't even count how many times I've been asked where it is and I know they won't know so I just say "somewhere in the middle of Wisconsin." But, I get to know most people at my school and I know my professors very well. Not to mention, being able to walk to the other side of campus in 5 minutes at a casual walking pace. I am so happy I made the decision to go to school where I did. I love my school and these are just a few reasons why.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments