Preparing for festivals
Many theatres across the world do festivals of differing themes. For some, these themes are playwright based. For others, genre based. There are also festivals of work from specific areas, or cultures. Regardless of the theme, presenting a festival production can be different than a normal production.
If your theatre company has been asked to participate in a festival with a particular production, it can be quite a thrill and learning experience. But there are things to keep in mind when bringing your production to a festival. Being prepared can be the difference between a good experience, or a painful one.
1. Documentation is your friend. Sure, you know your show. Your actors know your show. But the theatre and production staff of the festival venue do not know your show. You may think your technical needs are simple, but without providing all your needs to the venue in advance, you risk not getting the few things you may need. Write it all down: all the props and costumes you will be bringing, all the scenic elements you will bring or need, audio playback/reinforcement needs, lighting/projection needs, and any special needs that affect audience seating (such as performer entrances from the house). Don’t assume that anything will be able to be added last minute, or that the thing that was so simple to place in your theatre will be simple in the festival venue. Without advance notice, that one piece of fabric, or one floor mount lighting unit, may not have a way of being installed in the festival venue.
If you will be programming new cues into the venue’s lighting or sound system, bring documentation from your previous production. This will greatly speed up the cuing time, and get your show in a run-through that much faster. If you end up doing each lighting design from scratch at every venue you have performed in, at least bring full text descriptions of each cue (for example: “bright blue cyc comes up as DSL special cross-fades to USR backlight special with some face-light, adding cold leaf texture“), and pictures of the major scenes if possible.
2. Bring support staff that know your show. If you are bringing your own PM or SM, make sure they know your show. It does no good to bring someone along just because they have always been your friend, or they offered to help, or they went to a show at the festival venue once. They need to know your show, and know how to give helpful suggestions to facilitate any changes that may need to be made due to venue or time constraints. If the festival is in another country, or may have a language barrier, make sure your translator understands theatrical terms and slang (at least in your language).
Make sure your SM is capable of calling cues to others. Your show may have started in a small space with the SM running lights or sound, but your festival venue may have crew members to operate these systems. The SM needs to understand basic stage management conventions, such as: cue calling, (always use the general convention terms, such as lights, electrics, flys, sound, motors. Don’t use your own terms, as making the crew learn your special terms only increases the chances of cues being missed) backstage announcements, “God” mic use, and front-of-house communication. Headset etiquette is also essential (don’t talk during standby’s, unless its an emergency). The biggest thing that your SM needs to understand is that “GO” is the activation of the cue. So all cues must be called as “Standby light (or other department) cue XX. Light cue XX, GO” DO NOT call “GO lights XX“ The “GO” must come after the department and cue number. Also, do not say “Light cue XX standby”, as the first part implies that the final word will be GO, and if the operator is busy with many things, they may take the cue when you say “standby”, as they are expecting the word to be “GO”.
3. Be on time to all calls. The festival may be tightly scheduled. Showing up late for your allotted time does not reflect well on your theatre company, or you. Just because you don’t think you need all the time allotted doesn’t mean that the crew doesn’t need it, or that a surprise issue won’t arise. Something always goes wrong, and if you arrive late, you may not have time to deal with it.
4. Be as prepared and as professional as possible. This should go without saying, but there is a psychological aspect at play here as well. The venue staff will be on hand to help get your show up and running. They want your show to be good (as no-one likes working on a bad show). But if you are not prepared, or waste your available load-in/rehearsal time, they will be less willing to go that extra mile to help you solve a problem. If you aren’t taking your show, and your time, seriously, why should they? This is not to say that you can’t have a relaxed atmosphere, but if it seems that you are wasting time, the venue staff will not be excited about your show. If the venue staff are not excited about your show, they may feel that they are just there to “work”, and consequently not have the very best solutions for potential problems, as they won’t be thinking artistically about the production.
5. Bring EVERYTHING you need for your show. The only things you can reasonably expect the venue to provide are: general lighting for the stage, sound amplification and CD playback, plus a wired microphone or two, and the stage itself. Everything else should either be brought with you, or requested from the theatre FAR IN ADVANCE. If you need wireless mics: request them in advance. If you need special colors in your lights, or a special lighting gear/effect: request it in advance. Chairs provided onstage or in the wings: request it in advance. If the theatre cannot provide it, then you must bring it with you. Do not show up saying “we didn’t bring everything. Can we get…” because the answer is likely to be “No.” Especially costumes. Do not expect access or use of the venue’s costume collection, if any. If the venue is kind enough to allow you to borrow costumes for your performance, do not ask for them to be altered in any way.
As for sound: bring any sound effects/music/etc on CD(s). Almost every theatre is set-up for CD playback. Do not bring Mini-Disc. Not everyone even has a Mini-Disc player available, and Mini-Disc’s are notoriously unreliable. Don’t assume that your laptop or Ipod won’t fail, either. Bring the sound files on CD (not CD-ROM: CD). At least as a backup to the Ipod or laptop…
Set: if you need it, bring it with you. If you can’t bring it with you, ask the venue (far in advance) to provide it. Don’t assume that the venue has a stock 4×8 foot platform laying around. Don’t expect anything to be built for you once you arrive.
6. Just because you were asked to participate in a festival does not mean you, or your show, is God’s gift to theatre. Sure, this could apply to performers, but also to production crew attached to the show. Just because you know what you are doing does not mean that no-one else does.
7. Don’t ask for schedule changes the day of your rehearsal/tech, especially if they are just so your company can go sightseeing. Schedules affect more than just your company. They affect everyone working the festival, and have usually been planned out very carefully. Local people may have made plans with their families around the schedule for the day. Plan your tourist-type activities around the schedule you are given, especially since you should have been aware of the schedule prior to arriving for the festival.
8. Do keep in mind that theatre slang terms, like any other regional dialect, may differ from city to city. So, if you say that you need a “flamshuter,” and no-one seems to know what that is, don’t just say: “you know, a flamshuter. A FLAMshuter?!” Describe what it is, or even better, know the actual term, not just the slang. (For instance, most theatre electricians know what a “F*#k-me nut” is, but I don’t think you are ever going to see it listed that way in the City Theatrical catalog*. Rubber Chicken** is another lighting slang term that comes to mind.)
Remember, how well you are prepared, and how well you deal with any issues that arise, will play a large part in your overall experience at the festival. It will affect how you are perceived by festival staff, which will influence how your company is treated, and if your company will be asked to return for a future festival.
*A “f*#k-me nut” is the tightening bolt for the panning bolt on a lighting instrument C-Clamp. It is called that because it is prone to breaking easily, which results in the electrician yelling “F*#K ME!“
**A “rubber chicken” is a term used for a lighting two-fer: 1 male connector going to a Y-splitting cord with 2 female connectors. This term is used for the molded Y-cord two-fers that split in the middle, which also happen to be the only legal version of a cable two-fer. All those two-fers that have two cables coming out of the male connector are not up to code, regardless of pretty much every rental supply house and theatre having them.
Hudson & Gaines
