Tech Week

I knew little about the technical aspects of theatre production when Paul began his pursuit of life on the stage four years ago.

Remember: I was a youth baseball coach.

Of course, that isn’t to say that baseball and acting don’t mix. Think of the great plays, musicals and movies with a baseball theme. There are numerous. Still…I just didn’t know much.

Over the years, as I have gotten more and more involved as a volunteer, I have picked up terminology. I have learned how things work. I have learned why things are the way they are.

Just in time for my second graduation, right?

One of the terms I have picked up on is ‘Tech Week.’ I have dropped by a couple times during  previous Tech Weeks to drop off a prop or to bring some purchased item of need. I haven’t really sat in on any of the behind the scenes Tech Week activities though. I just know the students come early and they stay late. Throughout this week, they stay after school.

It’s crunch time. Yesterday, I decided to slip in the back door and see what it was all about.

Talk about impressive. My good friend, Kim Davis, snapped some great behind-the-scenes pix like this one:

The ‘Cue to Cue’ rehearsal on Sunday brought a collection of sound experts, lighting techs, spotlight operators, make-up artists, stage managers, teachers and volunteers. I didn’t stay for the whole show – just enough to get a feel for what was going on.

Again. Impressive.

So, here’s how it works. The actors run part of a scene. The coaches are working toward finding ways to make that scene better. The stage manager is in charge of the script.

The lighting guys are following the script, making notes and determining what special lighting will happen. Meanwhile, the sound guys are tweaking the music and vocal sounds to get them just right. The teachers are watching for subtleties in the performance to help move it from good to great. The costumers are taking notes about how to improve a student’s overall look.

It’s an intricate and detailed approach. The actors wait patiently after a ‘stop’ until they get the go-ahead to move on to the next scene. And if there are any scene changes, they work out the intracacies of those as well.

As I mentioned earlier, I had seen any one of those. I just sat through about 45 minutes yesterday to see what it is all about. It’s about making the magic of theatre come alive.

So, with that spirit in mind, I won’t go any further. If you want to see the magic come alive, the FHS production of Pirates of Penzance opens on Thursday night at 7:30. There will be shows on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 as well and a Sunday matinee at 3. All shows are in the Wells Auditorium. Tickets are $10 for adults; $8 for students and seniors.

Hope to see you there.

JG

Originally posted 3/5/2013