Monday Jan 25 2016 (4 hours)
Introduced myself individually to almost the entire cast and crew.
I expected there to be more people in crew and more props to work with.
I also expected the cast to be less respectful, as one of the crew members warned me about.
Helped planned out who I would assist for costume changes during scene changes.
I learned people always cry for closing shows.
I’m getting to witness the process of blocking and staging during rehearsal.
Everyone's mood was pretty light and friendly. A tech crew member warned me the everyone would soon become more nervous as the show progressed.
Learned that being on fly means working the ropes and being on spot mean working the spotlight.
I learned the differences between where the wings are (curtains) and where the backstage is.
I was assigned the duty of striking a table from mid center stage during the first act while all of the actors go off stage and will be assisting costume changes as well as mike changes between scenes.
I'm so excited for the dress rehearsal tomorrow!
Tuesday Jan 26 2016 (4 hours)
Helped assemble and dissemble the set background stage with an electric drill.
Learned how they theatrically created a giant with someone voicing behind the curtain and the cast taking sound cues representing actions of the giant.
For the first time I was able to physically helped with a costume change for (Cinderella).
Learned the correct way to remove a stripped screw from the drew director.
I excepted the cast to be less prepared or mature, which is funny because they're all younger than I thought they would be.
I was impressed with the size of the back stage and the amount of dressing rooms.
I thought their would be more props which is a relief and a disappointment at the same time.
The cast’s listening skills were also more impressive than expected which saved me from "agony." (lol get it like the song agony.)
There's a different director for each: crew, overall cast and music.
Wen Jan 27 2016 (4 hours)
We ran the first real linear run through today!
Finally the crew was given a list to help with scene changes.
I had to quickly adapt to new cues and then back to the old ones.
I was rapidly helping with quick changes and running through the underground stage.
Funny sidenote: theater makeup looks really ugly up close because everything is so dramatically applied for the audience to clearly see.
Note:being in crew or cast causes a total time warp.
I invited all my friends to the performance coming this friday, saturday and sunday.
Witnessed fake fighting from the side and saw how they practiced blocking out a blow to the head.
Planned the layout of where to store the costumes for quick changes.
Learned the tech tricks of how to find the mid-center part of the main stage and how the numbers written on the stage floor are used for blocking.
The amazing moment I got to witness when the entire cast cried with joy to the top of their lungs backstage when they got through the last scene of the first act seamlessly without any mistakes.
Thursday Jan 28 2016 (4 hours)
I witnessed extensive director's notes after each full run through.
Learn the music cues that actors have to wait for throughout the play.
It’s a tradition for the director to do pep talk before each run through or performance.
Learned the layout and blocking that went into helping display the wolf eating little red riding hood.
Witnessed an actor breakdown completely after missing one line..
Note: the closer to the performance date, the more reassurance the actors seem to need.
The amazing moment when they come all out for the finale and their harmonizing voices hit your ears and your heart melts with its perfection.
Friday Jan 29 2016 (6-10:20)
I assisted with the mike check.
Running joke: Day three with a splinter in my hand.
Learned the order/layout of curtains and backstage hanging lights.
The Olio has a heavy bar at the bottom that makes the curtain drop faster and be more stable.
Note:some quick changes are too quick to happen even in the quick change rooms so they have to happen immediately backstage.
First performance- I have never seen so much energy backstage in my entire life.
It is expected that someone will miss their lines and burst into to tears, as Milo said it's a fact of life.
Tech was finally able to successfully strike the table for the first time during the first performance.
I learned what GAF and mike tape was.
There was an overwhelming amount of happy screaming and crying after the performance.
Once everyone started singing “singing in the rain” outside I knew I had found my people.
Sat Jan 30 2016 (1-5)
Theater term- when tech announces 10 till places the cast responds thank you ten.
House opens means the theater is open to the public.
I learned the proper way of how to GAF a cast's shoes when they forget to wear black.
Met the set director and planned on having an informational interview or sit down with her about theater set design.
In the future, I've planned to learn directly from the crew director, Tyler, about theater light design.
Making connections- milo, my right hand man, is closely related to the head of set design for the majority of Disney films, Steven something.
Consulted the tech fill-in of my responsibilities and the left stage scene costume changes so they could act as a sub for me, since I couldn't work the saturday late performance.
The cast is much nicer and more welcoming than I expected, especially after what Steven, the other tech members on spot, had warned me about.
Sun Jan 31 2016 (1-5:30)
I feel so jittery. The cast is crying backstage and it's so emotional.
They've been working on this play for 3 months!
I can't believe this is the last day the last performance!
I'm finally getting the director to sign all my papers today.
I feel so satisfied with this week, I've packed every extra hour I had this week into this theater and I love it completely.
I feel so much closer to understanding what a full on real theater community/production actually acts and Looks like.
I feel so much closer to knowing what I want to do as my career, or at least what field I’m interested in.
I didn't expect this week of tech to be so intense, take up so much time, or to be so emotional.
Term- strike at the end of the last performances means everything gets taken down and packed up (the set and costumes).
I learned something today, striking hard and large objects is not my favorite thing the world, as my finger got smashed when striking the table off stage tonight.
I swear every time I'm backstage watching the play I catch something I've never seen before, and I've been on the sidelines for more that 5 run throughs.
Journal Logs
This internship was a real hands-on learning experience. I was taught about tech terms and blocking and the intimate interactions that happen backstage between actors. I learned how much work and passion and emotion is put into each second of a performance. Getting to work backstage, to me, was in no way just about helping coordinate quick costume scene changes. This internship was a further exploration of who I am as a person and the field I may want to pursue for my future career. In the following, I will be opening up about the tech skills and knowledge I learned, but also about the tone and type of community that can only really be uniquely born out of theater.
I found out early on that having good listening skills is critical in theater. Everything the director tells you is vital to know, so it important to not be afraid to speak up when you don’t hear or understand something. It was also important to be outgoing and introduce yourself to everyone within the first few days in order to establish a relationship with the cast, crew, and any other volunteers. This skill comes in handy when you are entering a foreign community where you need to quickly earn respect and trust. The more open you are with people, the quicker they will be willing to give you responsibility. Lastly, I think communication is key. My internship was surrounded around coordination with the rest of tech, so this skill was vital for scene changes to run smoothly.
On a daily basis, my tech duties required me to act as the crew director’s right hand man in designing and maintaining the layout of all props and costumes backstage. This meant it was my responsibility to make sure the prop handoffs ran correctly between each scene, in order for each actor to have the correct costumes on the side of the stage they would exit. Again, for this internship, communication was key. I helped with hooking up mikes for the actors and making sure sound check ran smoothly. In addition, I was assigned the duty of striking a table from mid center stage during the first act after the second scene. By the third day, I was given the opportunity to assemble and dissemble the set background stage with an electric drill. This was one of the hands-on skills I learned directly from this internship.
In the duration of this intense program, I learned countless lessons and skills and terms. I was taught the intimate traditions for closing shows, how to safely work hand drills, and disassemble background sets. I witnessed the raw process of blocking and staging and was able to glimpse at just how much work can go into directing. I was taught by members of the crew the order of the background curtains, as well as the dangers when dropping the olio downstage after a performance. Lastly, above all, I learned what it means to love something so much that you will but every single extra hour you have into something without so much as a second thought. I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything....except maybe working on broadway.
During this internship I wouldn't say I had one main obstacle. However in theater, especially tech week, there often is a lot of trouble shooting that goes into working out any logistical kinks. For example, when disassembling the background set stage we encountered many stripped screws. With no hacksaw available, the proper tool for removing stripped screws, we had to improvise and get creative while still being safe. In the end we consulted the technical director and used some elbow grease to get the job done. This was just one example of the many small obstacles that I overcame on an hourly basis.
I can easily state, my expectations for this internship were exceeded. I learned so much more than I had anticipated. The experience was definitely a lot more emotional and time consuming than I thought it would be. A part of me had envisioned a larger crew and more props, but in some ways it was relieving to have less to work with. I had imagined a place that was at least a little intimidating or hostile, but was gladly proven wrong when welcomed quickly into the small theater community I was committed to work within. I say these things only because they are true to my unique experience within this program. My expectations were exceeded.
Internship Experience
Internship Description
I interned for the Alameda Youth Repertory, an educational theatre program, at the Kofman Auditorium. The managing director for the program was Tyler Null. My duties ranged from assisting the sound tech with stage mics to coordinating the costume changes backstage between scenes. By the end, I had completed over 24 hours of work.