What goes on behind the curtain
A behind the scenes look at URI Theatre’s ‘Polaroid Stories’ and the stage crew who makes it come to life. PHOTO CREDIT: uri.edu
While actors and front-of-house staff for the University of Rhode Island’s Theatre Department deserve attention for their success on stage, often the valuable crew working backstage go overlooked.
According to Liam Horne, the stage manager for URI’s upcoming theatre season, backstage crew including the costume, run, sound and lighting teams will play a crucial role in the Theatre Department’s first show of the semester, Naomi Iizuka’s “Polaroid Stories.”
Under Horne’s instruction, the “Polaroid Stories” crew consists of seven assistant stage managers (ASM) including Hannah Bagshaw, Rose Bohac, Caoilfhionn Farrell, Sophia Greco, Bianca Iafrate, Casey Pratt and Meghan Turner.
Horne said he is incredibly thankful for the work he conducts with his team of ASMs.
“The ASMs are really my go-tos for shows,” Horne said. “Without them, my job is a thousand times harder, and every single ASM I have worked with has brought their own unique and valuable qualities to the table to help make the show become a reality,”
Horne and his crew of ASMs have many overlapping responsibilities, but Horne holds more authority and gives cues during their runs, rather than just relaying them.
“They do a lot of similar paperwork to me,” Horne said. “As for in the rehearsal room and show runs, they’re there to make sure the actors are on top of their lines, and to catch anything that may fall through the cracks. They truly make the process so much easier.”
According to Casey Pratt, a sophomore theatre major with a focus in design tech, these managers are involved in almost every aspect of the production and are important in producing the show successfully. Their duties included working with actors before and during the show, as well as setting and indicating cues during the show to crews behind the scenes.
During rehearsals, one of the most important duties of an ASM is taking notes on actors’ lines and positioning on the stage, according to Pratt.
The positioning notes, also known as blocking, take place early in the production’s rehearsal schedule, where the actors and director work together to figure out what movements and positioning work best for any given scene. The actors’ blocking is usually finalized early on in the production of a show, before they rehearse full run-throughs.
Line notes, on the other hand, are discussed at every rehearsal throughout the production. Any time an actor does not have their lines fully correct in a rehearsal, it is noted for future reference to help actors improve to ensure that they are correct in time for the final performance.
Many of the ASMs for this show and others put on by the Theatre Department are taking THE 221: Stage Management. The students in this course are required to take a management role in one of the productions put on at URI this season. The students in the course this semester who not involved in “Polaroid Stories” will be running shows later this semester.
Pratt said that his experience as an ASM is very different from what he has done in the past for previous productions.
“Previously, with lighting or scenic, I went in and built sets,” Pratt said. “I didn’t have to interact with actors to do that, I didn’t have to go to rehearsals. It’s a very different experience.”
While the stage manager gives cues to the teams behind the scenes, the ASMs must convey these cues to members who do not have direct communication with the stage manager. They also handle many of the props backstage, ensuring they are in the correct place during shows and practices.
Pratt said that stage managing and being an assistant stage manager are vastly different tasks and he praised Horne for his work on “Polaroid Stories.”
“Liam Horne is so good at his job,” he said. “He has so much on his plate. He does so much for the show. He is at every rehearsal and gets two days off per week. Even then he is still doing stuff for the show. I think that’s absolutely insane.”
Though Pratt does not believe that he could be the stage manager for this show, he has enjoyed his role as an ASM and would like to do so again. Polaroid Stories will be performed from Oct. 13-16 and Oct. 20-23 at Will Theatre. Tickets can be purchased at the URI Theatre Department’s website.