Dram 1310 Chapter 5 Lecture Slides: A Day in the Life of a Theatre

1. Chapter 5
A Day in the Life
of a Theatre
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2. 9 A.M.: Entering the Theatre
 A ghost light is kept
burning on stage all night
as a safety feature
 Custodians arrive to clean
theatre from the night
before
 Staff members such as
administrative assistants,
bookkeepers, and ticket
agents report for work
BobO’Connor/GettyImages
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3. 10 A.M.: Checking Wardrobe and
Planning for Next Season
 Artistic director: in charge of
the overall creative vision of
theatre
 Producer: financially backs
the theatre
 Literary manager: evaluates
new scripts and acts as
liaison between playwrights,
agents, and the theatre
 Costume crew: wash and
repair costumes
PatrickRiviere/GettyImages
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4. 11 A.M.: Rehearsing and Building the
Show
 Stage manager: assists
the director through the
rehearsal process
 Technical director:
supervises the
construction crews
 Prop master: in charge
of all the objects the
actors handle while on
stage
WilliamMissouriDowns
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5. NOON: Fund-Raising, Designing, and
Sewing
 Artistic director:
lunches with potential
patron
 Meanwhile, in the
Costume Shop:
Drapers study the
costume designer’s
drawings and cut fabric
into patterns while
stitchers sew the fabric
patterns together
WilliamMissouriDowns
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6. 1 P.M.: More Rehearsing
 Musical director:
supervises all aspects
of the musical
 Choreographer:
creates dances and
teaches the steps to
performers
 Fight director: stages
safe, realistic onstage
fights AP Images/Keith Srakodc
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7. 2 P.M.: Creating Sets and Sounds,
and Advising the Director
 Sound designer:
creates a soundscape
and effects for the
show
 Set designer: creates
the production design
 Dramaturg: is a
literary advisor
Drew Farrell/ArenaPAL/Topham/Image Works
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8. 3 P.M.: Attending Meetings and
Creating a Mission Statement
 Production meeting takes place where all
aspects of the production are discussed
 Mission statement declares the theatre’s
purpose and key objectives
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9. 4 P.M.: Publicizing a Play and Fitting
Costumes
 The publicity department is working to promote
the next play
 Actors try on costumes with the costume shop
manager
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10. 5 P.M.: Brainstorming a Concept
During a concept
meeting for next
season, directors
and designers
brainstorm and
research future
productions.
WilliamMissouriDowns
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11. 6 P.M.: Preparing for the Evening
Performance
 The actors enter
through the stage
door usually located
behind the theatre
 The time the actors
arrive at the theatre
is known as their call
ClaudineMboligikpelaniNako
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12. 7 P.M.: Opening the House
 The house is lingo for
the place where the
audience sits
 The house manager is
in charge of the
ushers
 The greenroom is the
place where the
actors wait before
their entrances
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© 2018 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or, duplicated or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.

13. 8 P.M.: Performing the First Act
 The running
crew consists of
stagehands,
dressers, and
riggers
 Parts of the set
can include legs,
teasers, and the
cyclorama
WilliamMissouriDowns
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14. 9 P.M.: Performing the Final Act
 Actors discuss the
performance during
intermission
 The show can’t run
smoothly without
the lighting board
op, sound board op
and the stage
manager calling all
the cues
MikeGoldwater/AlamyStockPhoto
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15. 10 P.M.: Clearing Out
 After the curtain call,
actors return to
dressing rooms and
remove costumes and
makeup
 Backstage crews
clean up; prop master
puts away props;
running crews stow
equipment
WilliamMissouriDowns
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16. 11 P.M.: Bringing Out the
Ghost Light
Time to roll out the ghost light again, which
remains onstage until the next day.
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17. Curtain Call
A theatre’s ensemble can be divided into four categories:
administrative, creative, construction, and production. And
at nearly any time of the day, members of the ensemble
are hard at work on the elements that create contemporary
professional theatre.
O.Rotem/Lebrecht/TheImageWorks
© 2018 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or, duplicated or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.