3. Roles for the production - Hierarchy

Above is a hierarchical structure of a production team in the theatre industry. Evidently, they must all work together in order for the show to be a success. Most of the jobs interlink because effective communication between departments is vital, predominantly with the management and technical departments. For example, the DSM must be able to contact the SM or ASM backstage to tell them to turn down the haze machine. Likewise, the DSM must contact the lighting and sound operators to tell them when a cue is close by. This is important because of timing. The SM is responsible for all areas below it, they must ensure everyone in all areas are on track and help them where possible- for example they might help the Props and Costume department if they need help sourcing props.
On the nights of the show, we will all be able to communicate via Headsets with mics (coms.)

We Will Rock You Evaluation Job Roles

For the show to be a success, all departments had to work together and effective communication was vital. I think over all We Will Rock You was successful because of a number of contributing factors.

One thing that was good was the fact that the Front of House team remained very professional and kept everything moving /flowing smoothly outside the auditorium. They had as system of who did what (2 people selling programs, 2 people on the door greeting guests and checking tickets.) The jobs were shared out equally. They also played rock music to create a rock concert theme. Tickets were worn as wrist bands to also promote the concert theme. Any problems that arose would be dealt with by Paul, the Front of House Manager, if not a memeber of staff would be involved. However this rarely happened and everything was kept under control. One problem however was the way in which tickets were handled. The maximum number of seats was 120, but more than 120 tickets were printed, leading to confusion for the FOH team. It was also hard for the team to indentify which tickets were valid and those that were not (it was hard to distinguish the correct date/day.) Next time there could be a different coloured ticket for each night. I think it was good of the FOH team to ensure there were no empty seats by asking people to fill in from the middle, I would definitely use this again next time.

The intervals were 15 minutes long and the audience had the option to go to the Wicked Cafe for refreshments. Those who bought programs were entitled to a free drink which in my opinion was a fair deal. The drinks on offer were red and white wine, orange juice, black current juice and water. The vending machines were also available to buy snacks, lucozades or water. The team had to label the drinks because people mixed up red wine with the juice, which was a simple and easy way to avoid confusion. But I think next time there should be more cups because the FOH team ran out and had to keep refilling drinks. This was not a big problem because they had a system that worked well. However it would be easier and quicker if there were more cups.

Meanwhile in the auditorium, the production team communicated via headsets with mics. The DSM, Lighting Operator and Sound Operator had to speak quietly down the mics because audience members were no more than 2 metres away. We did not want to be a distraction. The DSM had infront of him a script with his cues written inside it. When a cue was close, he would instruct the relevant person (light or sound op) to stand by, at some points it was both together which was more effective than having to cue ourselves because it ensured that the timing was correct. The DSM also communicated with backstage, people such as the SM, who could run favours and make sure everything /everyone was in the right place. Likewise if there was a problem backstage, the crew members could inform the DSM if his assistance was required. Luckily there were no major issues backstage during the night time performances. The DSM asked the SM to control the amount of smoke coming from the smoke machine on a few occasions.

The stage crew were responsible for setting up the props in time for them to go on stage. For example the beds used for a specific scene in the hospital, the rock and scene with the bike. They were also on hand to help performers change, in some scenes there were fast costume changes that had to be done and a stage crew member would help as much as they could. Stage crew were also on hand to help the SM whenever he needed them.

Each team/role had a check list to complete before the shows. This worked well because it gave each member some responsibility. It was important because we needed to make sure that everything was working properly and in the right place.

In the rehearsals, the process could potentially have been quicker. Some things, such as plotting did take time to complete and it could not be helped. However a problem did occur for the DSM and Lighting operator when the equipment tripped out due to too many lights being paired into one dimmer. Next time they must be equally distributed in order to save time.

A reason why we were so rushed on the day of the first performance was because the rehearsal process had been delayed the week before. On the Friday, we did not finish the first dress rehearsal by 4pm. Therefore the cast went home because it was the end of the college day. This meant we had to continue into Monday's dress rehearsal. Next time performers could stay behind until the rehearsal is complete in order to stick to the timetable. They should also be in full costume for technical rehearsals next time because it would help the DSM and the lighting operator (e.g.no jewellery as it reflects off the light.)

One thing that could have been improved was the communication between performers and crew. This was because performers were staying in the wings, not their dressing rooms when they were not needed on stage for a long time. Next time there could be a runner who calls the peformers when they are needed. Another way to improve is to have a speaker in the changing rooms and the SM /DSM can call the performers themselves. However if there were to be a technical fault it would be a big problem as performers wouldnt know when to make their way to the auditorium, resulting in them being late or not being there at all.    

Over all in conclusion I think We Will Rock You was successful. We received great feedback from the audience and it was by far the most technical show Priestley College have ever done, and it worked. The performers and production team should be proud of themselves; the hard worked payed off.

We Will Rock You Evaluation Lighting Operator

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.

WWRY Job Role Analysis

The above image was taken by myself at the plotting session for WWRY. Whilst the DSM to my right wrote cues into the script (cue book) I programmed the lights that the director wanted like. 

In this session I was reminded how to use a jester lighting desk and I was also taught how to operate the 10 moving heads.  This was important for my role because I would be using them on the night of the performance and it was essential for me to know how they work so I could notice if there was a problem, or in contrast,to know whether they were working properly, as that was partly my job. 

The image above is a pre-show checklist completed by myself on the evenings of the performance. This is the original list that was written on as the checks were completed. As you can see, 2 extra roles were added onto the end as they were not set up until the Tuesday evening. Also, on the final night I wrote a note next to the 'check for burnt out gels' because one of the 1k Fresnel back lights had gone. Therefore we had to work quickly to cut out a new gel and rig it before the doors opened.

The checklist was necessary because it gave me as a lighting operator some more responsibility for the lighting equipment and being able to independently check it confidently.

 I was also involved in the rigging process for We Will Rock You.

WWRY Job Role - Lighting Operator

1.Job Role General Research