Pro Sound Web: In the midst of a fairly frantic load-in for a show in San Antonio, we made a horrible discovery. The lighting rig, the sound system, the entire show was dead.
Because the trunk full of feeder cable was missing.
We were (literally) about a thousand miles from the shop. Not a good situation, especially when the clock was ticking and there was less than six hours to showtime.
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Working in a fairly busy rental theater, I saw my fair share of incidents like these. Somewhere along the chain of command, orders would be misinterpreted, equipment lost, or labor wasted. I hesitate to call such occurrences inevitable, but the fact of the matter is managing theater/entertainment production is a herculean task. Technical directors, as well as stage, production, and facilities managers, all must supervise multiple people working on multiple parts of multiple tasks, usually on a very strict schedule. While anyone can hope for a spotless run, the more realistic thing to hope for is that whoever is in charge has internalized some of the practices outlined in this article. Effective damage control, while hopefully seldom needed, is crucial in the entertainment industry.
I would love to hear the story about the truck going missing. Overall, I agreed with all of the steps this guy took when dealing with a "crisis." I think perhaps the most important step in all of this is to "stay calm." This manager's calm presence ended up helping in multiple ways: the crew did not freak out, the local rental shop did not overcharge them due to their desperateness, etc. If his attitude had been any less calm, the situation could have had a severely different outcome. One point that I am conflicted about is the decision to wait to call the boss until the new feeder cable has been bought. Although it was great that he had a solution to the problem when he notified his boss, I am not sure I would want to hear that the extra money has already been spent. If I were in this situation, I think I would add a step 3.5, where I call the boss to tell them that there was a problem, I have a solution, and I need X amount of money to get the solution. Of course, I understand this group was in a time crunch and it was 5am, but I'm not sure if it was this guy's decision to spend the extra money without consulting their boss.
While keeping calm in situations when "the show hits the fan" is important, I would also argue that thinking on one's feet when there is not time to go through such careful steps is as much a skill as any. Recently, while working on The Sound of Music, the largest production numerically and conceptually I ever have, I learned this the hard way. While opening night had gone perfectly, with my wardrobe team's costume changes being completed without a snag for the first time altogether, our show's second night presented me with a near-paralyzing challenge. Thirty seconds before she was supposed to go on to greet Maria and Captain Von Trapp returning from their honeymoon, our Liesl's wedding scene dress zipper broke, making her unable to remove the dress. My dresser panicked and ran to me, the actress was practically in tears, the line was coming all too fast - so I grabbed Liesl by the shoulders, spun her around, and tore the zipper clean open. Under normal circumstances I never would have done this, but luckily I knew a few things for certain: 1. All Liesl would really have been doing on stage at the moment was standing there until it was time for her to speak, which would take another thirty seconds, allowing her to enter late into an already running scene without the audience knowing it was unintentional; 2. The shirt she was changing into was rigged with velcro, so the only real challenge after getting the dress off was the skirt; 3. Before she turned her back to the audience, Liesl would have a moment in her blocking in which she would stand in front of Maria, who could zip her skirt as long as it was already hooked; and 4. I had worked with this particular dress before and knew it could be fixed easily. None of this was the plan, it is only what happened based off of facts recalled in a split second. What I learned from this experience is that sometimes the steps which must happen to avoid emergency have to be pushed until after the emergency happens. The good thing is that the steps still stand. As long as a protocol is in place, it will function - and it did, it just had to wait. The next day I repaired and rigged the dress and while I was at it rehearsed the quick change with the actress several times so that if this happened again we would know what to do. I updated my quick change plot to make more hands available to help in this change. I found an emergency replacement dress in case a similar problem occurred again. And then - and only then - did I discuss the incident with my supervisor. Damage control is as much method as it is madness - what matters is that it happens at some point, and that the mistakes which require its use are learned from. Whether it's replacing something five hours before the show or ripping things open by flashlight, all shows are bound to have their snags.
After having read this article on Wednesday night at around 10 pm with a mound of homework on my desk in my third day of college I am still a ball of nerves. In situations like this when the "show hits the fan" I agree with this article. He took all the right steps in repairing the situation. Though it might feel better to sometimes freak out, this article reminds us that when the going gets tough, or a simple mistake is made, like forgetting cable, we must focus and channel our energy into the positive results of fixing a situation. I think the biggest lesson to take away from this article is to always have an idea of what to do when things do not go as planned. Even more importantly, if you are in charge, and you do not know what to do, don't lose your cool. As I embark on my fourth day, and pretty much the next four years, I'm most certain that there will be days if not weeks where I feel like I'm losing it. Nevertheless, I will attempt to find the positive, and work through the stress and issues.
This article does a great job providing an example of just how intricate taking shows on the road can be and all of the new challenges that come with the job. This article first caught my eye because it mentioned my home town in one of the very first sentences. As I read the crisis unfold I could easily relate and sympathize with the dilemma. There have been several times where I've needed something and realized that I had left it at home 1,500 miles away, its not such a great feeling. Usually in theses cases however, you've got to think on your feet and use the resources you have to come up with the best solution. Although the two situations are that similar, I think that in any situation of panic its important to stay calm. I did find the tip of waiting to call your boss until you've got the situation under control smart. Theatre is an exciting fast pace world, you can either crack from the pressure or use it to propel you.
I think the most interesting thing about this article is that it isn't really about the problem that the title suggests. Yes, the wire is gone, and that does cause for a lot of stress, but the stress and the problem isn't the focus, the solution is. This idea is something that I've found to be consistent in every theatrical environment I've been a part of. There are problems in live theater, a lot of them, but what the author of the article stresses, is that what you do with the problem is just as important as actually fixing it. As a leader of any group of people under a significant amount of stress it is imperative that you remain calm. The author does that very well, and that lesson is important for any one in the theater world. What I took from this article is that there will undoubtedly be a time where you're thrown a curve ball, an when that happens you're goal shouldn't be just to fix it. The goal should be to fix it in a way that is still productive, and to above all stay calm.
Live theatre is always at risk of unexpected problems. This article is another example of the fact that problems are not entirely bad as they allow us to learn and hopefully avoid it next time. Once, when I was working up in the booth for Lend Me A Tenor, one of the practical doors on set broke during the first act in front of a live audience. The broken door was very obvious as it was at the center of the stage and the actors still had to maneuver their way back and forth through the door. All the crew started panicking but there was nothing we could do until intermission. During intermission, a few of us fixed the door behind the curtains and the show carried on. On the next day, we reinforced all the other doors to make sure they were stable. However, there is nothing we can do to undo the mistake that already happened on the first day. This is part of why I think learning from mistakes is often more important than the mistake itself.
I actually feel as though I learned some important information from this article in addition to hearing some statements I really agree with and a great story to bring them all together. First, Although I hope I am never in this situation, I know how to acquire feeder cable in a jiffy. That lesson however, is probably the least useful thing I learned. I learned more how to act in a tough situation. The first key is to stay calm. When I couldn’t find the sound system I just bought for my room and thought it had been taken from the hallway, I realized that I needed to not freak out and look on the floor in the middle of the room where it had been sitting for hours. I also learned, and I think this is the most important piece, to act first and ask for forgiveness later. While I disagree morally with the very core of this principle, there is a great case for it and when there is nothing else to do, think of a really good way to phrase your apology. And lastly, while I agree that you should learn from your mistakes, I don’t agree that you can easily learn from one mistake. I can’t tell you how many times I have pushed on the hinge side of one of the doors leaving the UC. Sometimes there are simple things you learn from after one mistake but often it takes a few mistakes to correct behavior. That is why I like the line “The right solution was learned by doing it wrong a few times.”
I quite liked this article, especially its emphasis on staying calm. As a stage manager (or really any kind of leadership role) its part of your job to ensure that even if everything is on fire and the show is collapsing you stay calm or at least fake it. When the person in charge no longer seems to have a handle on things it eats into the confidence of everyone else and it becomes that much harder to fix what's going wrong. If the person in charge can hold on to some semblance of calm it'll be easier to keep the rest of the crew calm and that in turn will make it easier to fix the problem. Like the author of this article said, after explaining what's going on and make sure there isn't a simple solution send everyone back to work. Especially with logistical problems like this one when its something the person in charge has to fix. I also really liked how he ended the article with the idea of learning from your mistakes. As much as we might want to be perfect everyone makes mistakes. Its best to accept this and use you mistakes to figure out what went wrong.
I find this article to be very relatable. Every stage manager, whether at the Broadway level or community theatre has a horror story of something that went wrong due to human stupidity. The writer of this article recalls his experience when the feeder cable for a traveling show was not delivered. Sharing his story bring back memories of when I worked a show and 15 wireless microphones went out during act 1. But moreover he explains the best way to handle the situation. I agree very much with his main advice to stay calm and continue working on what you can. However, I sometimes believe that it can be more important to contact the "big boss" before going an making an expense, such as renting equipment for the day. It will probably depend on the production and your relationship with the "boss" so seeing how it what he did worked for him was very informative.
Just reading this article stressed me out! I have so much respect for calm and collected stage managers and technical directors, who sort out the solutions to problems quickly and efficiently without being negative towards their crews. Having done high school tech crew for four years, I’ve worked under several different stage managers, and the ones who handled productions the best were always the ones who communicated effectively to their crew members without becoming aggravated or frazzled. The few times I was in charge of my crew in high school made me realize that the stage manager life was not for me, but I think that the experience of being completely responsible for the technical parts of a production taught me many things applicable to “real life” as well. Also, even when I was “in charge” of the crew, I still always had an adult to turn to if I had questions (of which I had many). It surprised me that the manager in this article waited until the problem was completely solved before calling her boss (contacting someone more knowledgeable than me would probably be my first instinct in this situation), but judging by the boss’s reaction, it was a very smart decision to sort out the problem first before telling him about it, especially considering that the boss was so far away and would have felt helpless.
This reminds me (unfortunately) of a mishap I dealt with this last winter. My high school put on a "traveling" show every year. Each January, we built a set, loaded it (and a bunch of costumes and props) into a U-Haul, and took the show to a festival across the state. This last winter, myself and a friend raked our brains for every possible "crisis" and its solution. We compiled a list of tools and items to take with the set. In the end we had two bags full of the "necessities". We brought drills, batteries, back-up batteries, paint (for scraps/damage), gaff tape, electrical tape, a first aid kit, etc.
We arrived at the venue at 5pm. The set was unloaded, and we began to go through the inventory and do some basic assembly in preparation for the show (we preformed first the next morning).
A comment about the set- most of what we built could be broken down into 4'x8' flats. These flats, for ease of quick and quiet-ish assembly, were attached to each other with bolts (bolts connected the edges of the flats together to form a "wall").
Anyways, to continue with the story, I'm rifling through the tool bag, trying to attach a shelf, but I can't find any bolts. As the article states, the most important part of these situations is to remain calm. I searched through the rest of the bags/boxes. Encountering no bolts, a walked over to my cohort and asked him to double check for bots. He also found none. I had managed to pack a bag for"crisis management", but left out a vital part of the set (causing a crisis).
I resolved not to inform the director immediately. My friend and I "googled" the nearest open hardware store, and set out to find some bolts (and nuts and washers).
And that is the story of why, on January 31st, I walked 3 miles (uphill, through the snow, both ways) in northern Michigan.
I suppose I'm trying to say that I relate to the story told in the article. Stay calm, fix the problem, then tell the boss.
This could be an entire class!
“What to do when the show hit’s the fan.” It could be a group of managers in the room, as a team figuring out how to handle a situation. It would actually be a pretty fun exercise.
Anyway. I think the core advice in this article is really valuable, which is basically “you’ve recognized a problem, now stay calm and change as little as possible while also fixing it.” Basically, there’s no sense in getting everybody all worked up over a problem if it doesn’t help to resolve it.
I’m not sure how I feel about leaving “Call the boss” until last. It’s true, there’s no sense in getting somebody worked up about a problem before you have any meaningful information, but I guess there’s a CYA component to just letting somebody know that there is a problem, and that you have a solution moving forward.
I find the step by step plan-in-case-of-disaster in this article very helpful. When something goes wrong and you’re panicking, you’re better off already having a mental checklist of what you need to do rather than frantically trying to fix it with no idea how. Even though this story is about a very specific situation, but the point is that it translates into any unexpected problem. First, make sure everyone knows about the problem and double check to make sure that the problem is what you think it is. After all, using the example from the article, it would’ve been a waste of time, money, and energy to get new cable if it were in the bottom of another box all along. Second, once you know the problem is what you think it is, continue as previously scheduled. This make sense as if you put all your resources into the one problem, by the time it is fixed you will be behind on everything else. Third, find a way to fix the problem. This one is a bit more situation specific, but I do think the point about staying calm on the phone is really helpful. Four, implement the solution. Five, report what happened. To me having this step last makes sense, but it probably isn’t what I’d instinctively do. However, there isn’t really any point in telling your boss if there is nothing they can do, and telling them before you’ve fixed it only stresses them out, plus it will slow you down if they keep calling for updates. I intend to keep this in mind so that the next time an unexpected problem arises I will at least know where to start.
Sometimes the case with the least interesting stuff in it, such as a bundle of copper wire.. happens to be the most important. I wonder if you could just bundle a bunch of extension cords together to make a thicker gauge wire....
Regardless, this article is a pretty inspiring example of the right way to handle a bad situation. At least for me, it is easy to spread my concern or frustrations to people who either have nothing to do with the problem or can't help me. This article makes a good point in that "dropping bombs on people who are essentially helpless" is a fruitless strategy. Furthermore, the idea that you should verify a problem exists before reacting to it is definitely a level headed response that sounds easier to do it theory than in reality. I definitely have a lot to learn as far as "crisis management" goes. Also don't know if I'd wait until last thing to let the Boss know what's going on. Sometimes managing up means you have to tell your Boss what's going on as it happens so as not to appear as if you were hiding something. Although in a situation like this, perhaps there really was no point to stressing him out over nothing, unless he might have a better suggestion to solve the issue.
I'll admit that my heart nearly stopped when I read "Because the trunk full of feeder cable was missing". I really like the step-by-step process that the author articulated in this piece in order to sort out the problem because having a plan of what to do in case of any emergency is incredibly useful for when something inevitably goes wrong. I also loved his comment about how the rental places could "smell your fear" over the phone, but in all seriousness, staying calm was absolutely the most important part of the process, especially when contrasted later in the article with the boss's inability to stay calm during their phone conversation. However, I did agree with the author's decision to not tell his boss until he had found a way to resolve the situation, because his boss's natural reaction would be to panic since he is not in a position to solve the problem due to distance, and the author in this situation did not require any assistance from his boss to solve the problem. I definitely would love to hear how he resolved the missing truck situation.
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