Ask the technical theatre guy

In My Humble Opinion
1

Hi there. I’ve been toying with the idea of starting a thread like this for a while. I know there are a few actors on the boards, but I’m not sure how many techs we have. So, if anyone has any questions about how a professional theatre operates, how various things work, or anything else, just post them here and I’ll do my best to answer them. I’ll list my qualifications as a starting point:

Most of my professional experience has been as a lighting technician, usually referred to as a Head or Master Electrician. Now I’m more into management, but I still get my hands dirty fairly often. I’ve worked in regional theatre in New England and in southern California, and also spent a couple years working on National Tours. I’ve also worked professionally as a rigger, fly chief, crew head, prop master, and in set construction. The only area I don’t know much about is wardrobe and costuming, but my fiancé is a professional costume designer so I’ll (hopefully) get her to answer any questions about costumes that may come up.

I guess that’s it. Ask away!

2

This is a strange question, but is every scene lit with different lights? It just seems like each one has to be aimed at a particular thing and have a particular gel on them that would tend to make them not reusable. But that would mean you’d need a ton of lights so that doesn’t seem quite right.

3

What’s a good way for a schmuck like me, with a few semesters of high school and community college theater under his belt, to get into tech work? Is a degree recommended/necessary?

Also, whenever you see a show/concert you didn’t work on, can you also not help studying the lighting design when you should be watching the actors? :wink:

4

That’s not a strange question, although my answer may be a bit long. Also, keep in mind I’m painting with rather large brush here. Not all designers work in the same way or use the same systems.

Basically, lighting designers (LD) tend to break down the acting space into a grid of areas, or points on the floor to focus the lights on. For our purposes, let’s say we have 12 areas. Each area may have a couple frontlights, a back light, possibly some side lights, and a down light. These lights are generally colored in such a way that they can be used for pretty much any scene in the show. This takes care of being able to see the actors. The LD can then use these lights in various combinations to create different looks. Then you get into color washes and other things that allow the designer to create the different looks, moods, time of day, and all that good stuff.

Hopefully this all makes sense.

5

The best way is just to call various theatres in the area and ask for work. Be sure to mention you aren’t concerned about payment, and you should be able to get some work. After you’ve done that for a while, you should have enough experience to start looking for paying gigs, and, more importantly, you’ll have some conections with people who know you. Basic theatre work isn’t very difficult, and I often hire people without much experience simply because they’re good folks who will work hard.

I have a degree, but I’ve come to learn that they’re not necessary. Even in the backstage world, it’s all about who you know, and your reputation.

I actually don’t see much theatre that I’m not working on. I spend enough time in dark theatres, and on the rare occasion I do go, I do spend all my time watching the lights and figuring out how the crew does everything. :slight_smile:

6

Ever tell a FNG* to slap a jelly on the baby? :smiley:

How much motion control lighting (eg: Intellabeam-type units) is being used these days? Enough to keep things interesting, or has it been passed along as a fad and relegated to dance clubs? Some time ago, I recall it was going to be The Big Thing in lighting design as a small handful of instruments could replace a whole grid of pre-aimed spots and effects. But, all of the performances I’ve seen lately seem to stick with the traditional fixed and bolted-down instruments.

  • Effing New Guy
7

Moving lights (or more specifically, moving heads*) still are the Next Big Thing in lighting. Unfortunately for the majority of regional theatres and almost all smaller theatres, the units themselves are still far to expensive to become common. We will rent a few here and there at my current theatre, but we are a long way away (30 or 40 years at least) from having a totally automated inventory.

Moving heads have become very popular with touring shows (theatrical and live music) because of their versatility, and the ease of use. Instead of having to lug around, run power to, fly out, then focus hundreds of conventional fixtures, touring electricians just have to hang the movers and spend a few hours setting the focus points for the space, thereby drastically cutting not only the inventory that must be trucked around, but also the amount of time spent focusing (or pointing) the lights.

*Regarding things like Intellabeams (pictured here): That specific style of light has been pretty much left for the nightclub scene. As you may be able to tell from the picture, the instrument itself doesn’t move, it just shoots light at a mirror that moves around. Because of this design, you don’t actually have a full range of motion. Lights like High End’s Studio Spot actually have an automated head, so you can shine the light anywhere your little heart desires. FYI, these list for about $7,000 US. The Ibeams discussed above go for about $3,500 US, and a new conventional (non-moving) fixture goes for about $300 US.

8

Can a curtain falling down on someone’s heard really kill them like in the movies?

Does the stage overhead area really have these heavy sand bags suspended in the air with weights?

How far does someone fall when you use the trap door?

Are you allowed to use open flames on the stage?

How do you stage gunshots?

Where do you store all the scenery and stuff when it’s not being used?

Do you ever use aerial harness type rigs to fly someone? Is it dangerous? Is there a weight limit?

Do you personally test all the props?

Do you really use coconut shells to mimic the sound of horse’s hooves.

9

As another technical theatre guy (BFA in design and production, almost ten years at the community college level, including teaching stagecraft, being the scenic designer, scenic artist, and shop foreman) I feel I am also qualified to answer these. So… (my answers are bolded)

Also, as an aside to getting theatre jobs - you can also take your local union’s test, and get on their on-call list. You’l start at teh bottom, and work your way up, depending on your work ethic (showing up to calls) and availability.

10

How much interaction do you have with the actors/actresses? Do they have any input/feedback on how you do your job? I.E. Some preferences that they have that you have to accomodate for? And a question on costumes. Are the costumes for along the lines of “Rip Away” like runway models have, designed for speed in changing between sets?

11

As an electrian, I had very little interaction with actors. Now that I’m more of a supervisor, I do talk with the cast and ask them to come to me with any concerns they might have regarding the backstage area. These concerns tend to include adding shelves for props, placing small colored lights so the actors can see backstage, taping down any cables that someone may trip over, and building enclosed changing areas for any costume changes that may have to happen backstage. The main concerns of the run crew is making sure everybody is safe, making sure the scene shifts happen smoothly, and helping the actors with whatever they need, within reason. I have worked with a couple of “diva” types, but they didn’t have any strange demands that we had to work around, they just needed more special care.

Here’s my fiance to answer the costume question:

Yes, some costumes are designed to rip-away, or come off the body easily. If the actor needs to change quickly, their costume will have velcro and snap closures, as opposed to normal buttons, zippers, etc. The actors may also have backstage dressers to help them change.

12

My lighting designer tends to yell at the stage manager, “Why is there an actor talking to me!”

13

Do you call the flexible colored plastic things you stick over the lights to color them jellies or gels? And what’s a “gumbo”?

14

I thought of another one. There are all those little pieces of tape on the floor that mark positions of actors and props and sets and such. How do you know which tape is for what?

15

Gels or color, usually.

I have absolutely no idea. Where did you hear this term? Do you mean gobo?

The tape marks are usually called “spikes.” We tend to use different colors for different scenes. For example, if a tech (or actor) is moving a table during Act II, scene 3, he knows to put the table on the yellow spike.

16

LOL, that’s the reason I ask. I always wondered if some weirdo diva actor/actress would make special requirements of the technical crew and generally drive them insane.

17

Here’s a “gumbo”

:smiley:

A Gobo is a piece that is added to a light to project a pattern onto the set with light. Mostly made of a very thin piece of metal, with the pattern cut out and held in place with a gobo holder. Thanks to advances in technology, there are now glass gobos, and photo gobos. Some of these are just INCREDIBLE.

18

Oh yeah, all the time. I got really happy when I started Stage Managing, because that meant I finally got to tell the actors what to do (to a point, of course). But back when I was ASM-ing (Assistant Stage Manager), I’d always have actors come up and ask, “Can you do this-and-this for me thanks.” Of course, I can’t just DO IT, so I’d ask the SM or TD if it were all right.

The answer usually was, “Oh, they wanted to do that, but we told her no,” or something like that. So I didn’t do it, so the actor would get mad, whereupon I would explain, “But I’m not allowed to make that decision… that’s for the director/TD/SM to decide.”

Stupid actors.

19

I heard it from a friend of mine who is also a technical theater guy. And come to think of it, I think what I heard was actually “gobo”, not “gumbo”.

20

Generally - the line of communications on tech needs SHOULD run:

Actor —> Stage Manager —> Director —> Designers—> Technical Director Work Crew.

Often, the stage manager will have the power to take notes/requests straight to the people involved. So it would be:

Actor —> Stage Manager --> Everyone else.

S/he will also be the conduit, at times, from the director to the production staff.

Smaller theatres may skip the designers and go straight to the TD, if it is a minor matter. Once a show is running, the Stage Manager runs the show, so all decisions go through him/her. Often, repairs at this stage will be handled by the stage carpenter.

One of my favorite stories: A director was unhappy with a cafe scene as it was set up, and demanded in a loud, angry voice that all the tables be shortened by six inches by that afternoon’s rehearsal. The TD said he would take care of it. The Director left, the TD ordered Pizza, and ten minutes before the rehearsal put tablecloths on all the tables. The Director walked in, took one look, and said “See! I TOLD you they were too tall! Don’t they look better now?”