Technical Theatre for actors - 1 hour class

[cedd]

Hi everyone

 

One of my regular theatre schools have asked if I'll do an hour long lesson for them, doing a brief introduction in to life backstage and technical theatre. They've got a show in a local city centre venue in a couple of months and I think they'd like the kids well prepared, plus they're a theatre school who genuinely care about teaching their kids stuff that's going to be useful for their future careers.

 

I've only got an hour and am already known to all their kids as their sound guy (they're a really friendly bunch - feels more like a family than a school), and after a spate of radio mic failures on their last show have been asked to spend some time on care and fitting of radio mics, so that eats a bit of time.

 

Covering a variety of ages - I'm doing 3 sessions in one night (covering a night when they can't get a drama teacher) with 3 different age groups, ranging from 10/12 year olds up to older teenagers. I'm pretty used to tailoring content to suit different age groups during my other life as a youth worker and probably will do slightly different things in the 3 sessions depending on age.

 

 

Things I'm considering doing;

 

Warm up "run around" game - Using stage directions and getting the kids to run to the appropriate wall.

People they'll meet in a theatre, what they do and why they're important to listen to and look after - Stage manager, DSM, flyman, LD, Sound. Generally trying to build respect for people backstage and also an understanding of what's going on around them.

Staying safe onstage - flying, backstage behaviour, pyro.

Radio mic fitting

 

I think if I'm honest, that's probably all I'm going to have time for, maybe a bit too much if anything, but I thought I'd open it up to the Blue Room and see what you all think would be worthwhile lessons for these kids to be taught? What sensible lessons would you want a bunch of kids to know before you let them near your venue?

[Roderick]

Well done, looks like a great initiative.

 

All I can suggest is just think back to what annoys most of us when dealing with kids and try to give some guidance in that area.

For instance, young kids running around and squealing. More general, dropping their bags and stuff everywhere. The teenagers, moving things around without checking / asking, using tools without knowledge and breaking them. Stuff like that and the world will be grateful.

[ImagineerTom]

"lights don't move" - so if you don't stand in the right place you won't be lit and there's nothing anyone else can do about it but you're the one who will look silly to the audience

[J Pearce]

"Who are all these people and what do they do" is a really useful one, including the details such as 'when we're setting up lighting states we don't just press the red button, then the pretty beams button etc., we are balancing levels and then have to store this somewhere, this takes time', Explaining the role of the DSM and how everyone is cued is also useful, and the concept that we are all in communication to keep everything running smoothly and to plan.

A little bit of understanding each other's jobs can make work a much happier place. Maybe I should make my tech students act in a play?

[vinntec]

"lights don't move" - so if you don't stand in the right place you won't be lit and there's nothing anyone else can do about it but you're the one who will look silly to the audience

Yes I was going to say roughly the same - know that if you are speaking/singing normally your face should be lit so they need to know how to tell (its amazing how many actors don't!) "If you can't be seen then you can't be heard"

 

Radio mics - fit them during warm up and they stay switched on until the end of the performance. They never get taken off or swapped with someone else or turned off. How many youth shows have I done where the principal comes one with no sound because he/she took the radio mic off and forgot to put it back, switched it off and forgot to turn it back on, or swapped their one with someone else, etc etc. Modify to what you personal rules are, but for youth shows this one has seemed to work the best on those I have lit.

 

Depending on the venue but especially if flying scenery then must obey commands of anyone in black (modify as needed) immediately and without question. The Stage Managed is GOD on the stage and you do not set a foot on the stage at any time unless called/cued. Otherwise people like me might have an LX bar down and it is amazing how hard it is to see a black bar against a black background if you are not expecting it, or scenery might be moving or flying etc..

 

Don't touch anything which is not something to do with you. Again if a flying theatre then need to make sure they understand the ropes they can poke their hands into are potentially extremely dangerous. If there are booms in the wings, then the lanterns on them might be extremely hot and must not be touched in any case. Also if exiting in blackout what the protocol for lighting these booms is (pantomime lights or whatever) Props belonging to other people must not be touched.

 

What they have to do in an emergency and how to know there is one. If theatre has an iron, ensure they know not to go downstage! Also to report anything they see which concerns them to the SM immediately especially smoke or strange smells (I won't go into the lion's tail on fire story again!)

 

Finally - the stage is not part of the auditorium and not a short cut to see your mates.

[Bobbsy]

I used to love my time spent working with a youth drama group.

 

A few suggestions to use or forget.

 

-Turn on the rig lights and turn off the working lights so the kids can see the limited visibility around the backstage areas...plonk a dark coloured bag somewhere it shouldn't be to show the sort of trip hazard badly dropped props and personal items can be.

 

-Hands on is always better--if at all possible put a few of them on cans to hear what we hear, perhaps fly in a bar or something...and illustrate the "stand in the light bit" with a tightly focused light so they can see themselves (or their friends) in and out of the light.

 

-Send some backstage with orders to gossip and let the rest listen out front.

 

-By all means talk about radio mics...but my policy was always to have another adult (or me) fit them with a strong word not to touch any buttons etc. Black electrical tape over the on/off switch was my plan B. Perhaps put a mic on one of them (one known to project) and have them speak quietly the project properly to illustrate the need to still project and not leave it all to the mic.

 

Above all make it fun and casual...they'll learn a lot more than at a boring lecture.

[kerry davies]

First thoughts are that is way too much to get into an hour and have it mean anything. Unless you have very small groups I would cut it right back to "Who does what". The game is a good idea to start off with. The "falling back trust your partner" one is pretty good for discipline.

 

I would use the "Tell, Show, Practice" method allowing them to get involved physically somehow. I would also be flexible because there will be questions and subjects arising that will need to be dealt with. As long as you have some fun and allow time for reinforcement and summation an hour is hardly enough time to get started, especially with younger people.

[Junior8]

An hour? They must be joking. All you will be able to do in that time is a few basics.

 

But if you are going to attempt this it might be an idea to start from the other end and ask them if they are in a show as an actor just who else will be needed, doing what, to ensure that they are not on their own standing in the middle of a bare stage in the dark with nothing to say when the curtain doesn't go up. This will have the advantage of a) making them think and b) hopefully realize to a limited extent the co-operative nature of most performance.

 

You might have a large skeleton plan of a theatre and add the things as they come up.

 

For me though the important messages you have to get through is that everybody is responsible for their own work, you don't touch what you're not supposed to, get out of the way, and look for the light!

 

(Don't get hung up on technology - the only thing they need to know about radio mics is treat them at all times as if they are live! Oh yes and that they are invariably used these days whether needed or not...)

[cedd]

I'm all too aware of the limited amount of time I have, which is why I'm leaning heavily on the understanding/respect for people and safety sides of things.

The radio mic thing came from them after I had to bill them for 6 or 7 knackered headsets, despite a couple of trained parents "running" for me and a sit down and talk with the kids before they were handed out. Normally I accept a couple of breakages per show (not per performance!) as wear and tear and "accidents will happen" but this was a bit much and I don't think they want it happening again!

 

I think the best thing I have is the "who's who" bit, so after the warm up game I might launch in to this and use it as a structure for the rest of the session, keeping our "theatre" from the game taped out on the floor so we have some wings taped out on the floor (we're in a church hall, not a theatre sadly).

I can use the who's who structure to introduce safety aspects of each job as I go along, so whilst talking about the flyman I can talk about not playing with ropes and the importance of being where you're meant to be on stage for instance. I think this structure gives me the most natural flow to the lesson and keeps us moving around.

Hands on stuff is a bit limited with us not being in a theatre, but I'm a big fan of getting groups around big sheets of paper with activities where they have to draw something or come up with a design for something. Last week at youth group for instance we were doing citizenship and communities so I got them to design their dream town as groups, then we looked at the things they valued most in their communities. Just an example but it always goes well.

 

Thanks for the ideas so far. Often it's the bleeding obvious that I seem to miss in these things!

[erroneousblack]

Good luck with that Cedd, but I think it'll be in one ear and out the other, but good on you for giving it a try. If only one takes it on board it's worth it. I'm sat in the pub after two shows today in the West End, it's been running for a couple of years but we're still explaining to the turns how things work! Oh, and to the dressers as well, as they're all resting turns.

[gyro_gearloose]

Forget trying to train the cast to stand in their light. Just inject them all with some moth DNA, then they'll always be able to find their light. The only down side is that you might find them clustered round street lights at night after the show :D

[vinntec]

Forget trying to train the cast to stand in their light. Just inject them all with some moth DNA, then they'll always be able to find their light. The only down side is that you might find them clustered round street lights at night after the show :D

It took about 2 minutes to train an 8 year old girl to walk into a special which was face-sized on an otherwise dark stage. Now you've got me worried about lasting effects...:(

[Don Allen]

I have an area of stage out of focus and show actors how to seek the light by looking out into the auditorium and perceiving the light in their peripheral vision, then moving out of the dark spot into the light.

[paulears]

Actors are polarised. Some will be very interested, while most will be utterly bored, so attempting to engage their enthusiasm is often a lost cause. I did some absolutely splendid and exciting lesson plans for this kind of stuff and scrapped many ten minutes in when my idea of exciting was duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuul !

[T*ny]

Just remind them that without the technical staff they would merely be a bunch of naked people wandering around in the dark talking to themselves . . .