Show Power

The great Load-In has begun.

Load-In is the literal load in of all the equipment, technical instruments, set pieces, etc., to be used as part of the physical production of the show. Even though we do not start public performances until our first preview on September 23rd, it takes a seriously long time and some seriously skilled labor to bring the physical production to life.

Here's a shot of some of the lighting equipment waiting to be taken to their new home:

The cast doesn't take to the stage for tech until after Labor Day (which is crazy late this year by the by), but the crews in the Shubert will have already been in there a month before any actor walks out onto that stage.

Here's a shot of the stage from the center Mezzanine:

I almost wish I had one of those time lapse camera dealies to capture this whole thing coming together. Ah sigh...

They have actually built a platform over the orchestra seats in which to house all of the road boxes full of equipment because space backstage is extremely limited:

Here is the mezzanine view of those road boxes:

This show has a lot of scenery- the book has many different locations: an underground Beale Street bar, a department store, a radio station, a recording studio, the inside of a house, a road, a bridge, a television studio, a dressing room, a church... there are a lot of moving pieces, trap doors, the whole enchilada. Let's just say its a big Broadway musical.

Speaking of big Broadway musicals, I have to talk about the Shubert Theatre for a second. This is the home to the original production of A Chorus Line people. Kiss Me, Kate, the revival of Chicago, A Little Night Music, the 2003 revival of Gypsy with Bernadette Peters...this is good company to be in.

Fun Fact: On a personal note, A Chorus Line was the first show I ever directed back in college so it sort of feels like coming full circle. Though my show was a limited run of one weekend while the original Broadway production ran for 6,137 performances, or, you know, 15 years! http://www.achorusline.com/achorusline_history.php

This theater is seriously gorgeous. Here's the view of the house from Stage Left:

The best part about walking around back stage is seeing actual evidence of shows that have been there. Like this little memento from the most recent tenant, Spamalot:

Current Memphis cast member, Kevin Covert, was in Spamalot and will no doubt be key in unlocking all of the hidden treasures of the Shubert. Look for his blog this week!

There is something completely magical about seeing the inner workings of a stage.

I love watching a show from the audience, but I also LOVE knowing how things are going down backstage. I think quick costume changes are my obsession- I love trying to figure out how they stage and rig a change. I also think its funny when you see an actor running offstage already reaching for a zipper-that's a quick change.

Fun Fact: In Opera, anything under 10 minutes is considered a quick change. In 10 minutes, I could change your clothes, wash, dry, press them and still have time for some idle gossip.

My absolute favorite part of today, was discovering this little gem:

World, meet my new favorite phrase: Show Power.

Let me be the first to say that Memphis has some serious Show Power.