#oh god helping actors with QUICKCHANGES TOO

[thebreakfastgod]

El you GOTTA drop what high school musicals you were in

HAHA okay so, freshman year I saw our production of Lion King but I wasn't involved in it. It was very good

Sophomore year we did You're A Good Man Charlie Brown, which was fun but my least favorite. I was on tech crew for all the shows we did and this one didn't have a lot of building and I ended up being front of house crew during shows. Charlie Brown has a really small cast so our director created two casts and an ensemble, and bc of the actors getting split up like that there was SO MUCH internal drama LMAO. But techs mostly stay out of that

Junior year we did Mamma Mia which was my favorite show. We built this massive set it was awesome. To make it look like the hotel we actually had a 2 "story" set piece with this big staircase that led to the middle of the stage and there was a separate hidden staircase that led to backstage lol. There were a lot of props and like chair pieces that we had to keep track of. It was actually pretty complicated haha. I was on curtain for MM too I got to open and close it every show :)

We had a summer camp one year too where we worked with younger kids (elementary/middle) and we did Frozen Jr. We also built a really big set for that and had a whole castle set piece and an ice palace set piece. And we had a WORKING wagon for the merchant people it was so cool

Senior year we didn't do jack shit cause of Covid rip

[theatercommandments]

A long time ago on this blog, I got a question about how much actors should know in regards to technical theatre, and other theatrical jobs. The answer to that is: Enough to be able to fend for yourself backstage. It's perfectly fine to ask for help (especially for those 30-second quickchanges), but in general, you should be self-sufficient.

Know how to do your own makeup. Learning to do your own stage makeup is a vital skill for any performer. Most times, there won't be a makeup artist provided for you. While it's totally okay to ask a cast mate for help (I once did four people's makeup before a show that I was in!) keep in mind that they need time to get ready too, and you can't really keep running to them for touch ups all night. Learn to do your makeup, complete with the more "difficult" things like applying fake lashes or spirit gum, and also, learn which products are best for you. Also, if possible, keep a list of which products you're allergic to, and what irritates your skin or makes you break out. This is so if you need to borrow something, or if somebody is doing your makeup for you for whatever reason, you know what you absolutely can't use. ***If you are allergic to latex and need SFX makeup, keep in mind that some SFX makeup (especially prosthetics) contains latex***

Know how to do your own hair. This is a big one for me, and has been my whole life, because I have very thick curly hair. My hair is almost always a problem. I personally try to avoid heat styling because it just takes too long, and my hair also will frizz and curl easily once I start sweating. Anyway, like with makeup, there often won't be somebody there to do your hair for you. Also like with the makeup, know what works for you. Heat styling is pretty much completely impractical for me. I have friends who have extremely straight hair that doesn't hold curls. Even still, know how to morph your specific hair into whatever the director asks. Even if you don't plan on doing it regularly, know how to straighten and curl your hair. If you have very textured hair like me, there's typically a way to style your natural hair, but be sure to test it out at home before hell week. You don't want to be figuring that out for the first time backstage, trust me.

Know how to attach your own body mic (and be on time to sound checks for God's sake). THERE IS AN EXCEPTION TO THIS: If a sound technician wants to put your mic on you, or wants to adjust your mic, let them. Anyway, there isn't really much to this one. Know how to attach a microphone and do it yourself unless you're told otherwise, and if you need help, ask. 

Have some basic sewing skills/know how to fix a costume in a pinch. Knowing how to sew rips and holes in costumes is a skill I've used more when I've worked on crew than as an actress, but it's a useful skill to have in general as a functioning adult. Often fixing broken costumes falls on costumers/stitchers, but in smaller theatre companies where you're often providing your own clothes, you very well might have to fix your own stuff. Also, in the event that something breaks mid-show and you don't have time to actually fix it, know how to effectively use safety pins and body tape to make it hold for the rest of that performance (trust me, there's an art to it).

SIDENOTE: One of my proudest moments as a theatre artist is when I spent an hour and a half hand stitching a sleeve on a jacket that had been almost torn clean off by an actor who basically Hulk smashed the thing in rehearsal. I don't know how he did it, but the interior lining was ripped a million different ways, and the sleeve itself was hanging on by a thread. That night all the other technicians were like "oh shit you can sew too?" That's also how I became the unofficial "costume fixer" on that show.

Know how to fix your own prop (or better yet, try not to break it). If I've learned one thing from the folks over in Techblr, it's that actors have a tendency to break things. If somebody tells you not to do something with a prop or set piece, it's for a reason. Like with costumes, it's often not the actor's responsibility to fix a prop, but in smaller theatre companies and in school productions, you might be in a DIY situation if your prop breaks mid-show. Learn the magic of gaff tape.

And most importantly, understand that there are other people around you offstage who are working hard as well. Don't jump down a technician's throat if something goes wrong. A technical malfunction isn't a personal assault on you, so don't act like it is. Shit happens in live theatre. 

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