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.

New Schedule

Stolen from Virginia's Blog so I don't have to re-type!

*Schedule is subject to change

Huntingdon, TN: Friday, February 13 @ 9am, 11am
Dixie Carter Performing Arts Center
Address/Directions: http://www.dixiepac.net/visit/index.htm

Somerset, KY: Tuesday, February 17 @ 10am, 12pm
Lake Cumberland Performing Arts Center
Address/Directions: 2292 South Hwy 27 Suite 300, Somerset, KY

Madisonville, KY: Wednesday, February 18 @ 9:30am, 12pm
Glema Mahr Center for the Performing Arts
Address/Directions: http://www.glemacenter.org/directions.htm

Waldorf, MD: Friday, February 20 @ 1pmBarnhart Elementary School
Address/Directions: 4800 Lancaster Circle, Waldorf, MD 20603

Shippensburg, PA: Saturday, February 21 @ 11am, 2pm
Luhrs Performing Arts Center
Address/Directions: http://www.luhrscenter.com/page.cfm?pag=310

Vineland, NJ: Sunday, February 22 @ 3pm & Monday, February 23 @ 9:45am, 11:45am
Cumberland County College
Address/Directions: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=3322%2Bcollege%2Bdrive,%2Bvineland,%2Bnj%2B08360&ll=39.460583,-75.054474&spn=0.470758,1.384277

Syosset, NY: Tuesday, February 24 @ 10am
Berry Hill Elementary School
Address/Directions: 181 Cold Spring Road, Syosset, NY 11797

Upper Saddle River, NJ: Wednesday, February 25 @ 9:45am
Reynolds School
Address/Directions: 393 W. Saddle River Road, Upper Saddle River, NJ

Towanda, PA: Thursday, February 26 @ 9:30am, 12:30pm
Keystone Theatre
Address/Directions: 601 Main Street, Towanda, PA 18848

Sayre, PA: Friday, February 27 @ 9:30am, 12:30pm
Sayre Theatre
Address/Directions: 205 South Elmer, Sayre, PA

Ogdensburg, NY: Monday, March 2 @ 9:15am, 11am
Ogdensburg Free Performing Arts Center
Address/Directions: 1100 State Street, Ogdensburg, NY 13669

Gouverneur, NY: Tuesday, March 3 @ 9:15am, 11am
Gouverneur High School
Address/Directions: 113 E. Barney Street, Gouverneur, NY

Oswego, NY: Wednesday, March 4 @ 9:30am
Oswego High School
Address/Directions: 1 Buccaneer Boulevard, Oswego, NY 13126

Randolph, VT: Thursday, March 5 @ 9:30am, 12:30pm
Chandler Center for the Performing Arts
Address/Directions: http://www.chandler-arts.org/directions.php

Derry, NH: Friday, March 6 @ 10am
Stockbridge Theatre
Address/Directions: http://www.stockbridgetheatre.com/directions.htm

Burlington, VT: Sunday, March 8 @ 2pm & Monday, March 9 @ 9:30am, 12pm
Flynn Center for the Performing Arts
Address/Directions: http://www.flynncenter.org/about/thearea.shtml#directions

After this we should be in and out of NYC for a week and then we think we are going back down to FL. We should recieve the new schedule on March 3rd.

Onward and Upward

Ruby Falls

Today we drove up to Chattanooga TN and went to Ruby Falls. Ruby Falls is an underground waterfall that falls around 150 feet down. It was pretty neat. Our tour guide was a young student who was obviously bored with his job. He was ironic in a sometimes bitter, sometimes funny manner. He memorizes where everyone is from and calls each group by their home town. The three of us were "New York." He suggested that we didn't drink the water out of the waterfall because it is high in magnesium and it will make us "go very hard."




The cave is full of calcium shapes such as ribbons, beehives, and stalagmites. Many of them are named like Bacon, Elephant's Foot or Cactus. Sometimes they actually looked like whatever item they were named after and sometimes you thought the explorers had been on some really strong drugs. One shape is called the north end of a south-bound donkey.





The group of people we were with were pretty funny as well. One set of parents had their kid on a leash. One kid kept saying "uhoh" the entire time. The 9 year old behind me was obsessed with holding onto the handles- that's what he called the handrails. Along the passages there were places where the staff had stashed fire extinquishers, wheelchairs, ladders and rugs. At one point in time the dad behind me asked the handle kid - " Look at that! What is that?!" the kid answered excitedly "A wheelchair!." I don't think that is what the dad was pointing out.





The actual falls were very cool. The light design and sound design that completed the experience were well done and made the entire event feel important. The pictures I took are not that great but you can also try looking at the website http://www.rubyfalls.com/




Onward and upward.

Some Pictures

The Bunny Scout Anthem - This is Max and Ruby's house from the outside. Ruby is in the yellow dress and the three "girls" are her best friends and fellow Bunny Scouts. Max is the kid in bandages in the middle.

This is Max and Ruby's bedrooms. Max's is on the left with the bed where he is supposed to be napping. Ruby's is on the right where she is writing a play on the desk that is further offstage than this picture allows you to see.

This is Grandma's Attic. The set rotates from the outside house to this attic scene and the fences on each side of the set rotate to display all the things Grandma keeps in her attic. This scene change always gets a reaction.

0 This is the set from the sound board (which looked like a spaceship) at the Mahaffey Theatre in St Petersburg. It was a beautiful space.

And that is what I do all day. Load it out, put it together, do a show, take it down, pack it up, drive it to a new location.

Today the new location in Hammond LA for a pajama party at the Columbia Theatre.

Onward and Upward

Breaking down- in more ways than one.

Since breaking down I have been in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. We were in Ft. Lauderdale for a day off (which I spent at the dealership), a show day at the Miniaci (where all frequencies seemed full) and we opted to stay one extra day instead of driving halfway to Alma GA and then driving the rest of the way the next day. Ft L was fun; we stayed with Josh in his condo and were able to go to cheesecake factory, see a show, make dinner, go to the beach and watch some Golden Girls. All in all pretty enjoyable.

Alma GA was less so. I am pretty sure my phone was on roaming the entire time and small town south isn't my most favorite place to be. The show at Bacon Primary School went well with the exception of a few minor blocking problems due to the house taking a huge stroll Stage Right on it's last rotation. It was great to be back in an elementary school and really makes me consider teaching again.

And we had our first re-routing. I had been calling the Gospel Church in Montgomery AL for over a week with no response. On Friday I handed the calling torch to Theatreworks and they tried several numbers before cancelling the show. During our lunch break yesterday I called in for instructions and I was told they were cancelling the show and giving us new travel plans. I spent my hour making sure I could get to Montgomery from Alma (just in case) and wondering what our new route would be.

Theatreworks decided to send us to a small town just east of Tallahassee so that we would be on I-10 for our drive to Hammond LA. Unfortuantly that also meant we were no longer going to Montgomery and the cast had decided to cancel the TWUSA reservations and go with some hotel rooms we found on Priceline. Therefore we were out the money for those hotel rooms but still had to pay for our rooms in small town FL.

Needless to say the cast was upset. However, TWUSA does warn us that they can change our schedule whenever they want. We are driving their vans, spending their money and working for them. TWUSA also reserves hotel lodging for us at all sites and if they rooms in Montogomery had been the same rooms they had originaly reserved then they would have been out the money.

So today after our breakfast we are going to be making our way across the south into Mississippi. Ahh the joys of touring. Isn't this job glamorus?!

Onward and hopefully Upward.

Stupid Van

On our trip we drive 2 large Sprinter Vans. One is a passanger van- 11 seats and a cargo area. One is a cargo only van- chock full of our set and props. They are both desiel which can sometimes cause issues when we are looking for gas stations but.. on the whole hasn't been a problem.

There are several issues with the vans. The passanger van turns it's windshield whipers on and off at random. The cargo van has a left turn signal that is out. And yesterday the coolant warning came on.

Damn it.

So. we pull over. I consult the manual and Ryan and the PM for Theatreworks and then the manual again. I call my dad (who is in Amsterdam, by the way.. I found out) I hyperventailate (just a little) I purchase some coolant and pour it into the empty space marked coolant. I wait. The light is still on. I wait. The light is still on.

During this exchange my cast is sitting in the gas station eating Subway because it is our lunch hour. I run in, order, eat and go back to the vans.

The light is still on.

I move both vans to the pumps and fill them up. When the cargo van driver goes to turn the van back on the dash flashes red and says "remove key."

Well that's not good. I call Ryan, I consult the manual, I call the PM at Theatreworks. (I don't call my dad this time- time difference) Then I call the 1800 number for Dodge and get sent to a menu at a Dodge Dealer in West Palm Beach.

He treats me like a complete idiot. At one point he actually asked me what color the liquid I poured into the coolant jug was. Its green. Blue liquid is for windshield whipers and the rest of it is usually oil. Finally I send the rest of the cast onward to the hotel and one staff member and I sit in the car. For an hour. Then I turn it back on and drive (slowly, although I am not sure why) to the hotel.

We get to the hotel without another incident but now the staff is hesitant to ride in the cargo van and I have to take it into a dealer when I go to Ft Lauderdale later on today.

I hate cars.

Moving Right Along

Tonite we are on our second night in Clewiston FL. Go ahead and google map it. Oh yeah. That big body of water that they call a lake is really a swamp. The movie theatre is only open Thursday- Saturday and the big shopping center in town in Walmart. We have been there twice already.

Today we had two shows in Belle Glade FL a "college" town 30 minutes to our east. The shows were fine. I found the utter disgust for anyone from Clewiston to be pretty funny considering Belle Glade looks exactly like Clewiston AND is only 30 minutes away.

Here are a few photos from the road.

Winston Salem Children's Theatre. Don't worry Magik- the building had more space but they shared it with 3 other theatre groups AND they don't produce their own children's theatre but act as a roadhouse for tours.

Savannah was pretty fun. Here are some of the actors I work with- Josh, Mara, Brian and Virginia standing on the water next to an old steamboat. After this picture we spent 30 minutes in a candy store. YUM! Later that evening we ate WAY too much at Paula Dean's.

It looked like a Subway Station but didn't seem to take my Metrocard?!!

This picture hung over our table at a coffeeshop in Savannah. I find it to be disturbing.

Tomorrow we have 2 more shows in Belle Glade and then drive over to St Petersburg for a day. After than we drive a few miles east to Avon Park and finish the week in Ft Laudersdale with a stay at Josh's condo instead of another hotel.

Onward and Upward.