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No One Is Alone Here

Theatre is inherently a team venture. There’s no such thing as a one-man show – for every actor onstage, there’s a squadron of technicians, designers, producers, etc. You won’t get far in this business thinking you’re the only person that matters. The stage management team here has really shown me how to work as just that: a team. In an educational theatre setting, the stage manager (in my experience) is often training the ASMs as opposed to splitting the responsibilities up in the way that professionals do. Cheyney handles all things costumes and the entrance/exit plot, Megan deals with props and the shift plot, and Eric is in charge of cues and blocking notes. But that doesn’t mean that they aren’t aware of what the others are doing. Costume and props changes in Hood often go hand in hand. By dividing the work in this way, nothing slips through the cracks. Everyone ends up knowing the show inside and out, but it also clears up the chain of communication. It’s brilliant! I hope to incorporate some system like this on the shows I SM at Wake in the future.

This has been another incredible week. It started off with a fairly tense rehearsal on Monday. The prospect of tech loomed large, so everybody was a little on edge. But as I mentioned last week, the cast was due to sing the national anthem at the Rangers’ game! A luxury box awaited the cast and SM team for afer rehearsal. Due to a little sickness and some conflicts, the cast was short women, so I was asked to join in for the game. Beth taught me the alto part on the way to the ballpark, and I got to sing the national anthem with them!! The rest of the game was a blast. I loved getting to socialize and enjoy time with the cast and creative team in the box after. The adrenaline pumped well into the fifth inning.

Wednesday was our day off this week, which was also the night DTC hosted a big celebration for donors and staff. The Tony was officially presented to the city of Dallas in style! A huge gift was made to DTC at the event. Deedie Rose, a board member, got to give Kevin a new job title – the Enloe-Rose Artistic Director! It was quite the shindig. I’m now sitting here, backstage in the Potter Rose Performance Hall on Tech Day #2. Yesterday we were here from 12:30pm to 12:30am, and today’s hours will be similar. Saturday and Sunday will be from around 11:00am to 1:00am. Monday’s day off will be a blessing. I’m really enjoying tech though – I promise! Nothing is more exciting than finally seeing all the pieces come together. We’re now less than a week away from our first audience!