Monday, July 18, 2005
Tech Weekend, more commonly known as Hell Weekend
You know, if I'm telling the honest truth and all!
So those of you who aren't theatre folk there is a tradition for most theatres called Hell Week. You see you've spent all this time rehearsing until you feel like everything has fallen into place and you've got a handle on it.
...In your street clothes without having to move sets, deal with "finding your light" onstage, costume changes and all the rest.
But at some point you have to be broken back down to nothing and start over...this time with lights, sets, costumes etc.
And it never goes smoothly right from the start...never!
Foothill's tradition is to kick off Hell Week with Hell Weekend. Now maybe the production staff doesn't find it so hellish because for the one time during the entire rehearsal and run of a show, it's all about them! And not, definitely not, about the actors.
They have to check every lighting cue and make adjustments to it. And they need the actors to stand there while they do it. You cannot imagine the hours of tedium...relieved only by making up dirty lyrics to the show songs, trying to crack each other up, but quietly enough that you don't get yelled at, and sometimes by pure disassociative daydreaming.
Pictures are coming...
So those of you who aren't theatre folk there is a tradition for most theatres called Hell Week. You see you've spent all this time rehearsing until you feel like everything has fallen into place and you've got a handle on it.
...In your street clothes without having to move sets, deal with "finding your light" onstage, costume changes and all the rest.
But at some point you have to be broken back down to nothing and start over...this time with lights, sets, costumes etc.
And it never goes smoothly right from the start...never!
Foothill's tradition is to kick off Hell Week with Hell Weekend. Now maybe the production staff doesn't find it so hellish because for the one time during the entire rehearsal and run of a show, it's all about them! And not, definitely not, about the actors.
They have to check every lighting cue and make adjustments to it. And they need the actors to stand there while they do it. You cannot imagine the hours of tedium...relieved only by making up dirty lyrics to the show songs, trying to crack each other up, but quietly enough that you don't get yelled at, and sometimes by pure disassociative daydreaming.
Pictures are coming...
// posted by ElisaC @ 4:36 PM 
