PLSN: We examine the scenario in which a nightclub LD (me) hosts a show with its own traveling LD. Should make for an easy day for me, eh? Perhaps. In the red corner, wearing cargo shorts, five laminates and a radio with a Jack in the Box head on the antenna, weighing in at 100 pounds soaking wet, is El Vato de la Ruta, the tour guy... And in the blue corner, wearing carpenter’s trousers, an aloha shirt and a grimace, weighing a lot more than he used to, is Surly McGee, the house guy.
3 comments:
Cool article. I definitely know there can be some tension between touring and house crews but it is funny to see how there are stereotypes. I do not really know, but it seems as though these stereotypes seem pretty true. I know guys that tour and I know house guys and they pretty much fall into the spectrums described. I probably do not want to tour as a career but I do think it could be cool to tour for a year or so, or be on a crew somewhere. I think traveling with a show is an opportunity to see a lot of the country while also working in theater and making money. It has to be cool to move into theater after theater with the same show, yet every load in is different because every theater has its flaws. The house crew is the other way, every show has its flaws and difficult sections, but the theater is always the same and you know the ins and outs. With opposing mind sets it is no wonder the crews do not always get a long perfectly.
This was an entertaining article. I don’t know much about touring, nor do I know a lot about lighting, but the author’s main message applies to basically everything in theatre, events, and concerts when it comes to working with new people. I think it’s definitely true that attitude is an important component of a productive relationship between in-house and touring employees. If one party acts with a big ego, the other will definitely be on the defensive to try and prove their worth. This makes for an unproductive relationship, which can make things very difficult when working on a tight timeline. This applies to both sound and lighting, and even the attitude of performers and other house staff. The author gave a lot of great examples of annoying things tour people have done or asked him. I think these probably stem from several causes, the first being negative attitudes. I think other times there are possibly misunderstandings of what is expected of tour or house people, and a lack of communication causes problems to arise.
This was a very well-written article. I enjoyed the comedy as well as the message. While I’m not too interested in working in nightclubs, I can appreciate all of the work that goes into a successful show. The author mentioned how the house LD might also be doing several jobs at once, so the touring LD should be as prepared as possible. I understand that it is normal to ask for what the author calls “favors,” but it seems like the touring LD should plan out his/her show with the mindset that he/she will receive any amount of house support. I also appreciated the author’s statement that all the staff in a nightclub is like a mirror. I’m sure that’s true across the entertainment industry. It’s very important to support and be kind to the stagehands that make your shop happen. As someone who does stagehand work on a regular basis at school, I really appreciate all the work they do for the show.
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