Actor-Proofing?

When searching for a nice rain jacket or hiking shoes, you might look for something that is water proof. The same goes for fabrics and building materials, only there the term you are looking for is fire-proof. Well, in theatre we have what is called actor proofing.

Actor proofing refers to the act of making the set, costumes or props safe and durable for actors to handle and use time and time again throughout the run of a show. Sounds boring, but is certainly a challenge that those in technical theatre deal with time and time again. When it works, it is a thing of beauty and believe me, no one notices. When it doesn't work, it often leaves audiences gasping and chatting about it well after they should have reinvested their time into what is happening on stage. Actor proofing is time consuming and expensive and definitely has an impact on how things are made or used.

So how about some examples so this makes a little more sense. An actor slams a door shut and the next thing you know, a statue falls off the shelf in the next room. Or perhaps when that door is slammed, the walls on the set begin to sway back and forth for what seems like and eternity. In both instances, I promise you that members of the audience will suddenly turn their attention to the walls moving and the statue, now in a hundred pieces on the floor, instead of focusing on what the actors are now doing or saying. Inevitably, the talk at intermission isn't about how good the show is, it is about whether or not that statue was supposed to break. A few folks will be a nervous wreck thinking about the walls "coming down" and whether something will give the next time the door is shut.

Actor proofing can go a long way, but with limited resources, money, time and by nature of theatre being a temporary art form, it isn't always perfect or fool proof. We aren't setting walls in concrete, so there is always a chance of them moving when a door is slammed. By the way, it is possible to make a door look like it is being slammed without actually slamming it, it is called acting. Just because something like this happens, doesn't mean that someone didn't do his/her homework. If you can think of a way for something to go wrong, there is a good chance that someone, at some point in the run of a show can make you look the fool. It doesn't matter how many times that door has been slammed, in the heat of the moment under stage lights with the audience in the palm of his hand, that actor will take it upon himself to step it up a notch. As frustrating as it can be for the designer, TD, or technician who has spent countless hours trying to make something work consistently time and time again, at the end of the day...it's live theatre. Deep down I think people look forward to those moments when something goes wrong just to see how people will handle it. Not to mention it makes for a great story!

I hope this provides you with a little more insight into the backstage world of theatre. More glimpses to come down the road.

Tis' the Season

It's that time of year again, a time for reflecting, a time for giving and a time for looking ahead. Bear with me as I touch on subjects that aren't specifically "Tech Talk" but do impact what I do and will serve as a platform for future segments.

As I reflect on the past year, the first thing that comes to mind is how difficult a time it was for Theatre Charlotte, as well as many other arts organizations and non-profits. In the past year, we saw a significant drop in contributions to the ASC fund drive which in turn impacted nearly every group that the ASC supports. Theatre Charlotte, already dealing with financial challenges and bare bone production costs, had to yet again slash its meager budget. The challenge has been to continue to meet and surpass audience expectations without letting them know that you are working with every scrap of wood that can be found and that every cent spent from the budget could be the last one. As a former boss said to me,"It's like making chicken salad." On the plus side, I still have a job, my wife still has a job and we both have a place that allows us to do what we are passionate about.

Also looking back, I see the dream of moving this great organization to a better place all but come to an end. Upon taking this position, the staff and board of directors were a buzz with ideas and expectations of moving into a new facility that would take this 82 year old organization into a new age of community theatre and ensure its longevity and stature in the community. Exciting for me, a chance to be a part of something special and put my name in the history book of this organization. A real boost for my career...not so fast. I remain optimistic that we can turn the corner and establish longevity for this theatre, perhaps right where this building currently sits. I also think about the new faces I have seen on this stage over the past year, all of the volunteers that I have worked with and the patrons I have met and I am glad that we have a place to call home. More on that in a minute.

Finally, I look back and think about the past year on stage. While the building continues to fall to pieces around us, we have managed to produce some outstanding theatre. One highlight that comes to mind is The Full Monty, a monstrous undertaking technically, a risky show for this community theatre but a hit with audiences and it set a new level for what we can do here. While not as much of a financial success, I also have to rank Woman in Black up there as a highlight of what I have been able to do here. This past year has also brought us a fantastic partnership with the Charlotte Film Society and introduced our community to some great events at Theatre Charlotte, like our Wine, Chocolate and Murder Mystery on Valentine's Day, our Junior Cabaret event that showcases some of the best young talent from near and far, New Year's Eve Celebration and our musical movie series highlighted by The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

So now is also a time for giving. By this time, I think most people are probably sick of being asked to give, give, give, so I won't dwell on this too long. This past year, and I can probably speak for the entire staff when I say that, we have made a lot of sacrifices to get us to this point. We have given up benefits, pay and days off to make sure that we and people in this community have a place to do theatre. In return, I have been given friendships, too many laughs to count and moments that have brought tears to my eyes. This truly is the gift of theatre and the arts and if you don't think that your donation (no matter how big or small) counts, you are mistaken. The gift of theatre provides our children, grand children, friends and neighbors a chance to express themselves, a chance to try something new, and an opportunity to make friendships that last a lifetime. For two hours, actors, technicians, volunteers and patrons come together as one to create a once in a lifetime experience that will never be duplicated, no matter how many times a show is performed. That is the beauty of live theatre!

Now, as I look ahead into the unknown, we will continue to face tough decisions and challenges in the upcoming year. My hope, my goal, is to inspire and challenge myself and others to not let the economy be an excuse any more. To take the bull by the horn and make something happen. There is tremendous opportunity out there and we need to embrace it. If you are reading this, then you probably already support Theatre Charlotte and what we do, so to you my challenge is to introduce new people to the experience here. Convince your friends, family, councilman, teachers, financial advisor, whoever it is you come in contact with, convince them to invest in theatre. Turn them onto the experience of live theatre and let them know how important it is to have a community theatre, such as ours, in this city you call home. Have a safe Holiday season and see you in 2010.

Thrills and Chills

There's a chill in the air, leaves are falling, fields of orange pumpkins along the road. It's that time of year again...Halloween. For anyone that knows me, you already know that this is my favorite time of year. The idea of dressing as a ghoul or goblin has always been fascinating to me and the art of creating monsters and effects is what got me involved in theatre. Because our current show is a good old fashioned ghost story, I decided to share some of the strange and interesting occurrences that happened during the last few weeks as we got ready to open, The Woman in Black.

Now it is no secret that our building is old and has seen better days (more about that in a different segment). It is also no secret that this theatre was built on what used to be a slave cemetery. Rumor has it that all but one body was found when the cemetery was relocated to another neighborhood close by. I can't say that this is true or not, but it has been said on more than one occasion. Let me also say at this point that I have never seen nor heard evidence that makes me a believer of the paranormal. I find the ideas and stories interesting and entertaining but I guess for the time being you can classify me as a skeptic. I can also say that in the three years I have been working here, I have never seen or heard anything that I would classify as unexplainable. Again, this is an old building with a lot of history and stories.

All of that being said, here are some events that have been reported and experienced over the past few weeks. The odd creak and bump has been reported by no less than three people during rehearsals at night and by a staff member during the day. One person described noises "like footsteps" walking across the stage. At the time, there was no one else in the building.

Having been here for three years, there are noises and subtleties of the building that you learn along the way. I know that there is a light switch backstage that upon turning on, makes a loud buzzing sound that can be heard on the other side of the stage. Somehow it is connected to some sort of panel downstairs in the basement causing it to make noise, don't ask me why it's that way. I can't explain what would make the noise quieter one day. Whatever the reason, I appreciate the quiet now.

For those who are superstitious and familiar with theatre lore, you know about the "ghost light." Every night at the end of rehearsal, a light is plugged in on stage for practical safety reasons, but also because it is considered bad luck for a theatre to "go dark." Some may say it is also a courtesy to the spirits in the building. One night last week as we wrapped up our dress rehearsal, our crew head, John, plugged in the light as usual and we locked up and went about what was left of our evening. The next morning when I came in, the ghost light was off and it was still plugged in. I checked the bulb, thinking it had burned out but that wasn't the case. It has since worked fine and I can only recall this happening one time in my tenure.

Speaking of lights, our stage manager has had two light bulbs blow up at her station backstage. Two bulbs, two different fixtures. We also had a headset stop working suddenly, one minute it was fine, the next it wasn't.

Finally, on Monday morning of this week, I arrived and started going through my list of "to dos" from the previous night's rehearsal. I was onstage and Nancy and Jackie were in the front office. Suddenly, there was a loud crash followed by some sounds I can only describe as "rustling." Nancy was quick to come into the auditorium, thinking I had fallen off a ladder. She said it sounded like it came from on stage and from where I was at, I said that it sounded like it came from the light booth. I figured that because of all the rain the night before, part of the roof had collapsed or something fell on it. As it turned out, a stack of soda and water in our storage room had fallen over on the floor. A stack of soda that no one was near and had been that way for several days.

There you have it. Chalk it up to an old building, everyday stuff or maybe The Woman in Black.

Hats Off...and a Glimpse of whats next!

One of the comments that I get rather often is something to the effect of "I would love to help but I don't know how to..." For those of you who have said this or thought this, I'm about to give you six reasons why that isn't a good enough excuse around here.


There are a number of things that make community theatre special, one of those is opportunity.
In seeking crew for Seussical, I had a response from a new volunteer who said I don't know the first things about theatre. But she was eager to help and willing to learn. When Meghan came into the theatre for the first day of tech, she didn't know upstage from downstage and by opening night she was moving scenery around with the best of them. Many theatres, even in this small community, would turn up their nose at someone who doesn't know their Stage Left from their Stage Right. Here we offer opportunity and the chance to learn from people who have been around the block a few times.

Of the crew on this show, only three have worked a mainstage production here, the rest are rookies! You have to start somewhere and for many people in this town, it has started at 501 Queens Road.

Having a great crew starts at the top with our Stage Manager and works its way down. With Sabrina at the helm, I knew that we would be okay with a young crew that could learn from her experience and learn how to do things right. Throw in John Spinoso(Run Crew Head), who has a knack for moving around heavy objects such as toilets, urinals, couches and people, all without being seen, and I knew we were in good shape. In the absence of our sound designer, I turned to another Theatre Charlotte vet, Jonathan Rast, to cover for him. Jonathan has been a staple behind the sound board for us and does what it takes to achieve excellence.

So now we come to our rookies. Meghan, whom I mentioned earlier, has come along way in a short time on this show and is a perfect example of the volunteer experience here. Come and you will learn.

The Winn sisters, Abby and Emily. Both have helped on previous Theatre Charlotte events, but never a mainstage production. Emily was quick to volunteer to help backstage on this show and has done an outstanding job. Her dedication is second to none and her enthusiasm is what makes this job so rewarding. Maybe it was Emily's excitement that gave Abby the bug, I'm not sure, but she jumped on board as well...literally. With loads of new state of the art lighting equipment brought in for this show (thanks to our Lighting Designer, John Hartness), Abby runs all the lights with the push of a button. Sounds easy, but it takes concentration and good communication skills. I confess...I don't even know how to run this light board. It doesn't stop there, because you can also find Abby backstage during Intermission and after the show helping the rest of the crew clean up and set up for the next performance. I've also noticed the sisters singing and doing some of the choreography in the show. Might we see them on stage in the future?

Speaking of newcomers, how can you get any newer than Charlotte who moved here just a few weeks before the show opened. She didn't know anyone, didn't know how to operate lighting equipment and anyone who has moved to a new city and new school knows it can be overwhelming. I think it is safe to say that she has made new friends and found a home here. That is the "community" in community theatre. Welcome to Charlotte, Charlotte and welcome to Theatre Charlotte, Charlotte.

Community theatre is also a family affair. We were fortunate to have the support of the parents of our Jo-Jo to run follow spot on this production. The Newmans gave up the best seats in the house night after night to sit in the light booth and see the show and their son from the peanut gallery. Again, no experience prior to Theatre Charlotte.

There you have it. Six reasons why you can volunteer at Theatre Charlotte without prior experience: Meghan, Charlotte, Abby, Emily, Mr. Newman and Mrs. Newman. My hat is off to all of you, you have each done an outstanding job on Seussical (no small feat considering the complexity of this show) and I hope that you will share this experience with others.

Next up, The Woman in Black. Enjoy a glimpse of what's to come...

Tech Talk

I think I have the coolest job in the world. Sure there are things about it that suck, that's true with any job. The hours are sometimes very long and it's a full time job just keeping this building in one piece...together is probably a more accurate phrase. But the rewards are so much greater, the sense of accomplishment, the closing of one chapter and opening of another. I work with an incredible staff, I have the privilege of collaborating with and learning from other directors, designers, actors and technicians. I can't help but smile when I see the look of excitement on the face of a new volunteer who is swept up in what we do here and is eager to be a part of it. I have the freedom to experiment and try new ideas, but most importantly I have the freedom to dream and create!

I get to see my ideas, my dreams become reality. What starts as words or sketches takes on life here. These dreams become pieces that can be seen, touched and shared with others. Four weeks ago, my dream was in the shape of a small scale model, and now it is full size. In two weeks, the dream will be complete and the show will open (Seussical: September 10 for those keeping score). I often don't sleep at night just thinking about the final product.


Yes, it is a lot of work. Often back breaking and exhausting and although the dream lives only for a brief moment in time, it is worth it. Long ago I accepted as part of what I do, that it only lasts for a short time before it becomes a picture or a memory. What a privilege to make it there!

So much will happen between now and the next time I write here. In that time, one set will have been completed and another started, auditions will have come and gone, rehearsals will have begun for The Woman in Black, collaboration on A Christmas Carol will be under way, the roof will have leaked in some new places and old ones, hundreds of volunteer hours will have been logged, many new faces will have walked through the doors for the first time (hopefully the first of many times). Throw in a few special events, Charlotte Film Society movies and many sleepless nights laying awake...dreaming.