Backstage Revealed

2 ways to get backstage

Pass door; stage door

Stage house (stage and wings, etc.)

Nautical origin 18^th cent. Sailors

Floor: deck; crew swabs it; ropes rigging

Prop tables; changing booths

Wings—birds

Traps (trap room)

Fly loft, flies, gridiron, grid

Batten

Arbor; stageweignts

Counterweight system

Dressing Rooms; Green room (London’s Drury Lane waiting room)

Crossover; US, understage, outside

Turning on a lightbulb:

12

Property master, prop crew, wardrobe crew, carpenter, electrician, director, board operator, master electrician, lighting designer, stage manager, scene designer, actor

TITLES:

Production manager

Link between artistic and managing directors and heads of 6 production departments.

Responsible for scheduling, budgeting and communications between department heads. Very important.  Ensures artistic qualities and logistics are achieved

Scenery

Technical director *TD) head of scene shop.  Oversees construction, painting, installation of all scenery.  Coordinates scene shop’s wor with production manager and interpretes technical drawings provided by scene designer.  Orders materials and supplies, assigns work, fixes schedules and monitors progress.

Scene Shop managr

Sometimes same person. Supervises work of carpenters daily. 

Charge Artist

Head painter who supervises scene painters

Prperty Master

Prop shop usually adjacent to scene shop. Same tools.  Prop Master heads prop crew and makes artistic decisions in coordination with scene designer and works with Production manager and budges

Costume Manager

Cutters and Drapers, tailors, stitchers, dyers, wig maker, milliner, cobbler, wardrobe supervior (who supervises the dressers)

Supervises all and coordinates with Stage manager to schedule fittings.  In fitting room

Lighting

Master electrician , Lighting designer, electricians

Sound

Sound engineer, Sound Designer

Stage manager, assistant stage managers