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March 2005 Table of Contents
Tech Talk
Preparing for Easter; Tech Check!
By Brad Herring
Easter is on our doorstep and drama is in the air! Many of you are searching through prop rooms, rounding up volunteers, and sweating the clock as the days quickly pass away.
One of the major concerns with any production is sound. I believe in order for a production to be successful the sound must be excellent. What's the point of our efforts if the people coming hear nothing but feedback, low volume, hum, and radio interference? It's common to spend months and months working on music, acting, blocking, set construction, and other elements - but sound is usually brought in at the last minute in many churches. The result is devastating.
Unfortunately, in many churches I see this because of a poor or slack attitude on the part of the sound team. Sometimes it's because the minister of music becomes overwhelmed and simply can't deal with it all at once, so sound slips to the end. Other times it's due to costly equipment rental and the fact that the church can not afford the equipment any earlier than first tech rehearsal.
In this article I hope to make some suggestions that will help make your production quality higher and less stressful.
First, be sure to schedule more technical rehearsal time. Your actors and vocalists have been working for months; the tech crew needs more than 1 or 2 tries. The first technical rehearsal should be what's called a Q to Q. This means that the tech team and director show up and walk through the show – line by line, action by action, cue by cue. I find it helpful to have a video tape of the last rehearsal handy for reference. This gives you the actor SAYING the line and DOING the blocking. Now you can visualize the performance, and watch the cue time. This will get you real close. It also flags any errors or omissions that might have happened inadvertently.
Next, you have first tech. The actors and vocalists should be made aware that this rehearsal will be bumpy and that it is not about them. The rehearsal might stop and start many times. Actors need to be nearby and ready for action and a moments notice. This is where the theater becomes like working for film – there will be a lot of hurry up and wait. It is helpful to hold a meeting with your actors and vocalists and explain the reason for this. Help them understand why it's so important and stress the team value. Also, during the rehearsal keep everyone informed of what's happening during a hold. For instance, you might tell them, "We are holding for about 5 minutes. There is a microphone handoff issue we just found and must get it fixed now. Everyone hang tight, we'll be ready to go again soon".
Once you have passed the torture of first tech, your remaining technical rehearsals should go uninterrupted when ever possible. I don't like to stop a rehearsal for any reason, but sometimes a complete train wreck makes it necessary.
I suggest whenever possible a minimum of 2 tech rehearsals AFTER first tech. The more you rehearse the better it will be. Final dress rehearsal should not be stopped for any reason and should be run in order of the show.
Each night after performances you should give acting and vocalist notes first, then technical notes. I usually give tech notes to department heads and let them work it out, but some people prefer everyone to attend the meetings – it's up to you.
Your technical crew should all be familiar with the story – they should have all read the script at least 2 weeks out, heard the CD if possible, and attended at least 1 regular rehearsal. This rehearsal needs to be a complete rehearsal so the tech can begin to visualize what the show is going to be like.
If you are having a tech rehearsal, every technician should be there and should be doing their task. If your wireless microphones aren't rented yet, the channels should be assigned and the operator should be moving the faders as if they were there – learning the show, memorizing cue lines, etc. The idea is to develop team work and integrate tech into the show as soon as possible as many times as you can. The tech team needs to be focused on the rehearsal, not chatting, hanging lights, installing components, or planning – that's what work calls are for.
I know that there is only so much time that you can request of your volunteers, this is one reason I videotape rehearsals. But the fact of the matter is if your tech support is sub-par, your entire performance will suffer. We have been called to excellence. It simply isn't fair to ask people to spend months working on something and then provide only 1 night to try to pull it all together technically.
It's important that your sound people (and all of your technical crew) understand their importance in the success of the show. You should begin to work through know-it-all attitudes and over confidence. Remember the Titanic. An over confident technician is a shipwreck waiting to happen.
Pray. Then pray some more. Include your tech team in ALL pre-rehearsal and pre-show prayer times. Schedule these times so that your crew CAN join you. It is important that everyone share the vision and everyone be on the same page. Make this mandatory.
In the end, remember to show gratitude to the tech crew. If they do their job well, no one even thinks about them. It's important to praise them after good shows, but it's also very easy to forget.
Finally, try to schedule smart. Tech teams are notorious for pulling all nighters and working crazy hours – some of this is the nature of the business, but all too often it's due to poor planning and laziness. The result is a tired and cranky crew. Attitudes go down hill fast and mistakes tend to happen. Being prepared, refreshed and ready to work are the keys to technical success.
May each of you have a blessed Easter production and may the Lord use you to reach your community in whatever way He ordains.
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