Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "You don't see the hours of rehearsal, the years of classes, the bandaged blisters in the tap shoes, the steps tried and discarded.
You're not supposed to think about how many years the actress spent steaming espressos at Starbucks to put herself through drama school -- or whether she's still working there to support her acting career.
Wondering where the costumer found that fantastic brocade for the Duke of Milan's coat or what store sells the drawer pulls the set designer used on the kitchen cabinetry tears a hole right through the heart of the show's carefully constructed fantasy.
When the rain starts in an outdoor arena and the company soldiers on as if oblivious, you may marvel at their concentration and determination as they hold onto their characters and keep the show moving forward.
You almost certainly give not a thought to the technicians who are getting soaked while holding umbrellas over the sound and lighting equipment to shield it from moisture -- or that when the show comes down, their attention turns not to seeking shelter but to covering the seats so they aren't damp for the next performance.
It's OK to do that tomorrow, though."
13 comments:
I really never have thought about theatre people as labor and deserving Labor Day as a day to reflect. Maybe I never thought about it because theatre people are always working, like those at the Benedium setting up Wicked. Theatre people deserve their own day set aside to worship them and all they do. I guess Labor Day will just have to due for now!
Although I think it's nice that the backstage work of technicians is getting recognized, theater professionals are certainly not the only category of workers who don't get the recognition they deserve. Stagehands and the like often see themselves as especially deprived of recognition because the actors and directors get so much, but the truth is that almost every other job has similar issues. When was the last time you stopped and thanked the nurse at a doctor's office or the line cook at a restaurant?
It is clear to us that there is a awful lot of work that goes into any aspect of entertainment prodution. Though as the article points out, this may not be so clear to those who attend these events. Anytime labor day comes around I like to think about the people who don't have labor day off because they work at the Supermarket (Giant Eagle is open all day today) or perhaps the movie theatre, where people go because they have the day off. So in the spirit of the article I think there should be a pint raised to all "behind the scenes" workers, who might not even have the opportunity to enjoy their labor day.
There are two things that came to mind when I read this article. 1. I went down to the theatre where Wicked was being loaded in today (labor day). I couldnt go inside but they where in there putting up the set. I dont see why if your doing what you love it should matter what day it is. Christmas, Easter, understandable but Labor day is different. the second thought that occured was yes, the people who never get recognition for what they do, garbage men, the lunch ladies, they are the ones who truly deserve this day. Theatre is a job but most people who are in the theatre realm arent here becasue they need some extra cash.. they are here becaseu this is their art and this is what they love to do. It honestly can go either way.
It was definitely nice of the writer to put up the article, but it almost sounded like a better worded "We the few, who've done so much...".
It's always nice to be recognized as a theatre professional working behind the scenes, even though you don't do that job to get the recognition. More importantly I think is that it is opening up the readers eyes to the fact that there are people who do this sort of thing to make the show happen. Too often do I see actors or audience members who don't seem to realize there is a crew that builds, hangs, techs and runs the show. They think it just happens. While I value this article perhaps people should read it and simply understand what goes in to this sort of production.
Quoting a dear friend of mine, Mike Berger, "I don't want people leaving the theater saying, 'wasn't that a fabulous lighting design.' In fact, I don't want them to notice the design at all, just how it makes the show better."
I think that all of us working in theater are proud of what we do. It is a privilege to be doing what you love everyday. Knowing that the applause is not just for the cast, but for the crew, design team, and all the admin. staff that it takes to mount a production, is good enough for me.
While I appreciate the sentiment shown in this article, we get our time in the spotlight every night during curtain call, let's leave Labor day for those who don't get recognition like the janitors, garbage men and women, and lunch ladies. Let's leave it for the firemen, policemen, and our troops overseas who spend their lives protecting us.
HAPPY LABOR DAY EVERYONE!!!!!!
KNOW YOUR WORK IS APPRECIATED BY EVERYONE
As someone who's worked backstage for a while, I've been part of plenty of discussions about the lack of recognition technicians generally receive. However, it's mentioned less that actors--even though they are the ones performing--also do many things that the general public don't give them credit for. It was good that the article pointed out the extra things performers must do (work extra jobs, deal with performance-related injuries) and never betray to an audience.
To echo the sentiments of others -- there are few professions out there who routinely DO work national holiday's and special events. Looking at it, the majority of such people are entertainment industry from news anchors to camera men to performers to stagehands -- we all work through Christmas, through New Years, through Thanksgiving, and oddly enough through Labor Day as well. I couldn't agree more with Katherine -- there are some of us who truly do deserve our own day of recognition. Apparently, though, Labor Day doesn't apply...
There are a lot of jobs in the work world that work through holidays. Flight attendants, policemen, the waiters at IHOP...
The thing with the theatre is that more than just 'serving' the general public, we are paid to entertain. So when we're taking advantage of any holiday weekend to install a show, we're not martyring ourselves to the world, we've agreed to entertain them, no matter the inconvenience it may cause. It all seems a little silly to describe what we do as this big, lavish, difficult thing. I think the majority of the public understands that there is someone backstage pushing the buttons, and they also know they aren't supposed to think about the guy backstage pushing the buttons.
Its easy to forget, though, that we are not the only workers who are doing their job best when their job is not noticed.
I read this on labor day so it made me feel really good that I was doing nothing. We do work very hard, but it's work that we love so the lack of a pat on the back is nothing we care about. It is nice reading that someone knows about what we do, and that we do exist.
This is a very accurate summery of the work that goes into theatre. Although I think part of the deal is that if you do your job well, no one outside of the industry has heard of you. However it is always nice to hear that someone appreciates what you do and this is a very nice letter that does just that. I wouldn't be at all surprised to learn that the author has done this kind of work before because the description of umbrellas over the lighting equipment is all to familiar and realistic...
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