Backstage Blog from the Production Department

5 August 2010

We’ve been shamed by the other departments to start a backstage blog. Here in the production department even that is preferable to doing the Spend Spend Spend! tour overlays, (this will be explained later – read on).

The theatre has started The Dress Circle – an opportunity for supporters to enjoy closer relationship with artists, performers and directors at The Watermill http://www.watermill.org.uk/individual_donors_watermill_circle.html So, a collection of ladies with glasses of wine sat in the front row of the circle waiting for us to start the dress rehearsal of Copacabana. This gives people a further insight into the workings of mounting a stage show and when I saw them in the interval they did not seem too shocked by any language or arty strops.

The dress rehearsal is the first time we put the show up to its running speed and in a mode where we behave as if the audience is there. It’s now that any gremlins come to light. Normally this will be the silly things we take for granted having only closed a show a couple of days before, like the cue lights having gone from the stalls entrance, (we use a traffic light system to start the shows in places around the theatre we can’t cover with a member of the stage management team), or sometimes working lights, mirrors and headsets have been moved. These though, are generally only minor irritations considering what has happened over a “Fit up” weekend.

After the last show on a Saturday night everything is taken out of the theatre, sets to be recycled or stored, costumes and props returned to where they’ve come from and all the lights taken down and repositioned for the next show. In order to do this we normally have to take out a couple of rows of seats and the side door off its frame (yes there are no large loading bay doors) no matter how big a set that comes in we have to make it fit through a normal door. All of this is done with only three Watermill staff, the remainder an array of freelance, casual and volunteer crew without whom we could never make it. Why they do it is a mystery to me! It surely is not for the money and generally the stress level is quite high and the hours very antisocial, but the humour is always good, given the eclectic mix of professions that are helping. We have people who work in IT, the motor trade and even a local farmer (who had to leave at 1am as he was lambing).So we work with some unique stage terminology that we all understand. Most theatres use ‘prompt’, ‘side’ and ‘stage left’ – few use ‘upstream’! One of the reasons we are unlike many other theatres is that we are very much part of our community. I know that people won’t be offended if I ask for their support both practical or by supplying us with goods or services. This blog gives me a chance to thank all those who help out as often we get things to late to include our thanks in the show programme.

Spend Spend Spend! is returning to us before a national tour and already Great Shefford Social Club have lent us a collection of small bar stools that look great for the period (60’s retro northern is still very strong in parts of Berkshire!) and John at Whittle Woods is tracking down some more engineered oak so we can add to the set floor for touring. Though we are looking for about 24 square meters of grotty pub carpet, a couple of beer engines (hand pumps) and old metal based pub tables and high stools.

On a seasonal note we are already onto Christmas! (Hayley, the designer, has given us set and prop breakdowns) and we are trying to create something eye-catching to help market the show. Those who have been to Copacabana will notice the subtle flashing LED palms outside the theatre (it was Craig’s idea!) they were featured on the Gadget show and supplied by Festive Lights normally costing £999.00 each (please check their website). They kindly sponsored us with a lot of the cost but I would still like to get about £400 each for them to put towards production costs of forthcoming shows. However as our Christmas show is Treasure Island we would love to keep a palm tree for a display. So as a Dragon would say, here is my offer. For £500 I will make you an Island! If you are a company we will put your sponsorship details on a sign on the island to be seen by thousands of people who visit the theatre. Please contact either Production or Stage management for further details.

Oh yes, now to the overlays. This is the practice where we work out where we put our sets on all the stages we visit whilst on tour for Spend Spend Spend! We need to take into account what the sightlines will be like, where there are the flying bars above needed to support the scenery and position the lights and work out how we mask the rest of the building so the audience can not see all the quick changes occurring in the wings. Also just how much extra flooring and “grotty” pub carpet we need to make the show look just as good as it does here.

Lawrence T Doyle
Production Manager