Actors Beware! It's H - E - Double Hockey Sticks Week
Well here we are. Tech week for The Hollow. In my book "Tech Theatre 101" (for sale right now on lulu.com!) I refer to tech week as "move-in, load-in, get-in, lift-in, production, production week or hell week" and those are all pretty good monikers to describe this part of the production. For everyone involved, this is by far the most stressful time in the production (except maybe for the actors - they seem to worry more about opening night).
On the surface, tech week doesn't seem like much: we just move from the rehearsal hall into the theatre, put up the set, do any finishing touches, and add in the lighting, sound and other elements, and run the show a few times. It sounds disarmingly benign, doesn't it?
But tech weeks are so much more. This is where the screaming happens. This is where the tears most often flow (and sometimes the blood, too), where marriages and friendships are destroyed, careers ruined, reputations smeared. It's where those who have promised the moon often fail to deliver, and someone else has to step in to save the day. It's where people doubt each other's abilities, where panic soars to ridiculously irrational levels, where fantastical dreams come crashing into reality.
For all their late nights, hard work and inane offstage dramas, tech weeks aren't always that bad. Quite often this is where someone steps up and shows that they are capable of something great. Where discordant people come together for the sake of a greater good. And sometimes, this is where the magic happens.
I'm going to be very busy this tech week. But I hope it will be a lot of fun.
On the surface, tech week doesn't seem like much: we just move from the rehearsal hall into the theatre, put up the set, do any finishing touches, and add in the lighting, sound and other elements, and run the show a few times. It sounds disarmingly benign, doesn't it?
But tech weeks are so much more. This is where the screaming happens. This is where the tears most often flow (and sometimes the blood, too), where marriages and friendships are destroyed, careers ruined, reputations smeared. It's where those who have promised the moon often fail to deliver, and someone else has to step in to save the day. It's where people doubt each other's abilities, where panic soars to ridiculously irrational levels, where fantastical dreams come crashing into reality.
For all their late nights, hard work and inane offstage dramas, tech weeks aren't always that bad. Quite often this is where someone steps up and shows that they are capable of something great. Where discordant people come together for the sake of a greater good. And sometimes, this is where the magic happens.
I'm going to be very busy this tech week. But I hope it will be a lot of fun.
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