Lian Wilkinson. 19. Company Stage Manager (that’s the person who makes sure everything backstage gets done) of the Cambridge Greek Play.
Cast: 22
Props: approx. 300
SM team: 4
Cast: 22
Props: approx. 300
SM team: 4
Morning: Go last minute prop sourcing for running props (ones you need to replace. In this case, flowers, newspaper, a few leeks or so…). Depending on how prepared we were last night, get into theatre about 11 o’ clock-ish to set up the stage. And paint the Prometheus set: 6 giant black boards.
12:20pm Quick sausage roll for lunch as I track down a missing pair of wellies haphazardly thrown into the Stage Left wing after the curtain call last night.
1:15pm Actors’ call for notes from the previous performance. By this time the set-up would hopefully be 95% complete. I’m wrestling with a couple of prop birds. Catch my shadow as the technicians play around with lights. My headtorch makes me look vaguely Teletubby-esque. Great.
2:15pm House opens for the matinee performance of Prometheus and the Frogs. Props set. Cast coming, Deputy Stage Manager Joe chatting away on cans (headsets).
Joe: “Who’s already done their Christmas shopping?”
Me: “I haven’t, but I’ve already planned what I’m going to buy.”
Joe: “Typical stage manager…”
2:30pm Start of the first act. Prometheus: a tragedy. A lot of arty ideas and aesthetically pleasing visuals. Throughout I am juggling between reeling in material, preparing for the second act, collecting props and judging masks (Michael’s winning). Oh, and getting a hug from a cast member or two. Or ten. Which is nice.
3:30pm End of first act. 15 minutes to mop/sweep the stage, get Prometheus set out and Frogs set in, add 253 props onto the stage and place them meticulously, and lead a 10-strong team (lovely cast members volunteering to help) without having a coronary. Phew.
3:43pm Check that Frogs is all good to go. I put my thumbs in the air and get 28 pairs of thumbs all up in the air, smiles all around. Spend the next 3 minutes convincing myself I have definitely forgotten something and going into panic mode.
3:45pm Start of The Frogs. Nothing I can do now but wait to see if each prop magically appears. They do. Readying the wings throughout the show, including a logistical nightmare of mummifying someone/coffin entrance/another person’s quickchange/coffin exit/Dinghy entrance. Actor whacks me with an oar. Thank you very much.
4:30pm End of the Frogs. Time to reset the stage for Act 1 of the evening performance. Run over toe with a black board. Ouch. Still looking like Po, but all in black, not red. Emo Po, as it were.
12:20pm Quick sausage roll for lunch as I track down a missing pair of wellies haphazardly thrown into the Stage Left wing after the curtain call last night.
1:15pm Actors’ call for notes from the previous performance. By this time the set-up would hopefully be 95% complete. I’m wrestling with a couple of prop birds. Catch my shadow as the technicians play around with lights. My headtorch makes me look vaguely Teletubby-esque. Great.
2:15pm House opens for the matinee performance of Prometheus and the Frogs. Props set. Cast coming, Deputy Stage Manager Joe chatting away on cans (headsets).
Joe: “Who’s already done their Christmas shopping?”
Me: “I haven’t, but I’ve already planned what I’m going to buy.”
Joe: “Typical stage manager…”
2:30pm Start of the first act. Prometheus: a tragedy. A lot of arty ideas and aesthetically pleasing visuals. Throughout I am juggling between reeling in material, preparing for the second act, collecting props and judging masks (Michael’s winning). Oh, and getting a hug from a cast member or two. Or ten. Which is nice.
3:30pm End of first act. 15 minutes to mop/sweep the stage, get Prometheus set out and Frogs set in, add 253 props onto the stage and place them meticulously, and lead a 10-strong team (lovely cast members volunteering to help) without having a coronary. Phew.
3:43pm Check that Frogs is all good to go. I put my thumbs in the air and get 28 pairs of thumbs all up in the air, smiles all around. Spend the next 3 minutes convincing myself I have definitely forgotten something and going into panic mode.
3:45pm Start of The Frogs. Nothing I can do now but wait to see if each prop magically appears. They do. Readying the wings throughout the show, including a logistical nightmare of mummifying someone/coffin entrance/another person’s quickchange/coffin exit/Dinghy entrance. Actor whacks me with an oar. Thank you very much.
4:30pm End of the Frogs. Time to reset the stage for Act 1 of the evening performance. Run over toe with a black board. Ouch. Still looking like Po, but all in black, not red. Emo Po, as it were.
6:30pm Finish packing up Frogs and laying out Prometheus. Fight over the microwave as performance week is Ready Meal Week for everyone. Hide in the wardrobe department with lovely costume assistant JoJo.
7:30pm House open for Prometheus take two. Massive déjà vu moment.
7:45pm Start of Prometheus take two. Make a hummus sandwich (a Frogs prop), whack a bag of popcorn in the microwave (another prop), grab some sweets (prop)…
8:30pm Changeover again. Cast member takes one of my chocolates that I foolishly leave on the props table. Must remember to put them in a safer place…
8:45pm More thumbs up and cheesy grins. Curtain up. Showtime again. Cast member forgets to take a kazoo from the props table, rushes off stage and makes the best improv late entrance ever.
9:30pm End of the evening performance. A shattered cast change and head for a drink. SM team and some amazing cast volunteers (and lovely tech crew) remain to reset as much as possible for the day after.
11pm Leave the theatre ready for tomorrow. I actually go outside after 12 hours of theatre light and headlamp beams. Meet up with the cast, have a chat, return home around midnight.
2:20am Finish writing a blog post about what’s been taking over my life for the past 6 weeks.
7:30pm House open for Prometheus take two. Massive déjà vu moment.
7:45pm Start of Prometheus take two. Make a hummus sandwich (a Frogs prop), whack a bag of popcorn in the microwave (another prop), grab some sweets (prop)…
8:30pm Changeover again. Cast member takes one of my chocolates that I foolishly leave on the props table. Must remember to put them in a safer place…
8:45pm More thumbs up and cheesy grins. Curtain up. Showtime again. Cast member forgets to take a kazoo from the props table, rushes off stage and makes the best improv late entrance ever.
9:30pm End of the evening performance. A shattered cast change and head for a drink. SM team and some amazing cast volunteers (and lovely tech crew) remain to reset as much as possible for the day after.
11pm Leave the theatre ready for tomorrow. I actually go outside after 12 hours of theatre light and headlamp beams. Meet up with the cast, have a chat, return home around midnight.
2:20am Finish writing a blog post about what’s been taking over my life for the past 6 weeks.