The week that was #3

Only a short(ish) one this week; I've been way too busy - I only had time to write as much as I did 'cause I took Friday off work. Enjoy!

Backstage crew

As I mentioned last week, I’m doing backstage crew for a production of Jesus Christ Superstar; I’m really enjoying it so I thought it worth elaborating upon some more.

It’s not always fun being crew – at least during the show itself. It does kind of depend on what you’re needed to do – some shows require the crew to be frantically busy the whole way through; others will involve long periods of doing absolutely bugger-all between brief periods of activity. Most of the time what you’re doing is obvious and straightforward, such as moving bits of set and off stage, operating sound and/or lighting equipment, looking after the props and so forth.

Every now and then, though, it gets a bit more complicated – depending on what’s required. Helping cast in and out of costume at the side of stage for quick changes, holding sets in place (because if you don’t it’ll fall over, which is bad), operating equipment (I’ve run a smoke machine on more than one occasion), wrangling cast (making sure they’re ready and in place for their cues; more common in theatres that have neither speakers in the dressing rooms carrying on-stage sound to the waiting cast nor intercom systems through which the stage manager can make calls) and any number of other essential functions.

One of the strangest tasks I’ve undertaken as crew was for the Burnside Players production of The Woman In Black, at the Promethean¹ theatre in the city. The play was about ghosts, and the scene was a foggy marsh so we decided that, in order to set the right tone, we needed some fog. But we either didn’t want (or, more likely, couldn’t afford) a smoke machine so we ended up hiding behind the audience pouring boiling water into baking trays full of dry ice, which produced a kind of steam that we then fanned toward the stage. The effect was particularly impressive, since the audience wouldn’t notice it at first but then people would see it in the periphery and look down to see spooky fog curling around their ankles.

Note: Jesus Christ Superstar features dry ice as well, but I won't tell you when just in case you're still to see it.

Having crewed something like a dozen or so times it’s difficult to pin down exactly what differentiates a fun show from a not-fun one – which is almost exactly what it’s like when performing. Not all shows are fun, no matter whether they be serious dramas, musicals or comedies. Musicals tend to be more fun because of the size of the cast and the often lighter tone of the content, but again that’s not a guarantee.

Hmm, I’ve just reached the conclusion that this – the enjoyment or non-enjoyment of theatre and the different factors involved, from both a cast and crew perspective - is one of those topics about which I could write for days on end and still not get everything I wanted to say out. So, I’ll move on.

As good crewing can be I’d be lying if I said I didn’t prefer to be onstage than backstage – and I’d say that’s true for that admirable proportion of the theatre community who do both. Being crew can be a thankless task – you certainly don’t get the same kind of feedback from the audience that you do as a performer – so I always feel its important to stress the value of the hard work and effort that the mysterious people in black put in. One way to get me very angry is to express a low opinion of the importance of those who work backstage. Obviously, shows need crew; without people to run around backstage and make things happen, there wouldn’t be a productions for casts to perform in.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, I’m enjoying doing crew for JCS – primarily because in the cast and crew are some awesome fun people I met and had a great time doing Me and My Girl. But it’s not just that; there are plenty of people involved in the show who I’ve only just met, and they’re still fun to be around – which really seems to be what it boils down to.

With this in mind I’ve signed myself up to be crew for the ATG 24 Hour Show in February; this, as the name suggests, is where an entire show is put together – cast, designed, rehearsed etc. – in 24 hours. Regular, organised (if one can honestly use that term) theatre is crazy enough; trying to do it all in such a short space of time is on another level entirely. But I can’t imagine for a second that it’s going to be boring...

¹ Yes, the one that’s now a jazz club.

Lines

Having a substantial part in Arsenic and Old Lace has led me to the realisation that I hate learning lines.

So much so that it’s entirely possible I’ll only take minor roles in plays in the future. Not that that’s such a huge deal; I’m not exactly traditional leading man material anyway, so the number of parts I'm likely to be offered (well, that I should be offered; I've been inappropriately cast before) isn't that high. It shouldn’t affect whether or not I continue to do musicals because learning songs is, as far as I can tell, easier – at least in terms of remembering words. Of course, I’ve still got quite a bit to learn about actual singing...

The next thing I’m contemplating going out for is next year’s Shakespeare with the Adelaide Uni Theatre Guild (even though I don’t know which one they’re doing) and, considering the kind of talent they attract, it’s not likely I’d be offered much more than a minor role - if anything. Which would be fine by me – both in terms of number of lines and demands as an actor.

A musical coincidence

Driving around on Friday my mp3 player chose to play Battle of Who Could Care Less by Ben Folds Five, followed immediately by In Between Days by The Cure. Those of you who know the lyrics to the former will probably be smiling; those who don’t will no doubt be scratching your heads.

I’ll put you out of your misery; the last verse of Battle... ends with ‘...this should cheer you up for sure; see I’ve got your old ID and you’re all dressed up like The Cure.’ The band on the end of a shout-out in a song then gets played straight after. How cool is that?

This is the sort of thing that makes a pop-culture obsessive like me smile. What it’s making me wonder is how many songs meet that criteria, and how long a playlist I could come up if every song had to be linked to the one before it by having the artist’s name mentioned. I know that there’s a Counting Crows songs that mentions Ben Folds, so that gives me three.

Hmm, this could take a while. I’ll get back to you.