The Day of the Performance…

On the day of the performance I arrived at the venue at 8am in order to begin organizing the space. Making sure the dressing rooms were open and prepared for the actors, that an initial schedule was prepared and printed so that all members of the company had a rough indication of the structure of the day. This also meant as soon as the technicians arrived we were able to have a discussion about the plan for the day and get straight to work on preparing the set. Once the performance space was prepared I worked along side LPAC technician Martin in focusing the lights and then plotting the show. Mitchell claims that during a technical rehearsal “creating a clear chain of command is crucial for an efficient and functioning technical rehearsal” (2009, p.112). She later says that “In my experience it is better to let the stage manager take charge” (2009, p.208). Director Alicia Ravensdale allowed me to take charge of the running of the day. This meant that I could focus on preparing the performance space, sound and lights ready for a cue by cue and dress rehearsal and that the technicians were clear on who to address any questions. It also meant that Alicia could spend time with the actors while they were not required on stage and then when they were she was able to observe the work I had done and make any comments or feedback that she wanted addressing. This dynamic worked well and led to a relatively smooth dress rehearsal with only a few minor issues left to address.

One of my key roles as stage manager was cueing the show. “The way in which they cue will affect the rhythm of the entire performance” (Mitchell, 2009, p.106). In order to do this I needed to make sure that my technical script was clear and understandable so that it was easy to follow. I also prepared cue sheets for the technicians and to keep on hand in case for any unforeseen reason I could not follow the technical script. Despite having sat in rehearsals and run troughs’ when it came to the first cue by cue not all of the cue lines quite correlated with what was happening on stage. After realising this I made further notes on the technical script to confirm exact cues. I then while running the show was very aware to make sure I was following what was happening on stage rather than just following the technical script. This allowed me to take lead from the actors meaning that the cues came in at the correct times adding to the overall visual effect of the performance.

Works Cited:

Mitchell, K. (2009) The Directors Craft: A handbook for the Theatre, New York, Routledge.