Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 2004 - 17

Load-in activities and venue
changeovers between projects
occurred at odd times, almost as if
three road houses were
simultaneously loading in and
striking scenery for ten days. Our
technical director thought at least
two changeovers ahead to make
sure adequate staff and
supervision were always available
as outside practitioners
transitioned through our venues.
refocusing and changing color and specials during transitions was arranged in advance with the
festival master electrician.
Audio needs. Project teams advised if they
planned to use live music or any sound equipment other than the resources provided in each
venue. Our festival audio coordinator reviewed
each projects' preliminary sound cue sheet and

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source material well before load-in, and advised
about copyright rules that applied to the material.
Project developments and changes.
Time, staff and money can only go so far. After initial planning, we asked that designers and directors consult with the production manager about
substantial changes or additions proposed for
costuming, scenery, or other technical elements
before making final decisions. "Can we do this
with our limited resources?" proved to be more
proactive, realistic and ultimately more productive than "We must do this regardless of the impact it has on our limited resources." Because
the festival featured new plays or works-inprogress, we experienced some minor production slowdowns caused by drastic script rewrites,
and the faculty producer helped negotiate with
playwrights and directors as their revision needs
interacted with our venue preparation and design
deadlines.

PERFORMANCE DAY ISSUES
As venues were selected for productions in the
planning stages, one of our experienced hands
reminded us to consider how public areas will
be shared when the festival gets underway. We
tried to carefully stagger performances so pre-

show and intermission crowds did not overwhelm the lobby areas and rest rooms in our facility. Our producer also orchestrated
performance times to ensure adequate opportunities for at least some sequential attendance possibilities for our audiences.
Because the festival schedule was so
tightly compressed, later presenters were still
rehearsing in the facility when performances
for the ten-day festival began. We anticipated
sound problems arising due to rehearsal
spaces near performance spaces and juggled
locations to minimize volume problems during
rehearsal-performance overlap.
We expected last-minute rehearsals, special
meetings and other unexpected events to arise
immediately before and during the festival. The
theatre department gave the festival production
manager authority for all room scheduling during
technical rehearsal period and performance
dates. At least one room was always retained for
that unavoidable "must do" event needing space
with no advance notice. Load-in activities and
venue change-overs between projects occurred
at odd times, almost as if three road houses
were simultaneously loading in and striking
scenery for ten days. Our technical director

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