An update, and more photos!

It's hard to keep up writing every day when there's little new to write about. We're wrapping up the rehearsals for our third show, "Tales of Hoffmann", which opens tonight. This week has been a myriad of change-overs: During the day, our fourth show, "Life is a Dream", rehearses on-stage. After, we've done a different show almost every night:

Monday: Hoffmann Piano Dress Rehearsal
Tuesday: Hoffmann Dress Rehearsal #1 (Youth Night)
Wednesday: The Magic Flute
Thursday: Hoffmann Dress Rehearsal #2
Friday: Madame Butterfly
Saturday: Hoffmann Opening Night

For those keeping score, at the end of each night, the next day's set is loaded onto stage. Once rehearsal is complete, the day set is loaded out, and evening's set is loaded in. The Stage Crew that does all these shifts usually works a 14-hour shift, from 3pm through 5am, since they load out the day show, load in the night show, RUN the night show (scene changes), and then load out the night show, and load in the next day's DAY show.

We're in the process of opening "Takes of Hoffmann", and the next show to open is "Life is a Dream". Next week is the opening of "Life is a Dream", with a "Tales of Hoffmann" and "Madame Butterfly" performance thrown in. Since "Dream" is done it's day rehearsals, it's time to make room for our fifth show, "Albert Herring" to rehearse on-stage. So just like last week, there will be lots of change-overs during the day and night.

Time for more photos!

The Stage crew completely loads out and cleans the stage before loading in the next set. Here are a few photos of the wings in the rare instance they're (mostly) clear.

Looking upstage, the doors delineate the boundary from "on-stage" to "off-stage". There are six per wing, each numbered with white paint above the door. Sometimes all doors are open ("Madame Butterfly"), and sometimes some are closed. It varies on each show.


Also stage left, this time looking downstage. On the left is a freight elevator that goes below to the 68 Level/Trap room. During the shows, the freight elevators are used as props/costume storage. Next to it is a ladder to the half-deck, and in the center of the wing is a lighting boom (HMI fresnel with a douser and color scroller). There is also a makeshift pipe grid in the ceiling of the wing for lighting instruments, some of which stay and some which rep in and out for each show.


Now onto Stage Right. In the distance is the Stage Management Console that I showed a few weeks ago. On the right is another freight elevator, this one going to the 68/Trap floor, as well as the props mezzanine and the Basement. Along with the B-lift, this is the primary method of getting scenic elements to the stage. There's another ladder to the half-deck, and on the floor is the masking for the strip lights, which live between the front edge of the stage and the orchestra pit. In the ceiling you can see lights set up for "Tales of Hoffmann", which rep in and out for each "Hoffmann".


Another shot of the scene shop, this time showing the scale. It's big, it's tall. But it's usually broken up into different sections, each carpenter working on their own project. It's also used as "warm" storage for the show currently on-stage. On the saw-horses are telephone/electrical poles used for the second act of "Madame Butterfly". In the back left are scenic walls being touched-up for "Albert Herring".

And now for some of those fancy sunset silhouette portraits again...


Just before the house doors open, Stage crew does a final detailing on the "Madame Butterfly" set. The house and deck are made up of wooden slats, and the dirt and dust needs to be vacuumed out of each.


Scenic Carpenter Mike in the middle, surrounded by Stage Crew Chief/Supervisors Ross and Kenny. Along with few other supervisors, they run the crew of 18 stage hands, which handle the scene changes within the shows, as well as the load-in/load-outs of each show.


Shawn, our Production Stage Manager.


The sunset from a few nights ago. It's becoming increasingly cloudier and blocking the sun


Getting artsy. Some props and scenic elements for "Madame Butterfly" prepped for the next scene change.


The opening of "The Magic Flute" pits Tamino against a giant serpent. During the initial staging rehearsals, we realized that two people can't operate the snake, so more handles and extensions were added. Now, roughly a dozen stage, props and electrics crew apprentices operate the snake. This is one of the handles towards the back, making a nice "Cool Runnings" reference


This is a shot of the same stage left wing at the top of the post, but during an actual run of "The Magic Flute" (specifically, just before intermission). You can see the masking walls on the left, and the stairs which get increasingly higher as you go upstage (because of the raked stage). Also visible is the lighting boom with the HMI fresnel (similar to Hoffmann)


Another sunset, this time from an evening of "The Magic Flute".


A few minutes later. Yes, it's like this almost every night. Maybe not exactly the same, every night is different. But it's stunning every night.