During this production, I had the opportunity to learn from actors and stage managers operating under the Actors' Equity Association while serving for a full-length rehearsal process and run of show, interning and acting in the position of Production Assistant.

A MAN OF NO IMPORTANCE

Production Assistant

In A Man of No Importance, I worked closely with Equity professionals, collaborated on the innerworkings of the creative design team, and learned about all sides of the rehearsal and production process. This role truly allowed me to get a glimpse into how a professional theatre operates as well as play a part in bringing the story to life alongside people who offered guidance, giving me the tools to hold my own within this new environment. The Production Stage Manager on the project took me under her wing and shared paperwork, gave insight on her stage management approach, and provided me the opportunity to practice it myself. She taught me how to use a Daily Call format and Contact Sheet (shown below), and as we moved further into the rehearsal process, I would help fill out the Daily Call schedules and participate in the Director Meetings after every rehearsal.

Facilitating the Rehearsal Process

This production was my first endeavor into the idea of transitioning between a rehearsal space and a performance venue, as I had only ever had rehearsals in the place that the show was to be performed. The Stage Management Team spiked the set, outline of stage, and spotlights (shown right), loaded new props into the space and kept tabs on the furniture, and made diagrams of each new scene (shown below). We also charged the hydraulic moving stairs every day (shown below left) and sat in on the other rehearsal rooms. At one time, we could be having music rehearsals in Studio C, dialect coaching in Studio B, and blocking scenes in Studio A, so the Assistant Stage Manager and I worked to ensure one of us was in each room and keeping notes on each rehearsal.

Props Tracking

This was surprisingly an incredibly prop-heavy show, and I spent a large part of the rehearsal process and run of show dealing with all of the pre-sets, backstage effects, and tracking of furniture and props as they would come offstage. Some of our props included batteries, DMX lighting controls, and even rechargeable hydraulic systems, so I double checked all of these elements before and during the run, in addition to monitoring regular props. Below, you can see our prop tables, prop box, and stations set up by the Stage Management Team. We also kept a detailed Props Tracking Sheet (shown left) that catalogued every prop move throughout the entirety of the show. As a Production Assistant, I worked to make sure all backstage operations ran smoothly and problem-solved throughout the show with deck crew and actors alike.

Transitioning to the Stage,
Run of Show

When it was time to transition our production to Casa Mañana's Mainstage, we invested extra hours outside of the rehearsal time to prepare and execute this change. Utilizing our Props Tracking Sheet and Run Sheet (shown below) the Stage Management Team set up the backstage areas, and we prepped actors on where everything was newly located. I also had the opportunity to participate in a real Spike Call in which we used the blocking notes and Spike Color Sheet to correctly locate everything. While undergoing tech days for the show, I was the only crew member backstage, so it was my responsibility to relay any messages to the actors from either the Director or Production Stage Manager (PSM) and help problem solve with the cast to make sure they had easy access to everything they needed during the run of show. During performances, I tracked all furniture pieces and props to their various locations backstage, ran backstage effects and cues, and was first in line to resolve any problems that came up.