Start a binder exchange. Cast/Crew can pick up a previously owned binder to use for the show and drop it off after the last performance for the next person.
Reusable Makeup Wipes. Encourage to invest in reusable that you wash after instead of single-use ones.
Biodegradable confetti/streamers.
Use google docs/spreadsheet. Send a link to the team to see revisions of and edit together prop lists, cue sheets, change plots, diagrams.
Reusable Bottles. Replace those red solo cups and water bottles with reusable bottles for the cast. You can even have the cast bring in mugs and wash them at end of day.
Recycle Paper. Print on the back of scrap paper and old copies.
Line Notes. Instead of writing line notes on strips of paper email them to the cast. Individually or as a group.
Checklists. Insert your Checklists and sign-in sheet into sheet protectors. If you write in marker and clean it off, you dont need more copies.
Turn Off Signage. Post funny signage telling actors to turn off makeup lights after use, or room lights if they're the last out.
Rechargeables. Encourage the switch to rechargeables from projector remotes to flashlights to battery-operated props to mics. Will also save $$ in the long run.
Recycle Bins. Place a recycle bin mext to each garbage. Maybe you can invest the bottle return into the rehearsal snacks fund.
Dropbox/Google Drive. Instead of copying sketches, printing plots and breakdowns make them easily accessible online via dropbox or google drive.
Hard Copy Upon Request. Restrict printing unless someone requests a hard copy and distribute electronically.
glad I sunk nine years of my life on this website just so I could experience the highly specific mix of neurochemicals currently giving me brain damage
You know those moments when youāre in tech week and youāre all sitting in the wings, exhausted and loopy, and you really want to go home but youāre whispering and laughing hysterically over something silly and you kind of just want to live in that moment because theatre provides this certain kind of connection you canāt get anywhere else??
Ramble ahead, sorry.Ā
Those who didnāt see it live probably saw the 45 second clip of the prime ministerās speech that damned us all. You could literally pin point the moment our careers were put on hold. Two days later, our tour was officially cancelled completely. Apparently the office ācouldnāt see a worldā in which normal business would resume within seven weeks. Weāre lucky to be getting two weeks pay, but after that weāre in the same boat as everyone else, waiting. Waiting for government assistance, for return to normalcy, for another gig.Ā
Itās rough. Iāve been unemployed before, but never so abruptly, and never so helplessly. Back before I started my career in theatre I was aimlessly job hopping, and I was used to handing out CVs to every bar and cafe in town. It feels different now. There are no theatre jobs available because there are no theatres. No one needs touring crew or stage hands or lampies when there are no concerts, plays, musicals, shows, anything. No events.Ā
I hear supermarkets are hiring. Iāve seen posts circulating around Facebook from people advertising warehouse and delivery jobs. I guess thatās all thatās left now. For now. I hate the idea of going back to a customer service job, but maybe weāll all have to.Ā
You know, as much as I love theatre I can absolutely recognise that it has its flaws. For example, thereās still a fair amount of sexism present (especially in stage), and as a career it can do a real number on your physical and mental health. Some of these problems have solutions. Take hearing loss for example: the musical Iām working on has been deemed to beĀ ātoo loudā and has the potential to cause hearing loss in those working backstage. Solution? The company has paid for the crew to get custom fitted ear plugs to reduce the volume to safer levels.Ā
Other problems are more difficult to find easy solutions for. One which bugs me regularly is the gigantic, enormous, awful un-sustainability of the industry. Between the amount of electricity required to light shows, to the sheer amount of PVC tape that gets binned every week, itās by far one of the least eco-friendly fields Iāve ever worked in. And it surprises me a little. I often feel like the kind of people who work in theatre are often a little bitĀ āalternativeā. They do the job out of some kind of passion. Theatre can be so fringe and so experimental and socially conscious, yet weāre still using the same wasteful methods and resources that we always have.Ā
Working alongise stage management Iāve been trying to come up with ways to reduce waste, but itās often very difficult to convince people to change their ways or - god forbid - spend money. But how many empty plastic bottles of hand sanitizer do we throw out? And why do so few theatres have recycling facilities? How do I raise points like these without being labeled as pushy or annoying?
Pardon the essay, but we really have no excuse as an industry to lag so far behind. Change needs to happen, and it needs to come from anyone with any amount of power to make decisions. Just something to think about.
Hello internet strangers! Itās been a while! And Iāll be honest: itāll probably be a while between every post. Touring is hard work, man!
Ā A friend of mine whoās going on a little tour himself asked me what the most useful tools were for the stage department, and it prompted me to do a little thinking. Dangerous, I know. I kept thinking what my ādesert islandā tools would be ā what Iād take if I could only take like five things. Being a super indecisive person, this turned out to be difficult. Plus, a lot of it comes down to comfort ā I mean yes, technically you can get a very long way with two AJs (adjustable spanners) and a screwdriver. But ratchet spanners make adding and removing bolts easier, and an impact driver can do that *plus* work as a magical screwdriver. So, if I assume I donāt need any super specific tools, a bare minimum/good starting point for stage techniciansĀ might be the following:
Two podgers: 13/17mm and 19/21mm
An impact driver with a handful of PZ2 bits and a 17mm socket
Multitool with blade and pliers
Set of Allen keys
This obviously doesnāt include PPE, as most venues will provide this (I only got some because it makes me feel like a grown up). This list covers pretty much everything I do, and if I donāt have a specific tool someone else will. Everything else Iāve bought is purely for convenience. For example, why bother getting both a combi drill and an impact driver? Two reasons: firstly, a combi drill can be used to, you know, drill holes in stuff; Secondly, itās been a godsend for screwing in hex socket headed screws. A really specific requirement, I know, but the ability to adjust the clutch (the numbers on the drill) means I donāt have to worry about stripping screws. Impact drivers are powerful, but thatās their downfall too.
Ā Thereās a bunch of tools that I have for very specific reasons as well. For example, the show Iām working on has a set truck with wheels underneath it. These wheels are removed for transport, but the bolts are a non-standard size. So Iāve bought a 22mm ratchet spanner to attach/detach them with ease. I could be using an AJ, but the convenience was worth Ā£6.
Ā Lastly, to organise the growing mess of tools in my Peli case Iāve bought some Really Useful Boxes as well as an official Peli Lid Organizer. Both of these have been a godsend in terms of keeping my case tidy!
Ā New Tools That Have Been Bought Because Theyāre Useful:
Wide-mouth AJ
Quad spanner (13, 17, 19, 21mm)
Scissors (Fiskars hobby/craft scissors)
Sharpies
13, 17, 19, 21mm impact sockets
Hard hat (Petzl Vertex Vent)
Screwdriver set (A small Wera one)
Fancy ultra-bright headtorch (Petzl Actik Core with a fancy rechargeable battery)
New steelies
13, 21, and 22mm spanners
Hope some of this ramble might have been of help to someone! I didnāt touch on consumables, because unless youāre a freelancer the company you work for will provide these.
Why theatre? What drew you in and what would you be doing if you werenāt in theatre?
Great questions! Honestly, I got into theatre by complete fluke. I'd quit a job I hated and suddenly found myself unemployed for three months. The local theatre was hiring casual technicians and I thought why not? Despite both my parents having worked in theatre as long as I remember, I'd never before considered it as a career option.
If I wasn't in theatre I'd probably be a vet in a small village in the countryside š
Sorry for the radio silence! The tour has officially started and we're in third venue now. First impression? It's a hectic, busy, exhausting lifestyle! When you're moving from city to city every week it feels a bit like the second you've built the set you're thinking about the load out already. I technically only get one day off a week (Sundays are for travelling and if you've been at work overnight they're mostly for sleeping too!). I'm trying to do something fun/interesting with my days off, but it's hard to resist the temptation to stay in bed as long as possible.
- Opening drinks are great. Almost every venue wants to welcome us with a free drink or two.
- Turns out 20 minutes feels like a very long way to walk back to your digs after a night out.
- I'm starting two or three projects with the aim of having some kind of record of my cross-country journey. Postcards, routes on a map, photos of every stage door.
- Eating is expensive. Depending on your digs and your timetable, actually making meals instead of eating out can be difficult.
- Sharing digs can be a fantastic idea. As can carpooling from city to city.
- Exercise is hard! Depending on your role, you might get a free work out or two in the form of get ins and load outs. Otherwise (in the UK) Pure Gym or The Gym are a good idea. Depending on the city you select as "home", you can get a membership that gives you access to over 150 gyms across the country.
We've got a week off next week and I'm absolutely buzzing to get back to my own flat and see my friends.
Peace out x
Hello! Can I ask, how did you get your current job? Did you study stage management at uni? I'm considering a career change and am wondering how would be the best way to go about it! Thanks :)
Hi!
Whether or not to study stage management at university is a surprisingly divisive subject. Some people swear by it, and it does give you valuable networks and an opportunity to try out a bunch of stuff you might not get to do otherwise.
Others feel like it's a waste of time and money, because if you can get into stage management without a degree what's the point of having one?
The alternative route is usually to start out as a casual technician at a theatre somewhere. I did that, and eventually gained enough experience to become a full time venue stage tech. From there it honestly depends what you want to do. I was lucky in that I'd made friends (and a good impression) on a touring company who happened to need a Tech Swing.
So the moral of this story is that it's a fluid, flexible industry. Depending where you live and what field of theatre you want to do determines what options you have, really. It's definitely worth contacting your local theatres and finding out if they're taking on new casual staff though!
People not in the entertainment industry (and people not from the UK) are often surprised that for theatre tours within the UK the company is not responsible for finding places for us to stay at each venue. We do get aĀ ātouring allowanceā that should cover the cost of living and commuting, but ultimately we have to sort out where weāre going to sleep for the week (or however long you might be in each city).Ā
Cue digs - an informal word for lodgings or living quarters. Every theatre over here has aĀ ādigs listā and thereās endless facebook groups for theatre digs and even an actual webpage (theatredigsbooker.com) just for people to find somewhere to stay. The latter is a lot like AirBnB actually: choose your city, your dates, and then browse through the options. Depending on your budget these will range from single rooms in someoneās house, to an entire self-contained flat, to a multi-bedroom house you can share with your colleagues.
Obviously if you happen to pass through your home town, or you have relatives or close friends nearby that might be a good alternative. In other places (coughSunderlandcough) it may genuinely be easier and more cost effective to book a room at the local chain hotel. Finding these things out is partly trial and error and partly talking to others about their experiences.
When it comes to budgeting for digs, thereās a spectrum onto which everyone falls somewhere. At one end liesĀ ābook the nicest digs I can afford and sleep comfortably somewhere close to workā, and at the other end isĀ ābook the cheapest overall digs so I can spend more on food and alcoholā. Where you sit on this spectrum is entirely a matter of personal preference, though Iām guessing most people are somewhere between the two. Thereās the cost of commuting to take into account too: can you walk from your place to work, or will you have to rely on your car or public transport?
Thereās going to be a Part Two to this post soon, where Iāll talk a little more about what itās like to stay in digs and how you go about arranging them. In the meantime, as always, hit me up with any questions or comments :)
Iāve made it to the big city! By which I mean London, not New York. The tour Iām on starts out in the West End before heading out across the UK. Iāve been here for one whole week now, and boy has it been a trial by fire already! Iāve had to learn two backstage tracks while getting used to a whole new cast and crew as well as learning how to survive in the smaller Big Apple.
Allow me to part some wisdom to you that I wish someone had given me when I moved here:
- If you take your own cup to Pret you can get a filter coffee for 49p! Thatās insane!!
- If you donāt have an oyster card (which I would recommend you get), please please please use the same contactless card all day when travelling! TfL has daily caps for how much theyāll charge you for moving around, but they only apply if you make all your journeys with one card.
- Carry a snack with you if youāre out exploring the city. Youāll be way less likely to spend obscene amounts of money on food, plus itāll keep your blood sugar levels up.
Other useful bits Iāve picked up that arenāt necessarily London-specific:
- If youāre self-employed or on a freelance contract, start saving receipts for anything you buy thatās work related. Show blacks, stationery, commuting, insurance... You can then claim this back on your self-assessment tax return.
- Especially if youāre getting paid weekly, I found it helpful to mark down in my calendar when all my bills are due. This way I have a better idea of how my bank balance fluctuates during the month, and how much I absolutely need to have in my account at certain times.
- For the love of god please check that your tax code is correct! It will usually auto-adjust itself, but you could be paying significantly more tax than you need to.
Thatās it for this time! As always, let me know if thereās anything you want me to specifically write about. I do have a list of things in my drafts, but I want to try and be as helpful as possible for you guys :)
snowghoul
turnnoffyourmind
romaincrisis
