Broken Rules

In theatre we have a lovely little thing called 10 out of 12s. That means that you are in the theatre to tech 10 out of the 12 hours that you are called. At Theatre Calgary that usually means a noon start. So for stage management that means we come in at 11:00 to get set up. We start at 11 and go home around 12:30pm. So I am only supposed to work for 10 hours - but I work closer to 13. But that is okay, because I am allowed to work 13 hours without being compensated a span of day penalty.



Each show is allowed 4 of these "special" days. But I guess that means by the title 10 out of 12. On any given day that you have a performance before you official open you can have a rehearsal. That means that you have a Preview Performance in the evening (so a four hour show call) and a 5 hour rehearsal during the day. So including the hour prep before the rehearsal I am working 10 hours again. So why make the rule that you are only allowed 4 of these long days if that is not in fact the truth. On this show we only have 3 previews - which is not bad. Some shows preview for two weeks. That means we would have 16 days in a row (not counting our one day off on Monday) of 12 hour days.


On a higher note...we have opened. People seem to like it. This image is of the final scene, Jake with his Rain Making Machine. Doesn't it look heavy? I push it up hill 8 times a show.

Time sheets

I finished tech week last night at 12:30am. I filled out a time sheet for 60 hours. I have had a full nights sleep and my feet still hurt. This show's set is on a rake. A rake is when the stage is on a slant. In our case the back part of the stage (upstage) is 3' higher than the front part (downstage). From the side of the rake their are ramps that go from the rake to the floor. These ramps have compound angles so that they are flush with the edge of the rake on one end, and flush with the floor on the other. My legs and feet ache from dealing with these angles all day.

The most exciting part of this show is that it rains. There is a 10' wide rain zone. A pipe and the front and back that provide a sheet of rain and then a pipe that holds 10 fire sprinklers that cover the space between the sheets of rain.

When we had spent two full 13 hour days in the theatre, and had started the 3rd we had a time block to work on our special effects. For three hours we worked out the pyro and rain effects. In that moment, when the rain first came down, I remembered why I do what I do. It was very cool.

See you opening - Friday.

There's no business like Show business

There are times that I step back and take a look at what I do for a living. It can be pretty damn cool. Many people ask "Do you love it?". I would have to say, honestly, no. Do I think that it is exciting and neat, yes. I am doing something that people only dream of, well, normal people don't dream about my job exactly-but of working in show business in general.



For example, today I walked across an empty stage to a meeting. While I was walking I took in the grandeur of the 770 seats looking at me. A moment that most people will never experience.
I get to say the weirdest sentences through the course of the day that make total sense to everyone in the room. "After taping the floor I will move the moose head so that the bed frame doesn't roll over it, if you can preset David's purse and Andrew's skirt." And the people around you are doing and saying things that don't really make sense, until of course they do. "Dave Trimble, have you set your purse?" "Maybe Stevie is farting on an audience member and blowing it on them" "As long as it is good bad, not bad bad, can we set the bad?" "Elk head, deer head, mule head, mule deer head, animal head, ungulate head? Trophy head? Does it have to have a name?" "she's a going! Not yet she's not! Then make a better sound effect". "you mean...your's saying...you...so you...so / And you say you have worked in Stratford?"

We have a good time for the most part. But this show has been a bit stressful. It was suppose to be a small show. There is usually a Stage Manager, Assistant Stage Manager, and Apprentice Stage Manager. There have been plenty of shows at Theatre Calgary that I have done as the only person back stage. I wasn't worried. And knew that this must be small if they are bumping up the other assistant to Stage Manager for the first time. But it grew out of control. In general you have three weeks of rehearsal, the first week you read through the play and talk about it, then you get up on your feet and start adding the movement to the words, once you have done each scene once you add props, after going through them a couple of times you can start to think about wardrobe. But as a general rule you don't have wardrobe in the room, just rehearsal pieces. (If someone is wearing something they don't usually wear you want them to get used to it.) This show has been nothing like that. There wasn't the usually layering. Before we had begun blocking the movement we were talking about costume changes. It has been wild.

And that is my excuse for not writing. I have been working 11 hour days with a half hour travel time on each side (assuming I made it for the bus that comes every half hour).