Thursday, September 01, 2011
Stage Ninja?
TheatreFace: Backstage Blacks, Ninjawear, Crew-be-Gone, Shield of Invisibility . . . what do you call it? Whether working a truss spot at the latest world tour of the world’s greatest band or sneaking around backstage at the local community theatre, black clothes are de rigueur. But do we really need it, all the time? Yeah, yeah, what if you stick your arm out where it doesn’t belong, or you don’t get your sorry butt off the stage before the drape opens, then it helps to be a little less noticeable. You’ll still get yelled at by the Stage Manager or the Director, but at least you weren’t wearing white after Labor Day. Oh, the tragedy!
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15 comments:
I'm having trouble following the author's point, especially through the discussion of construction and strike periods. Wearing black clothing is certainly not required of anyone during non-tech or performance times, but neither is it anyone's place to dictate what what people wear to crew calls, short of the requisite PPE. Is this a commentary on the fashion-forwardness (or lack thereof) of scenic carpenters? If so, I wish this author the best of luck with his endeavor. Blacks are the uniform of tech and performance, and beside those times, wearing black is an entirely personal choice.
I think many stagehands get in the habit of wearing black to work. I think for many of them black is the main color in their wardrobe, so that's what they end up wearing. I know that's how it is for me. I do agree that when stagehands are not onstage they do not need to be wearing blacks, especially for load in days and such. And I don't think there is any expectation on them in most cases to be in blacks on those days. I can't say the trend will catch on, but in the future I'll keep this in mind. You never know when a bright colored shirt can save your life.
i agree with Calvin that stagehands do get in the habit of buying blacks. When I go shopping i always buy black shirts or pants. I buy tons of them.
I also agree with the author that people should wear noticeable clothes before the show opens, during build, load in, strike, etc. However, we should be aware of our surroundings enough to know if we are going to get hit by a road case whether or not we are wearing blacks any way. Every one should be aware of their surroundings. If they aren't, accidents will happen regardless of what we wear.
I kinda treat the blacks like a job uniform - there are very specific tasks and objectives associated with the time you're wearing blacks (being extra vigilant of everyone around you, being quiet as possible), and when you don't need to be in that performance frame of mind, efforts should be made to avoid wearing black so as to make the impact of putting the blacks on even stronger. So while we get in the habit of wearing black to work, it's because we need to be in a certain psychological mindset to be effective during a show, and I personally try to separate the "Crew Call" mentality from the "Performance" mentality to better access either in their appropriate time.
The author's example may also be a fairly simplified example, at that. In VERY CLEARLY DEFINED instances, we assume with entirely different crews, a load-in/strike crew wearing bright colors IS actually safe[r]; but in a lot of the venues I've worked in [admittedly NOT union, etc] the load-in/strike crew IS the run crew for a show. What then? Bring two sets of clothes to a job? Maybe. I think, though, a lot of hands will just wear the color they know is required [black] and stick with it.
I also think black is easier to coordinate and a lot of, say, carpenters, I know don't feel matching their clothes is all that important - especially when they're just going to be covered in dust/glue/paint/etc two hours into the day...
Wearing blacks isn't just about not being seen on stage, it's also about professionalism. However I agree that this professional attire is really only required during the time in which tech is occurring. I honestly don't understand why you would want to dirty or potentially damage the clothes you have for tech and the run of the show. Wear the clothes appropriate for the task.
The color of clothing you're wearing doesn't matter unless there's a show on and you're potentially in sight of the audience, but as others have said you're going to wear what you own. Tshirts that you're given when working around theater tend to be black, so that's what you see a lot of. Working on film was very different - even when the crew was filming very few people were in black, they tended to just wear whatever they had around. One of the main reasons to avoid black there is the sun, but even on indoor shoots you'd still see the same.
This article is a little iffy on what we should actually wear. Bright colors are the best choice during a load-in or strike, or on any construction site, but being aware of your surroundings is truly what makes you safer. Bright colors will only help if you and the people around you are visibly aware and thinking of the ramifications their actions can cause. I agree with others that sometimes coming with two pairs of clothes and having to change is not the most resourceful. Like Brian and Ariel said, blacks are the uniform and professional attire of our job. Having black as a standard that not only makes us less visible, but is also a unified way to tell who is working without having to buy special attire or other identifying items. Overall you can be smart about what you wear, follow the standard or switch it up a bit, as long as it is job appropriate.
This article has several very interesting points. The first is of course, the suggestion that blacks might not be the most appropriate color to wear when working in a theatrical non-performance environment. I completely agree. However, even run blacks are starting to become a thing of the past. In an age where many scenic transitions in professional theater are being handled by automation, the operators are staying safe backstage (or even in another room). Also, when crew members are seen on stage, there is a movement (definitely at CMU, but elsewhere as well) to make them more consistent with the world of the show and put them in some sort of costume.
The second point that the article makes is one about the Canadian equivalent of OSHA. In Canada, theater falls under General Industry when the space is supervised by the stage manager (eg Tech, rehearsal, and performances), but at other times (eg. Install, Strike, Notes calls) and at times when the Production Manager or another member of the production team is in charge of the space, they operate under the Construction rules. In our OSHA class this semester, we have already had several points raised about why theaters in the US operate under general industry and not the construction rules.
I agree with a lot of the point made on this page. Blacks are a symbol of professionalism and put you in the mind set of your job. I guess whenever hardhats are appropriate, those neon jackets may also be appropriate as a safety measure. But black are really a relevant and well reasoned uniform, I think people should be able to differentiate who should be wearing them and when. I believe some people make it a habit because of the nature of their job and lifestyle. You may find yourself wearing blacks to a 10- 6 load-in knowing you have to be at a call for run crew at 7 at another theatre. So maybe those people should bring two set of clothes. or bring an orange neon jacket.
If you want to really be invisible on stage during a show - dress like a chorus member. Nothing says mistake like a black cargo pants and a headset on stage at the top of act two of "wicked". But if that same person is dressed like much munchkin then only a very astute audience member will be the wiser.
Maybe it is just me... but unless the person is all in long sleeve blacks with gloves, a ski mask, and black coverings for their eyes, if they must make a stage appearance, they will be seen!
While I understand the impetus for trying to shield this as much as possible, people have suspended their belief. They understand that when the lights get brighter it does not necessarily coincide with the riding of the sun. So, one should also know that if there is a piece of scenery moving, that there is either someone onstage moving it or someone with a controller dictating the movements.
As long as these "suspension" moments are done within the vocabulary set up within the production, it should not matter if the hands moving the platform are gloved, or if you can see their face.
As a side note, sometimes blacks is really the worse thing to try and hide people. In Pricilla, Queen of the Desert, a crew member who was wearing black stuck out like a sore thumb among the glitter :p
This summer I found that wearing blacks was ore of a uniform then anything else. Typically one or two crew members would not change until half hour into their blacks and wear other work clothes the rest of the time and for changeovers. It really comes down to comfort of what you are working on and what clothes you want to be wearing. Some people are more comfortable working in jeans and tshirts rather than blacks, but when it comes time for a show, the blacks act as a crew uniform.
Some companies actually have their crew wear coloured shirts-(blue,grey, green) during shows to differentiate between the various crews; lights, sound, stage. This happens in some companies in the Caribbean where they may provide all three services. This is typically for live concerts however. Typically for theatre, black is just the preferred uniform for the tech crew. I do agree with everyone else that black clothing is definately not required during load ins; however during the show, the all black uniform is predominantly a means of identifying the crew from actors or the make- up team or anyone else who may be in the backstage area.
Hence the expression- Ask someone in black!
This article was rather confusing at first but its really just an OSHA attempt at relating safety with something humorous. Of course stagehands don't wear full blacks when building, anyone with half a brain in the industry knows better. as for load ins and strikes its very common for the stagehands to stay in blacks to save time but this is where using common sense and safe practices saves lives.
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