Most people don't come see the shows I do, so I thought I'd share a few pictures. This is my current show, Footloose.
As a Stage Manager, it's my job to know the production inside & out. I need to know where people, props and scenery are at all times. I need to advocate for the actors, and uphold the intergrity of the director's vision. If a light turns on, a sound happens, or a set piece is moved, it is because I have asked for it to happen. Oh, the POWER!!! (Bwahahahaha!!)
But seriously, It's my job to make sure the audience sees the show the director wants them to see, and keeps everyone safe while doing it.
I sit in the booth, behind the audience, so I can see everything that is going on. This is a picture of my place in the booth. The open binder is my call script. It's what I use to make the show go. The binder in front of my script is my show binder. It has all the information regarding the show inside. There is a blocking script (that shows where everyone moves and when), prop lists, cast lists, schedules, scenic designs, costume designs, rail plots, conflicts, correspondences, reports, etc., etc. ...
Beyond the binders is the stage. We had a custom gobo made for use at the top of the show and at intermission. A gobo is a stencil that is placed in front of a light to make the beam a certain shape. At the top of our show, when the audience enters the theater, they're greeted with a GIANT hanging parachute, with the Footloose gobo centered on it. As the opening number starts, the cast pulls the parachute down and the gobo is turned off.
This is a picture of the stage before everything is set for an audience! In this picture, the church windows have been flown in on the rail (the ropes that allow different set pieces to go up and down) and were being made to look like stained glass. I admit, one of my favorite things about this show is the number of things I get to fly. It looks so dramamtic!!
Here is a picture of the big number right before intermission, I'm Free. The brick wall drop is in, and the Reverend is talking to his congregation (the audience) while the kids are planning to fight against the "No Dancing" law.
At the top of Act 2, some of the kids sneek out of town to go dancing at a country dance hall. The bridge unit is the furthest upstage (away from the audience) piece of scenery, and is a stationary piece (it just stays there all the time.) We originally were going to play this scene in front of a black scrim (a backdrop that is made with a fine black netting,) but we had limited pipes on the rail to make this happen. I think it worked out better this way. It gave the kids more room to dance, and the wooden bridge looked good in the country dance hall!
Same bridge, a little later. Now we are using it as a bridge above a train crossing. The couple on the bridge are supposed to look "suspended," but adding color to the cyc (the drop behind the bridge,) added a little too much light to truly capture this effect. Still, I think it gave that overall impression!
Two pictures of our finale! A mylar drop has been brought in for the dance. This first picture I added because we have a gymnast in our cast! He gets some of the loudest cheers every night. If you look close, you can see him in the front - upside down! Right after this move, he does the splits, and you can hear people "GASP!" It's pretty funny, because it happens every night.
Last picture of this show for now. Our whole cast, doing the Cha-Cha! I think it's a closing number that makes people feel happy when they leave the theater. It's fun! (And I love the mirror ball.)
Now, I'll admit, this has been one of the hardest shows I've done so far, (a story for a closing night post,) and it has its quirks; but all-in-all, it is a project that doesn't make me dread going to work. That's one of my favorite things about theater. I have fun while I'm doing it! There's a reason it's called a PLAY!