Shop Diaries
I learned a term recently, that was used by Preston Whiteway of the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center. "Total Theater Artist." This is what I have always aspired to be, without knowing how to describe it, and I think work behind the scenes is incredibly valuable for becoming a total theater artist. This gets ignored by many theater artists who commit to one area early on in their careers, and it's quite ironic that (so I've heard as of late) often the skills that are most marketable in the theater, the skills that can make or break a job, are some of the (remarkably simple) technical skills like knowing how to operate a light board or understanding building concepts: anything that can help you contribute totally (compare to specifically) to a production.
And there's a great immediate practical benefit to working on tech, even for the short durations we got for this show. Somehow this work just sharpens one's attention to the technical details; laying the floor panels, one then understands why they may (just for example...) warp and create an awkward situation for those walking on it, or one at least sees their potential for being uneven. Having acquired this awareness, one then knows better how to interact with this element, even if that just means they'll be more careful. On a simple scale, interacting with the brick siding teaches one that it is actually a rather fragile foam material, and one can then at least use that knowledge to treat that material with the proper respect, to be gentle with it. Seeing the costume shop work on our costumes helps me know how to treat those costumes. This is a purer case of learning through direct experience.
Beyond marketability and practicality, however, I also believe more intuitive benefits to the actor (or "INSERT THEATRICAL ROLE HERE") of tech knowledge. That fire escape was quite a beast, and I hypothesize that even witnessing some of the sparks, for example, of its construction gives one a particular appreciation for it that another couldn't acquire by just seeing the finished product. In a way, this work develops a particular relationship between the actor and the elements he interacts with. I can't completely explicate how that ultimately affects one's performance, but I think it must. Perhaps it syncs one up with the set, to have experienced first-hand what goes into it, for example- such that one feels like she's comfortable and belongs in this environment (particularly important if the environment is more abstract, I'd say). And I'm sure that comfort shows in how the actor occupies this environment- probably makes their existence in it more deliberate or intentional.
I have to say I only wish I were able to do more for this show's tech, because I'm interested in every aspect, but I think I still soaked up a pretty solid amount of stuff, considering that we aren't working on the set etc. all that much. This show was particularly helpful for me because, as I am taking scene design this semester, I finally understand the process through which conceptual ideas evolve into a set design, and this show helped me complete that process in my mind by showing me all the steps through which a set design gets translated into something real, particularly those real moments and the gritty details that live outside of the conceptualized process.
Also, thank you tech people of all breeds for your hard work that goes unappreciated all too often.
--Mike Myers