At work I learned the sound plots, mostly plot number 3. There are 3 plots. N
umber 1 is the mixer, at the back of the auditorium with all the fancy equipment. Number 2 is at the desk backstage listening for problems and communicating with the mixer. Number 3 is all about sound problem solving and prevention. Basically involves learning cues of when people come off stage to spray with an air duster (spray their mics). If something goes wrong or if number 2 says someone is sounding like their mic is particularly sweated out (sweat clogs the mics), then we have to go hunt them down give them a spray and a flick of the mic, or sometimes change the microphone out for a new one. We also checked mic. positions with wigs and during quick changes to make sure that hair wasn't in the mics and that they were properly placed, and made sure everyone who needs it has mic tape. So that's what I did Wednesday and both Thursday shows, got trained and then just basically did the plot while the number 3 (happened to be a dep) followed me around instead. Other things we do are check every single speaker before the cast arrives (there are A LOT of speakers!) and test all the orchestra individual and cast mics. People made jokes about an American coming over the system saying "1 2, 345, Link is next, 678910, 12, 345, 678910." Since there are mics for each actor (some have two
), there are close to 30 or 40 mics that need to be tested. To save boring details I've learned (soon to come in a side list that you can read if you like) about sound, basically I did that and more, but it wasn't nearly as busy as stage management and props stuff that I was doing before, so when I got bored and in the interval I would go help Sarah or Ros do their plots on the deck.
On Friday, I decided to make a museum day for myself since it was rather grey outside. Originally I was supposed to go to the British Museum with a friend of a girl who is one of my housemates, but she was not able to go anymore, so I changed my plans and went to the Tate Modern. It was kind of good because I'm not a very good museum goer with other people just because of my speed and attention span and stuff, so I had a good time and even took some notes of artists that could be future inspirations for set designs, or just who I liked! You can see them on a list soon, too. If you haven't noticed, I'm basically making this blog website into a souvenir and online documentation of my trip. :)
After I was done with the Tate Modern, I saw a sign saying that I could take a boat ride for just under 3 quid straight to Tate Britain! I still had several hours before I even had to start heading to work, so I decided to go for it! And I LOVE boat rides! No matter how grey it is outside! Inside the boat was basically like a first class airplane! It was cool and the coffee bar made the best (and one of the cheapest) cappucinos I've had yet! The downside was that the stop I was supposed to get off at was not marked "Tate Britain" at all, and was
not announced, so I asked about three seconds before they left the doc and had to walk across Westminister Bridge and ended up taking the tube there because it was pouring and I was soaked. Oh well. Nice boat, anyway. Got some nice pics because the boat went right past Big Ben and the London Eye and Parliament and all that jazz. So when I finally made it to Tate Britain, I had a good time walking around the (much bigger) museum, which seemed endless! Although walking on hard museum wooden floors in flats all day is not a picnic, I made it through both Tates and enjoyed my day of looking at art! I always feel accomplished for educating myself without prompting.
Then Friday night I was back on the deck at work and I followed Sarah on stage left. Sarah hadn't done the stage left plot in three weeks so she was all anticipatory of being a little unable to give me help or prompt me as to what to do, and of course I was like "oh yeah that's fine, I'll do whatever you need me to do," but when it got down to it she didn't even have to look at the cue sheet she printed out as a refresher for herself! I was just so amazed with how worried she was and then how on top of it she was! Not only did she never look at her cue sheet, but she was able to tell me what to do and where to go when, which I usually tried to finish the sentence for her, which I don't think/hope she minded...I'm becoming pretty confident with the plots now, although I probably wouldn't be even close to being flawless if an ASM wa
sn't with me-which wouldn't happen since I'm work experience. Occasionally when I'm with Tom he says he's gonna go watch football but then he comes back before the next time I would question what was next. But I don't look at a cue sheet (they're like 8 pages long haha) so it's all by memory and I get a little mixed up in the order of things on occasion, but they are all so great and help me out and tell me what's next whether I already know or not.
Last night I went with Seth (in the picture on the right) and Pam, two of my friends who live in Thoresby, to a bar/club over in Soho near Piccadilly Circus. There are about 10 out of 34 housemates here this weekend because of trips to various countries. It was pretty fun. Not my favorite night out yet, but it was all right and we met up with Seth's friend Jason there who was cool and it was good to meet him. Stayed out the latest I have yet, so I guess that had to happen at some point...after all I am still a college student, even though London is not a sleepless town like NYC is ...or Happy Valley for that matter. Most bars close at 12:30, clubs at 2:30 if you are lucky. Some of these techno bars/clubs are not really my scene...I prefer like sitting and talking at a bar i don't have to scream to talk to someone two inches from me and destroy my vocal chords soooo yeah. Plus techno music is not as fun as normal music you can sing along and dance to.
Back to work, which today was two show day. It just amazes me how good everyone at what they do, all of them. Really I shouldn't be that surprised. I haven't really mentioned anything going wrong during shows because nothing major really does/has! (knock on/touch wood!) Today and tonight I sat with Sarah in the booth--Ros was off tonight--and she basically taught me how she calls the show, which I have never really been taught before. So that was really interesting. I learn a lot from her and I'd say she's probably the best at explaining and really teaching me the most. It was amazing how she could point out counts of the songs, point to the monitors when we needed to look there before she called cues, and was able to be a little off the wall we danced in our seats to the show :) meanwhile she was calling everything flawlessly simultaneously. She knows the cueing by heart now so doesn't actually count out most of it to herself anymore after calling the show so many times, but I was grateful that she took the time and thought to do so during the show for me, although since we were on a clearcom headset system and there are cues to call every few seconds, we had to be pretty quiet until we had a 15 second or more break where she could turn off the mics (clear com in short means whoever you have turned on--which is most people--on cans can hear you all the time if you're calling the show, even though not everyone is on the same channel to each other). So I had good fun and learned a lot tonight from that and following along with what I have been hearing in my ear the past four weeks over cans and learning what beat or cue makes each LX (lighting) or Auto (moving scenery) cue go and when to start speaking and say Go. Also she gives front of house "ladies and gentlemen...take your seats in ___ minutes" kind and also for larger roles, people get calls to their dressing rooms well before their cues during the show. And of course for beginners and clearance and all that jazz. I am convinced that stage managers over here just sound so much better no matter where they are from in Britain because of the accent in general. Just sounds so much more authentic to the theatre and i love it! My two favorite words that people say are "good" (sounds like "goodt" except really short) and "you" at the end of "thank you"...really bright voweled ooo. Oh and hearing people try to imitate American accents. There is a cue when Rachael (Amber Von Tussle character) says "Everybody stop liking her! AHHHH!" and runs off stage, and I crack up everytime Ros tells me that cue cos she tries to say it in an American accent and it's hilarious. Ros's accent is much more 'common' than Sarah's which is more proper and what you would first think of as an "English accent." Ros doesn't have a cockne accent, but drops off letters and so it is closer to cockne I guess but not really. I'm fascinated by the different accents and words and phrases here, as you can probably tell.
Anyway I should get to bed, tomorrow on my personal itenerary (by personal i mean for me and made by me), I am going to the Globe in the morning to get a tour of the theatre, then going to see Candide (the opera, i think? i dunno i just want to see candide) at another theatre if there are tickets left, and if not, maybe a show at the Globe after I get a tour, although they will probably be standing room tickets which i would not be so fond of for watching a shakespeare play. But we'll see.
Keep in your thoughts and prayers a girl in my house who I am friends with who flew home on very short notice-had to pack everything up and tie up all loose ends here-the other day after getting a call from her mom for good because her dad who had been very sick took a turn for the worst and who she has now lost. Also a guy who works on crew of Hairspray was hit by a car, about a week or two after I got here so I don't know him well, but was hit on his way to work on his motorcycle and has some pretty severe leg damage and is still in the hospital and getting all kinds of surgeries. So whatever your religious views, if you could think of and/or pray for those people and their families, it would be much appreciated. On the bright side, both seem to be doing as well as they can be, considering the situations and both have a lot of support coming from friends and family.
By the way, apparently I might be working on Spamalot now? Not really sure but hopefully the week after next i'll work on something, but as you can imagine it's kind of difficult to work those things out for someone who is not equity, is unpaid, 20 years old, has an American Visa and hasn't ever worked on the West End (or broadway) previously and would just be an extra body onstage to shadow someone--and someone has to be available and able to teach me, so I'm not expecting anything and just hoping for the best...I know Hesky and others are doing their best to try to get me somewhere else which is way more than I could ever have asked for or dreamed of.
Anyway time for bed......
Cheers!
~Sam~
