Tech Sunday June 8

A lot has been accomplished since Thursday night. Set pieces have been built, props found and made, lighting, sound and projections created. Yet there is still a great deal to do today before the Tech rehearsal.

Director Diane Byrd and I sat in the audience yesterday from 1 pm until almost 9 pm while lighting operator Jim Roush sat at the light board setup in the audience. Ted Roush sat in the control booth at the followspot and assistant director Denise Bristol sat and walked the stage as we set the light cues for the show. There are about 90 cues for the show. Often times I would start with an idea for the lights for a particular moment in the play and then ask Denise to walk the stage going to every part of the stage that the actors in that scene would play. Then Diane and I would refine the lighting to make sure that the brightest spot on the stage was where the audiences eyes would focus while trying to darken areas that aren't used in that particular scene so it wouldn't pull focus. We would look at different colors in the lights to see what emotional feeling was being created and sometimes do a color change to help highlight costumes or the mood of a song at the moment as well. I use a technique I call painting with light. I try to use as much color as possible so that the folds and shadows of the costumes on the actors aren't just filled with darkness but with color.

While we were setting the lights Patt Lynch volunteered his time to help paint while Jim Keeney continued to build the missing set pieces in the scene shop. Jim started Saturday morning by building the headboards for the twin beds that then become a full size bed. I designed a pattern for the headboards that look appropriate when they are separated and then make a completed pattern when the beds are pushed together. Then Jim built a large rolling wall unit that acts as a divider between two of the "cabins" that are onstage at the same time. It is a cutaway wall section that helps the audience understand that we are seeing two different locations and that the people in each location can't see each other.

After setting the light cues Diane and I looked at about 50 or more different images to try to select about 5 or 6 different images to put on the projection screen at the back of the stage which completes the set locations.

This morning I'm up and out the door early to do some shopping at Walmart for bed skirt ruffles and then its down to the theatre to work on sound trying to sort through some of the microphones we are using to balance them with the orchestra levels. The dressing rooms have to be cleared out and prepared for Natalia and Creatures of Habit which will arrive at noon today with the costumes for the rehearsal today. Call for the actors is 1 pm. We will run the show today starting and stopping for costume changes and for technical elements. After the rehearsal we adjourn across the street where volunteer Dick Holland has prepared food for 30 people.

Then it's a little more work for the tech staff after we eat. Everything is base coated and some set elements have been finished painting but the main wall still have about 2 days of painting to go before we are finished.