Running a play or a musical is possibly one of the most frustrating and rewarding things anyone can do. There’s certainly something to be said for performing in a show, but running a show is a whole different battle. As it seems, Dwight Schrute knows the experience all too well.
1. When deciding whether or not you should touch a prop
NEVER touch the prop. Unless your job is to touch the prop. Any good prop master will establish early on that you very well might rather face the consequences of murder rather than touching a prop you weren’t supposed to.
2. When you get yelled at
Tensions run high during tech week and chances are, you could very well get the brunt of someone’s frustration. However, the show must go on and there’s no shortage of things to do during tech. You gotta hike up your big kid pants and get on with it.
3. When there are too many people hanging out backstage
You have to have some space to do your thing and when too many actors and bored technicians start hanging out in your space, things can get frustrating really quick. Get those unnecessary folk out of your area and back to where they belong.
4. When someone asks you to do them a favor
You have your own jobs, but you also have the last minute “Oh no, we don’t have this very specific item we need for this scene, we need someone to dash at full speed and get it” situation that needs to be remedied.
5. When your focus is killer
As a technician, you have to have the miraculous ability to focus on about 80 things at one time and do them all well. Once that impossible amount of focus is channeled into one single task, the results could be surprising.
6. Making sure everyone is on task
You have to be at the top of your game and make sure everyone else is, too. Catch those slackers and get them back on track...ers.
7. When you’re fully prepared to take on whatever job you need to
The show must go on and if someone gets miraculously hit by a bus mid-show, you have to buckle up and become like three different people simultaneously.
8. When you snap at someone during tech week
Again, everyone gets stressed and when someone is eating at your very last nerve, you might slip and get a little snippy with them. It sucks, but it’s all part of the experience.
9. When you’re watching a technical problem on stage, hoping the actor will pull through and fix it
An actor drops a prop that rolls across the stage into another actor’s death zone. Your only hope is that someone will realize the catastrophe that’s about to unfold and will cleverly avoid someone’s doom. It’s do or die. Hopefully, they do.
10. When you enter tech week
It’s all fun and games until tech week rolls along. At that point, everyone should cease their nonsense unless you enjoy staying until like 1 a.m. at the theater. Tech is a whole different ball game and people will start to get REALLY mad if you’re continuing on with your shenanigans.
11. When you absolutely nail the timing of your fly
There is nothing more satisfying than getting cued for a fly and then flying that boy in perfectly. Your arms might fall out with continued accuracy, but it’s worth it for a speedy fly.
12. When the show is finally done
The end of a show you’ve worked really hard is always bittersweet. You finally get your life back, but you don’t get to see the lovely people you’ve worked with every day like you have for so long. Shows are one of the most stressful things ever, but they’re also one of the most rewarding and it’s hard to let them go.
