By Francine Paino, a.k.a. F. Della Notte
I love movies, and I’m sure there are plenty of difficulties for actors to keep the emotions required of a scene fresh from take to take and working out of the order the story. But it’s live theater that hold a magical universe for me, beginning with the fact that the actor on stage doesn’t have the benefit of do-overs. If he/she makes a mistake, he/she must cover it and incorporate it into the story or the dance.
I have just seen the world premiere of Ballet Austin’s Poe. A ballet on the life and madness of Edgar Allen Poe. This ballet explores the mind of one of America’s most brilliant writers. But, like all live theater productions, in every discipline, from Ballet to Opera, to Musical Theater to Drama, all the magic is not on the stage and visible to the audience’s eye. The sets, props, and special effects add imagination and intensity to the developing story and require an army of talented and dedicated stagecraft experts responsible for different aspects of the production the audience never sees.
Scenery is designed by set designers and then built by carpenters and stagehands, sometimes while the production is on stage before a live audience. Want to see this in action? Watch one of the Metropolitan Opera companies’ performances on TV. Often, during the intermissions, there will be interviews with the performers, and in the background, you will see the carpenters breaking down, moving out or up the sets and backdrops no longer needed, and pulling in and doing last-minute construction on the next sets to be used.
Lighting ranges from simple to very complicated and requires the technicians to operate multiple fixtures at different locations, like on a light bridge, the suspended platform above the stage. It’s located behind the proscenium arch above the performers’ heads. The technicians use those lights as spots to illuminate the performers on stage. Like the artists performing, their only break is during intermissions when the light bridge is lowered.
The Prop Master places the props where the performers can easily access them while the show is on stage. Usually in the side wings – AND THEY ARE SACROSANCT! Performers rehearse with their props, and the location and position of the props on the table must be the same at all times, for sometimes the performer will reach for something in the dark. Wouldn’t it be terrible if in a drama, the performer reaches for a gun and returns to the bright lights of the stage with a rolling pin?
Sound in theaters is very important, and the sound technicians must lock in the microphone locations and settings. They are on duty in the sound booth throughout rehearsals and performances.
Two of my favorite and most exciting jobs in the backstage world of magic are the wardrobe masters’and the prompters’ jobs. An enlightening report on the challenges and responsibilities of a wardrobe supervisor in the world of opera can be read in the New York Times 2012, feature on the character of The Opera Wardrobe Diva. A look into the role of Suzi Gomez-Pizzo, the wardrobe supervisor for female leads, at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.
They aren’t ever on stage, but their importance to the performers cannot be underestimated. Often, they remain in the wings and give the performers an extra boost of confidence, especially when rapid changes while the show continues are required.
Then there are the prompters. Some say it is a dying art, but the prompter is still vital in many cases, especially in opera. The prompters are hidden in a stuffy box below the stage. Only their heads are above the stage floor, with a cover making them invisible to the audience. Actors and singers rely on them for support, assistance, and reminders of upcoming lines. In opera, the prompter must be a skilled musician who can even sing the role but doesn’t. He or she provides support for the singers. A revealing description of the work and the importance of the prompter in opera can be read at:
https://www1.udel.edu/PR/Messenger/97/3/PROMPTER. html#:~:text=She’s%20a%20prompter%2Da%20person, responding%20to%20emergencies%20on%20stage.
To all of this, add the theatre superstitions, another layer of backstage mystery. These superstitions impact everyone from custodians to stars, and their power cannot, nor should ever be ignored. Ranging from never whistling backstage to leaving a ghost light on when the stage is empty, these beliefs are a constant part of theater life.
This is the world in which Mrs. B. and Father Melvyn find themselves in book two of the Housekeeper Mystery Series, Catwalk Dead: Murder in the Rue de L’Histoire Theatre. They must help find the reasons for mysterious accidents and solve a murder before anyone else dies. They, too, wonder if the strange incidents are part of the Macbeth curse or the evil in some human hearts.
Copyright 2024, Francine Paino, All rights reserved.
Austin Mystery Writers 