Woof!

Time off and going back to school... What a week...

Had a huge weekend last week, as it was the last weekend we had all shows open. There were a few changeovers that had to be done quickly but we've gotten in such a rhythm we've been able to handle them efficiently.

The real trick has been weighing all my commitments with never being at school.  Financially things have been reigned in more than ever.

Getting away from all of that.

I was left a comment asking what could be improved here. So here is my answer to that:

I think the largest thing that is problematic for me is scheduling. Sometimes shows are set up then taken down immediately, only to be put back up again. It has to also be considered that during rehearsal and tech that we have a different set up (maybe putting up the chute or waters). The production assistants almost never know specifically when they will be needed until about 12 hours beforehand, if that.

I would say the fix for that is to have better communication between different department heads but that already happens. I think more than anything else it's just a reality that happens because of the nature of the job description. I don't really want to get into the hypotheticals of narrowing a job description and or hiring more staff because that's just going to create new problems. It's a necessary evil and it works but it is still a pain for everyone.

Another thing that needs mention is the specific packing of the clubhouse. It's packed incredibly tightly at the height of the season with all shows running and it creates issues when we start doing multiple show days. Sometimes we have to assemble specific pieces of a set before a tear down and set up on a two show day. For example when the Hamlet and R&G wall was new it took a long time to put together so we assembled pieces of it in the clubhouse. Not only is it a lengthy process that consumes a lot of space it also changes the dynamic of what is expected of the changeover. Another important piece of information I neglected to mention is we have extra hands helping on the large changeovers like that. We get acting apprentices that aren't busy with shows.

In short, this all leads to a myriad of problems that are fairly unpredictable. The added space, should it be added, would alleviate some of the need to assemble and disassemble the pack. It would also help with traffic flow onto the stage and allow larger scenic units to be stored easily.

I'm sure there are more things that I will think of in coming days but these have been in my mind for some time.

We start student matinees this week so the ever changing process continues.

Also worth mentioning is that PA requests have become more frequent as the season winds down. We've moved out apartments and also done a few maintenance requests. I painted a porch with two of my coworkers today.

I have a number of posts to put out soon as I'm trying to catch up on the old blogging (mostly just tidbits about my most used tools or running shows).