This one goes out to my fellow backstage workers!
As backstage professionals, we spend most of our time behind the scenes. As a result, many of us default to being generally reserved at work.
The Entertainment & Performing Arts Industry Conference (EPIC) is an exciting new global event that is going to be held online across 24 hours on January 10, 2022. This event has been created for Arts and entertainment industry professionals as well as people in training or those who are interested in the entertainment industry. The […]
One of my first jobs out of college had me working with a bunch of guys. I mean, that’s how it was, just me and the guys, building scenery, being awesome. I knew very well when I got into this industry that it was not the norm to have women around unless you where in the costume shop, or painting.
With all of the forward motion in the entertainment industry over the past few years, I just can’t believe that we still live in a culture of “Us vs. Them.” I’m talking about actors, musicians, “the talent,” vs. technicians. Even in my list, I’ve used a term I’m used to hearing: The Talent. Here’s the thing, I am also the talent. The spot ops are also “the talent.” The stage manager is also “the talent.” The deck crew, the A2, the board ops, the wardrobe techs, etc. are all “the talent.”
It finally is opening night.! This new show’s very first encounter with an audience. Months of hard work will pay off in exactly 15 minutes. Without a doubt, the world’s longest! The curtains will rise and unveil the magic if everything goes according to plan. Performers, creators, and spectators have been waiting for this day for weeks. The adrenaline is very tangible, almost celebratory backstage during those last minutes that precede that leap of faith.
Perhaps you’ve witnessed this scene:A person on a production team is huddled in an out of the way corner of a theater or a concert hall. Maybe, if they’re lucky, they are inside their own office, or more likely, they’ve simply found a spot where no one seems to be congregated for the moment, and where they will be less visible than in the main performance space.
Say what you want about the content or commercial origin of the 2018 Tony Nominees (and I’m sure you have a lot to say!) but the technical and design prowess on display this year has delivered on excitement and innovation. Take a look at the the over-the-top in the best way exuberant display of design imagination that is Spongebob and the subtle, deliberate, and powerful world building in The Band’s Visit – and you can appreciate the awesome impact that designers make on Broadway….
Everyone has a slow season if they are a freelancer. The time of the year that this occurs for you depends on what area of the world you work, what your seasonal high for contracts is and your live entertainment speciality, but there’s always a time where you have a few weeks downtime to re-group, rest and prepare for the next season.
I’ve recently returned home to Melbourne for a few weeks R&R and what’s struck me recently is the number of industry people trying to get overseas? In a country like Australia, a country known for best practices and its vibrant arts industry, why is a passport and the exotic lights of afar still the end destination?
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