When it comes to the 鈥渢able鈥 in theater, I鈥檓 very used to being on the performer鈥檚 side. Aside from a couple of brief forays into set-painting early on, I haven鈥檛 ventured into the world of tech much. But this semester has provided me with the opportunity to try out tech crew for the first time.
I was looking forward to getting involved in theater again after a brief hiatus last semester to focus on other things. I鈥檇 also heard Cabaret was seeking an assistant stage manager (ASM), which caught my interest. Stage managing has always intrigued me-- it certainly appeals to my type-A organizational, perfectionist personality. Between the endless opportunities for spreadsheet making and color coding, and the attention to detail required, it鈥檚 sort of a dream come true. Additionally, the stage manager for the show is one I've gotten to work with before and greatly admire (hi Leanne!). So, even though it was already shaping up to be a busy semester, I just couldn鈥檛 seem to pass it up. Now here I am, humming to the same Cabaret song that鈥檚 been stuck in my head for a week.
As I mentioned, this is a side of theater that鈥檚 new to me. I never realized just how much goes on outside of rehearsals to bring it all together. Being on the production crew is a whole new world-- there is so much to learn about lighting, sound, set, dramaturgical work, intimacy directing, music, and how to coordinate all of these individual elements until they coalesce into an actual show.
Another benefit to being on stage crew is the difference in pressure. It鈥檚 not that there鈥檚 less work or less commitment, but it is of a different kind than performing. As much as I love the stage, when you鈥檙e an actor, you鈥檙e constantly under intense scrutiny. And worse, that scrutiny is inherently subjective. You鈥檙e under the blinding stage lights while singing and acting and dancing. On top of all of that, you鈥檙e also worried about your wig falling off, your makeup looking right, your tap shoes coming untied. Being on stage crew, there鈥檚 still quite a lot of pressure (and, unfortunately, less recognition from audiences), but to me it feels less personal and overwhelming. In addition, the ability to multi-task during rehearsals has been seriously invaluable to me with this experience. That鈥檚 very specific to my role as ASM, and not many jobs would allow much time for multi-tasking. But with this show I鈥檝e been able to do homework during some rehearsals-- which means I can actually go to sleep when I get home. The novelty! This, in particular, makes ASMing a lot more manageable with the rest of my life (pun-intended).
Of course, that treasured downtime will decrease as rehearsals ramp up closer to tech week, but that鈥檚 to be expected. And there鈥檚 nothing quite like the sleep-deprived camaraderie and shenanigans among cast and crew that ensue with the arrival of tech week.
So far, Cabaret has been a great way to learn about tech and meet new people. It鈥檚 also just a great show-- if you鈥檙e able to snag a ticket before they鈥檙e gone, I highly recommend doing so!
