Places…Stand-by lights and sound…curtain…go…
From an audience perspective, the magic of theatre often masks the insanity that occurs backstage. More often than not, the backstage crew is actually double the amount of onstage performers. With a cast of approximately twenty-five (excluding understudies, swings, and standby’s), this year’s Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, "Hamilton," has a production crew that includes around fifty people who are heavily involved in various elements that go into the show. From quick changes to fly systems, nothing seen onstage would be nearly as exciting without technical theatre elements.
While many performers see themselves as purely actors or musicians, a theatre artist who possesses skills in multiple areas is indispensable. In fact, Furman University published an article in October 2015 about the “new triple threat”: performance, theatre education, and technical theatre. Because the theatre world is such a tight knit community, any kind of theatrical skills could serve as that magical connection from a tiny community theatre to Radio City Music Hall. Just like all other fields of work, performers must know the right people and work their way up the food chain.
Though a performer’s career is not a clearly defined course, an internship with a professional company is usually a great way to achieve Equity Membership Candidacy points and create connections to boost a career in performance. Usually this internship requires a set amount of hours in various technical theatre areas (scene shop, costume shop, lights and sound, etc.) and/or business work (box office, grant writing, ushering, etc.) in addition to possible onstage opportunities. By possessing technical skills in addition to performing talent, the odds of an actor obtaining an internship skyrockets. Say, for instance, a company is putting on a production of "The Sound of Music" and there are two young women who are equally qualified to play the role of Liesl. One girl has been cast in multiple lead roles in her college program and has a phenomenal background in dance, while the other has had a few lead roles, worked in children’s theatre and served as the box office manager for the past three productions at her university. Though one could argue for either option, nine times out of ten, the girl with technical experience will get the job.
Aside from creating a more well-rounded theatre person, becoming involved in technical theatre gives performers a better understanding of what is happening around them. As singers and actors, we often forget that everything we do can be sabotaged. If a performer yells at the stage manager, steps on the costumer’s fingers, and ignores the tempos of the conductor, he/she is about to be in the dark, naked, and off-key. Nobody wants that! After serving as a dresser or on the props crew, one can truly appreciate everything that is being done offstage to create a perfect show. "Thank you" goes a long way, and experiencing backstage from a different perspective can calm down the divas that live in all performers.
Whether or not you are involved in theatre, there is more to every operation than what is seen on the surface. Without editors, graphic designers and producers, you wouldn’t even be reading this article right now. While it may be hard to imagine, the technical aspects of life are what keep us alive. So next time you run offstage after your big number, thank your crew. And be grateful that you don’t have to stay late to wash the sweaty costumes of your cast mates.
