Jack (Rabbit) of all Trades

My tour creates a set of performers that are a Jack of All Trades. Each performer is also an ASM, working on set up, load in and out, costumes, props and sometime sound. That means they must learn a little bit about every part of the show. That also means as the Jack in charge I need to learn/ know a lot about every aspect of theatre. Sometimes I am a TD, sometimes an LD, a Master Electrician, a sound engineer, a sound tech, wardrobe supervisor, props mistress and stagehand. Sometimes I am even a director. Ok.. Maybe an Assistant Director. I also get to function as a board op, a PR person, a company manager and even sometimes a stage manager.

A usual day runs a bit like this..

A week beforehand I will have called the venue, asked them about their space and told them of our "requirements." We would have established a load in time which for Max and Ruby is about 2 hours before the first show. That gives us one and a half hours for load in before the actors get their 30 minute break to prepare to perform.

If the show is at 9:30 that means load in will be at 7:30. Perhaps call time will be 7:15 because the venue is close and it will be a short drive to get there. Once we arrive we find someone to let us in and while the actors put down their bags or back up the van to the loading dock I survey the situation. I'm looking to see what kind of stage they have, how big it is, whether I want to use our sound equipment or can I run the show from backstage, where the dressing rooms and green room are and I am usually talking with our contact person to make sure everything is alright and we can get them to work easily with us.

Then we unload the van. We have 6 prop bins, a backdrop bin, a sound cable bin, a tech bin, 3 sound road cases, 8 flats, a metal truss, 4 metal legs, a roof, a chimmney piece, 2 folding fence pieces and assorted smaller shelves, poles, and such. Our truck is pretty full. The performers have learned where each piece should go onstage so that we don't have to move them 3 or 4 times. Once the truck is mostly unloaded I measure out the stage and mark the center line at 8 ft, 12 feet, and 16 feet from wherever I think the set should begin. I usually try to leave a 2 foot gap between the number line and the front of the stage so that we have wiggle room.

Then I start setting up sound. Sometimes this involoves running cable to 2 speakers, setting up our mixer and mic rack and finding someplace to put the mini disk player but sometimes this just involves handing the MD player to someone else to plug into their board and setting up the mic rack. Our mic rack searches for avaliable frequencies and then sends the new frequency to the mic pack. Its super easy. When it works.

While I am doing this 3 of my performers are setting up the house and 3 are setting backdrops and then props. One performer assists with the backdrops and then also sets up costumes. Unloading the truck usually takes about 30 minutes and the set goes up in 45 which leaves us 15 minutes for sound check and final details such as spike tape and masking.

At 30 minutes the actors go prepare. Then we run the show. It runs about 47 minutes. I work the sound board and cue any light cues. Upon completion of the show we either reset and rest before our next one or we take everything down, put it away and place it back in the van. This takes about an hour from curtain. Everything goes in the van in a very particular order in a very particular way. We bungee it all together and then move on to our next site or hotel.

Makes me exhausted just thinking about it.

Onward and Upward.