The Run Of The Show

Finally, all the hard work and pressure will be over, and the show will start its run. Although you can sit back and relax, for the most part, there are a few things that you should keep track of. Most of these are the officially the responsibility of the Stage Manager or Master Electrician, but in Harvard Theater, you should make sure that they get taken care of.

Updating Cues
Dimmer Check
Checking Cues

Updating Cues

Although usually the show should be finished and ready to run by the time you open, there are occasionally circumstances where you might need to touch up cues here and there after opening night. For instance, the director might decide, having seen the show with an audience, to reblock certain scenes or cut others. Or, you might need to change the timing on a certain cue because people take more time applauding than expected.

There are any number of reason why you might need to modify cues after opening. In many cases, the SM and the light op can make the changes on their own, if they are simple timing or the wrong light coming on or something. You should probably discuss what changes are appropriate for the SM to make before the run, as you don't want your design to be significantly modified without at least your approval. I generally insist that all changes get run by me, at least after the fact, because I've found that often the changes instituted under the pressure of running the show are short-sighted, and with my greater knowledge of the design, I can come up with a better, more artistic solution.

You should resist the temptation to significantly rework or modify the lighting once the show is open, however, even if you are dissatisfied with some aspect of it. Once the tech period is over, it's really too late to keep playing around with your design. Changes should only be made if the lighting is interfering with the acting of the piece.

Dimmer Check

One of the things that should be done about an hour before any performance is a dimmer check. This is usually the responsibility of the SM or ME, but they will require some training in order to know what to look for.

At first cut, the dimmer check is just to check that all the lights actually turn on, and that there's nothing dramatically wrong with them. Occasionally lights will drop until they point straight down at the floor rather than at the area you pointed them at. The SM and ME should be capable of fixing any electrical problems, and with proper training, should be able to fix simple focusing problems (i.e., they should have the proper paperwork, and be shown the correct focus positions for all the lighting units).

If you show is running for a couple weekends (or more), you might want to come in and double-check the focus sometime in between weekends. Despite the best efforts of the SM and ME, there is always a slow degredation in the accuracy of the focus, as units slip, get bumped, etc. It is useful for the designer (e.g. you), to check every unit closely for focus. Doing this will ensure that the show remains "tight", without stray beams of light hitting things they shouldn't. You will obviously have a better eye for what to look for than your ME.

Checking Cues

Similarly, if your show runs for a long time, you should check through your cues. You can do this, of course, by just watching the show. Often, the actors will change their timing for certain scenes, either waiting for a laugh, or as their costume and set changes become more efficient through practice. You might need to change the timing or even the way certain cues look, in addition to looking for any problem with the focus with fresh eyes.

The point is that you shouldn't just drop your show once it's open. You have a responsibility to make sure that the show continues to meet you original artistic expectations, and although some of this responsibility can be delegated, you need to make sure that it happens. On the other hand, you shouldn't need to spend a heck of a lot of time on this, so it shouldn't be a burden.

TOC - Strike