I have enjoyed taking on the role of the Lighting Operator for Act 2 of We Will Rock You. I found the plotting session interesting because I was able to help the DSM, Jordan program the lights. I was reminded how the Jester lighting desk worked and I learnt a few more skills also. For example, I had never used moving heads before, or LED Parcans. Sometimes Jordan operated the desk during more complex/difficult cues. I did not mind because I knew that he had more knowledge than I did.
The technical rehearsals went well, however there were still issues that needed to be resolved. Such as random blackouts, too little light in a particular scene or mixed cues.
Before the show started each evening, Lucy and I were given check sheets to ensure all equipment was on and working normally. This was very useful because we were able to lower the risks of anything going wrong during the show and if something was broken/not working (e.g.burnt out gels) we could replace them quickly before the show had begun. It was also good to have because it gave Lucy and I some responsibility as lighting operators. The only problems we faced were burnt out gel frames and re-focusing the booms at the sides of the stage where they had previously been knocked by the performers rushing off stage.
Tuesday evening was the first performance. I definitely think having 2 people operate lights (one person per act) was a good idea because if one of us were to be absent, the other could step in and the role would be covered. Over all I think Act 2 went well because there were no major technical issues. However on a couple of occasions the LEDs and moving heads did not do what was required of them; the LEDs were flashing, not freezing. It was only a minor error which didnt affect the performance. Also, the moving heads did not move for a short period of time. Luckily they worked again for an important cue / scene and we realised that when we were programming/ setting up the lazer cage an hour before the show, we did not have time to run through and test all cues, therefore one particular change when the moving heads were used failed to save.
We ran out of smoke fluid on the first night because we were testing it so much earlier in the day. But this wasnt too obvious and we knew for the following night to make sure it had enough to last.
In order for the cues to be right, I had to listen carefully to the DSM, who was telling me to standby whenever a cue was coming up. Only when he said 'Go' did I let the cue run. This way the timing was right and fit in with the performer's movements etc. Some scenes were more intense than others, for example the final scenes (We Will Rock You, the bows and Bohemian Rhapsody) and also for 'Flash'. I needed to be ready and alert for the timing to fit properly with the music.
Wednesday night was another great performance. The timing of the cues were next to perfect, displaying good communication between the DSM, Sound Operator and Lighting Operator. We learnt from the night before's mistakes and overcame them which made a better show. Such as the smoke machine - we made sure it was full beforehand and we ran several cues from each act to ensure everything was working normally.
The final show was also successful. We were all comfortable and familiar with the routine, so firstly we carried out our checks. The issue we had was that 8 of the 1k fresnels' gels had burnt out. We quickly had to cut out more gels and change them. We were rushed because photographs of the cast were taken up until 6pm and the audience started to arrive shortly after.We had to work efficiently and as a team. The final performance in my opinion was the best out of the 3. This was because I cannot think of any problems we faced during Act 2, everyone was comfortable and knew exactly what they were doing. The transitions in scene changes were smooth and everyone was extremely happy / relieved when the final blackout cue ran.
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