We Behind The Art

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Triplight @ The Tank

I was lucky enough to work as assistant stage manager for this workshop. As I talked about before, I love the process of a workshop. Being able to call things, make decisions, and help put the show together, was so rewarding. This show is a musical about the death of almost an entire band. It was very deep, but also fun and exciting. The playwright and lyricist were so excellent to work with, as were the actors, and the director. 

This was my first experience stage managing and I really enjoyed it. I love being a part of the creation of the show. Being able to help in any way that I can feels great. Perhaps I will be able to stage manage more in the future. 

[webehindtheart-blog]

Come From Away @ Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre

This was the first broadway show I have seen in a while and it was spectacular. On the night that I saw it, there was understudy in for one of the main characters. I love watching understudies perform. I think an understudy’s role is the most important role of the show. Understudies have to constantly be on it and ready to fill in for multiple different roles. 

The performance in this show was seamless. You would never be able to guess that she was the understudy. 

[webehindtheart-blog]

Ruffles, or a Progression of Rakes, A Workshop @ The Tank

I was able to be a small part of this amazing workshop. Workshops and readings have very big (and new) part of my time at The Tank. I never really thought about the importance of getting a space to workshop ideas before a full performance is set. Ticketed showings for these workshops give the crew of the show a chance to show what they are working on and get feedback before completing the show.

The morning of the first workshop show was a bit of a messy situation. One of the actors was very late, and someone forgot to bring an important part of the show. While waiting for the actor, I was asked to step in and block the scenes for the director. She was extremely thankful for me. It was also very fun to be able to do some scenes with awesome actors and an awesome director. I felt happy to be able to be a small part in this workshop. 

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Wood Calls Out To Wood @ The Tank

The night I saw this show was a very interesting night. One of the actors was sick so they needed someone else to take his place. They had no prepared understudies because the run was so short they didn’t think they would need it. So instead of shutting down the show, the playwright stood in for the actor. 

The playwright obviously wrote the play so she knew the script but they still stayed on book. It was still a beautiful performance. The script was very full of tongue twisters and poetic words. The playwright kept the pace of the show and I really enjoyed watching her bring her own words to life. I am glad that I was able to see the show with the playwright in it. 

[webehindtheart-blog]

American Exceptionalism @ Fordham University

One of my closest friends was the playwright for this amazing show. Watching her vision come to life on stage was extremely rewarding. I know how hard she worked in order complete this project and her hard work absolutely paid off. This show was a powerful depiction of race in America. It was beautiful, difficult, and rewarding. It was so nice to be able to see someones dream come to life. 

This is something I really love about theater. Any show that goes up is a piece of someone’s heart. It is an extension of who they are - whether they wrote it, directed it, or acted in it, there are parts of them in the performance. 

[webehindtheart-blog]

It Takes A Village @ The Tank

Out of all of the shows I have seen this semester, I really believe that this was my favorite. It was funny, thoughtful, beautiful, and real. I am not usually a fan of clowning but the way in which this show was approached was stunning. I was able to sit next to the director during the show and his love with the work was so obvious. He was so into the show - leaning, moving, giggling, and dancing along with the actor. I feel as though this is how amazing art is made - pure love and joy. If everyone that is involved in a show is loving what they are doing, it is going to show on stage. 

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The Brothers Čampur @ The Tank

This show was like nothing I had ever seen before. This was a puppet show from a Balinese puppet troupe. The puppets were made of paper and extremely intricately designed. I was able to watch some of the men create these puppets, which of course was the whole show. Without the work of these men, who weren’t even the puppeteers, the show would have been men sitting behind a screen making noises. The men that created the puppets sat behind the screen as well but their job was to make sure that puppets were in the order that the puppeteers needed them to be in. These men made the show what it was and it was very cool to be able to watch them do it and to be able to watch the puppets come to life!

[webehindtheart-blog]

Tyler! @ Fordham University

Tyler! was a fantastic Fordham show. The effort that went into the show was clear although the performance appeared effortless. The costume designer, Ellie Ryan, did an incredible job. Her and 2 assistants created over 30 costumes in about 3 weeks. The dedication that was put into the details of these costumes was clear and noticed. I spoke with Ellie before the show and she told me she hadn’t slept in 3 days. She put all of her time and effort into the costumes so that the performers would look amazing and the story would be able to come to life. The show took place mainly in the 80s and she completely executed this. Ellie also told me that she put a lot of time in researching the styles of the 80s so that the performers looked as accurate as possible. 

Without Ellie’s work the show would not have been nearly as successful as it was. It is so important that people like Ellie are recognized for their work because it is so extremely important and necessary to the success of the theater. 

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All City Hour @ The Tank

This is an example of how important communication is in the success of a show. This show is a weekly variety show that brings on special guests but has two consistent hosts. This show has the potential to be fantastic except for the fact that it is clear there is a complete lack of communication between the performers and the producers. The show was unsuccessful because of the amount of unsureness the cast members had about their roles. I was a small part of the management team and it was clear to see that there was a lot of confusion among everyone. There was not a great communication system.

This made me realize that communication is KEY in theater. Performers need to know what the crew wants, and the crew needs to be aware of the worries and thoughts that the performers have. Without a strong communication the show will be noticeably unsuccessful. Hopefully as the weeks go on this show will get better. 

[webehindtheart-blog]

Gruesome Playground Injuries @ Fordham University

For this show I want to talk about the PROPS. Although I was unable to track down the prop designer for a chat, I can imagine how much time and effort it took them to complete the prop setup. The set changes were completed by the actors, as were the makeup changes. However, none of this could have been completed without correct placement of the tools that they needed to complete these set and makeup changes. 

People tend not to think about this when they are watching a show. They tend not to think about the details that go into a successful production. That is indeed part of the magic of performance but it is important to remember how vital everyone behind the scenes is. 

[webehindtheart-blog]

YŌKAI @ The Tank

After working for this show (trekking to Bushwick to pick up a projector) I was able to watch and enjoy the show from the audience. The show was extremely unique. Using puppeteering and acting interchangeably was an extremely affective way to get the story across. The prop usage was incredible and a joy to watch happen successfully. The story was beautifully written and acted excellently by the Norwegian theater troupe, The Krumple. 

The LIGHTING. This part was extremely interesting to me because the lovely girl running the lights was not trusted by the man (for misogynistic reasons) who created the show but she did an amazing job. He, an actor, didn’t trust her ability to bring his show to life. But she DID and she proved him wrong. Without her persistence and her skill the show would have failed. She, hidden from the audience, made the show a success just as much as the actors did. She wasn’t on the stage but she was a large part of the show. 

She’s BEHIND the art but still a huge part of it. 

[webehindtheart-blog]

*Update*

Not only will this blog be profiling those behind the art but I will also be discussing performances I have seen and how those performances have impacted me and solidified my decision to focus on how important it is to have ~webehindtheart~

[webehindtheart-blog]

Starting my internship at The Tank has really inspired me to take a deeper look at what goes on behind the scenes at a nonprofit theater and how important these spaces are for artists in the city.

 “Our goal is to foster an environment of inclusiveness and remove the burden of cost from the creation of new work for artists launching their careers and experimenting within their art form. “ - thetanknyc.org 

The Tank has been providing free rehearsal space, free performance space, and promotional support since it started in 2003. Artist’s in this city struggle to get their careers launched and The Tank is there to support these artists as they explore themselves and their artistry. The Tank is multidisciplinary as well which is incredible to have out of a theater. This gives artists of all backgrounds to have a chance to take advantage of the The Tank and its awesome opportunities. 

I find that, as an intern, I feel a duty to relay this information to my many artist friends in the city. I have only been interning for a week and already I feel like an asset to the company and as if my being there is of great importance. It will be a very eye-opening experience for me. 

I plan on speaking with my bosses about their experiences of supporting artists from behind the scenes. I have a few other exciting discussions planned with friends for this blog and I am excited to learn and share their experiences. 

[webehindtheart-blog]

Today I started my journey working behind the stage instead of in front of it. This blog’s purpose is to point out how important people behind the scene’s of the art world are, even if you don’t see us. Not only will it be about my journey but it will be about other’s experiences as well. 

The show must always go on, right? As the theater company I work with was teching this morning, they realized that their projector, which is an imperative part of their show, broke. They asked me to go to Bushwick to try to find them a new one. They gave me an address and off I went. My maps brought me to a thrift store. A JAM PACKED thrift store run by the two lovely Jewish men (pictured above) they were so incredibly helpful in trying to get one of the various projectors they had to work. While I was there I ran into a props manager for a film company (she didn’t say which), yet another person working behind the scenes to make art work perfectly! After 25 minutes myself and the two old men finally found a projector that worked. I made the trek back up to midtown lugging this giant, old projector. Once I got back, the actors were so extremely thankful that I made the trip for them. And knowing that without my help the show would have been so greatly flawed, I felt accomplished. The audience will never know what went on today, and it should stay that way. It is like I was a little elf (like most crew and administrators are). 

[webehindtheart-blog]

Exploration

Noun

The action of traveling in or through an unfamiliar area in order to learn about it.