Arrived last Sunday and after a quick pit stop at the apartments a bunch of us headed out for dinner. A stones throw from the apartments is the theatre and a stones throw from the theatre is a fantastic steak house (and the Irish pub and ‘The London Bar’). After a very good steak, which although I enjoyed I wasn’t relay awake enough to fully enjoy.
On Monday morning we headed into work to find what Santa had brought us - Santa in this instance was the guys driving the shipment containers. Now for the next few days the usual nonsense of fitting up a show for the first time ensued, with one small, crucial, difference. Now in order to air freight the show everything must pack onto our air freight pallets at 3m x 3m. This means that all the flats (bits of set for those not in the business) need to be built in sections so they can be broken right down for our air freight moves. The flats have a metal frame and a timber cladding, but the timer cladding is bigger than the metal frame. the up shot was that every leg and every border (just think scenery) had a massive curve in it.
The curves in 80% of the set, all of which flys in a very crowded grid (the hanging plot is so very tight) has made for no end of problems. The carpenters who built it came over from Australia to fix things (which although now done) leaving us with a lot of spacers and hard backs to be added to the flats. (The timber can’t be cut down now without returning each piece to the paint workshop and even then it wouldn’t be that easy and time wouldn’t allow anyway.)
On Saturday we started technical rehearsals (that bit where bring together and artistic idea and a technical reality and try to meet somewhere in between). Sadly we have no props and a limited brief for the local prop buyer that I contracted (I have no idea where things are in Auckland and can’t get out to buy them) however with a suck-it-and-sea approach she appears with things and I pop them on stage until someone give an opinion either for or against. [For those familiar with the RSAMD, think CTP meets Royal Ballet on ice.]
The show itself will likely look amazing. There are some lovely moments and I (who doesn’t do dance) am held by it. Technically the show (running, not fitting up) isn’t that difficult, but the hanging plot, coupled with very quick live changes will make its interesting while the fly men get used to it. Prop and dressing wise, the only problem is the guesswork involved, but that should settle down as things progress. My other worry is operating the travel for the Foys (flying people). I’m getting used to it, but don’t like the fact its someone on the end of the line, rather than something that doesn’t feel pane when you travel it into the masking. The Foys cues are getting better with practice and (hopefully) its not forever (my Production Manager said he wanted English as first language operators for all flying until the show has bedded in, hence why I’m operating the travel).
The actors/ dancers/ skaters/ turns/ twirlers are amazingly good and patient. Not at all like turns and certainly nothing like a twirler, which is making things so much easier. I’m learning a little bit of Russian - okay so far my vocabulary is limited to ‘yes’ and ‘get ready’ (as i couldn’t get my tongue around the Russian for “stand by on stage please“) however when asked them to ‘get ready’ they looked blankly at me and said
“do you mean stand by?”
I am toying with the idea of getting a ‘teach yourself Russian’ pack - kinda thing i might get a chance to use it the coming year. I also found out the other day that our backstage calls are done in English and Russian, so anything that helps with that when I start learning the book wouldn’t be the worst idea.
Just realising that I haven’t said much about things out with work, well there is a reason for that, lol. We have been working three session days since we started and today we were supposed to be off, but ended up called for this morning. The apartments are fine, 2 bedrooms, bathroom, washing machine, oven, hob & microwave and are only a few minutes from the theatre. I’m sharing with Paul, our No 2 LX, who is fine, but the only weird thing is the long thin frosted glass window (that doesn’t open) between the two rooms. We decided the best thing to do was put a towel up on either side with drawing pins to stop the light spill from one room to the next.
Well i guess that’s all my news for now, other that work I’ve done little, that’s about the size of it, but our team are good and despite the long days and problems I’m having fun.
Originally published on Live Blog on Facebook
