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What's a TD
Overview and Organization
The Technical Director, TD for short, is responsible for the construction of the set, organizing builds, keeping track of hours, Put-In, Strike, and the safety of everyone involved with the show. The TD has FINAL SAY in all matters related to safety, from the set design to props to audience placement.
**INSERT SPIEL ABOUT DELEGATION. IF YOU ARE A FUTURE TD READING THIS AND YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IM TALKING ABOUT, TLDR PLEASE TELL PEOPLE TO DO THINGS AND DONT DO EVERYTHING YOURSELF. DELEGATIONNNNNNN***
TD is a BIG JOB and takes a lot of time. Take this into account when figuring out your commitments for this semester. I believe in you, though!
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Talk to the Set Designer and make yourself a google sheet of set pieces. Label them as you go – TO BE BUILT IN A BUILD (smaller setpiecesset pieces), TO BE ACQUIRED (chairs and platforms, see below), ALREADY BUILT (yay!), TO BE BUILT AT PUT IN (larger setpieces set pieces that can't fit through doors if you build them in the set shop).
Acquiring material
Conferring with Master Carpenter: Look down at your list of set pieces and draw out designs of how you want to build them. Make a big list of wood, luon, plywood, and the like that you'll need. Chat with your Master Carpenter to make sure finalize how you're on the same pagebuilding them and your materials. The TD is responsible for procuring all the raw material for sets. Things like luon luan are best to be scavenged from the set shop and the office, but a trip to Home Depot and Backstage Hardware usually takes care of the rest of your needs (office wood is mostly useful for panic "oh shit we need x" during builds or put-in). General set shop rules is are you should be leaving as much material as you're using.
Reusability: The next thing you should do is scout out the set shop and/or office to find set pieces that you can reuse, specifically platforms. The platforms in the office have the benefit of being closer, but they are very heavy and overbuilt. The Many of the platforms in the set shop are farther away and overused (meaning there are a lot of old screw holes), but they are a lot lighter. Decide what you think is more importantold, but there are some newer ones and many of the old ones are still in good shape. Still, when reusing older platforms, I would keep an eye out for problematic things such as many screw holes, weaknesses in the frame, disintegrating wood, and similar. . There are plenty of chairs and tables and generic things like that in the set shop that are great for any sort of set. Get in there with a roll of tape and a sharpie and mark pieces you'd like to use for the show with "SE [SHOW NAME] [TIME/YEAR]" (example: "SE HAMLET FALL 17"). This will let other theater groups know what has already been claimed. Furniture in the office is also always up for grabs! There are IKEA tables that are in the office that are good. Budgeting can be hard, don't spend money you don't have to!
If you want things to roll (like platforms or big set pieces like bookcases), you should put wheels on the bottom of them. There are some in the set shop and some in the office. If it is important that these things are stationary when they are being used, (like if someone stands or fights on it), use the orange ones that are (IDK IF THEY'RE IN THE OFFICE OR THE SET SHOP WILL CHECK LATER). They are so much better than all the other ones. If it's less important that they stay still, just use the regular set shop ones. Make sure they're all the same size!
A list of materials should be compiled as soon as possible during the production process so it can be updated quickly and easily- you don't want to spend an extra hour of travel time because you forgot to buy the dowel pins when you had a U-Haul. Make sure you're aware of Home Depot's and U-Haul's hours before scheduling this trip. Home Depot's Pro Desk (for delivery) is only open during business hours. Email out about someone driving a U-Haul. ~prod hours~
Paint can be acquired from Home Depot - the Set Designer, Scenic Painter, and TD should meet before the home depot trip and decide on what colors (and gloss levels) should be purchased from Home Depot (in addition to what's in the cabinet). This should happen several days in advance at least, and it should be made sure that home depot knows what those colors mean. Paint can be more expensive than you think, so be sure to get a sense of what the Scenic Painter wants, what paint we already have, and how much you need/will be willing to spend ahead of time.
Any materials that need to be shipped to campus should be ordered with at least a week's grace period between their expected arrival and Put-In. 2+ week shipping times are normal, especially for heavy items.
Reusing can save money and time. Just be sure to prioritize safety
Paint: Paint can be acquired from Home Depot - the Set Designer, Scenic Painter, and TD should meet before the home depot trip and decide on what colors (and gloss levels) should be purchased from Home Depot (in addition to what's in the cabinet). Paint can be more expensive than you think, so be sure to get a sense of what the Scenic Painter wants, what paint we already have, and how much you need/will be willing to spend ahead of time. You should ideally choose a Behr or Glidden paint for most cost-efficient results.
Ordering online: Any materials that need to be shipped to campus should be ordered with at least a week's grace period between their expected arrival and Put-In. 2+ week shipping times are normal, especially for heavy items.
Masonite: Masonite is the material used to cover the floor in Sala. CAC has decided we can no longer paint the floor in KLT. There is a set of masonite in the office that is cut to cover the stage in KLT if the set designer wants it to be painted. NOTE FROM 2023: Post covid while there is Sala masonite, I have never encountered KLT masonite. Also, we are no longer allowed to paint inside Sala, so painting the masonite requires taking it outside. This significantly increases time, so masonite designs need to be considered with this in mind. I would strongly recommend doing designs with something like masking tape that can be easily applied and removed, if possible.
Masonite is the material used to cover the floor in Sala. CAC has decided we can no longer paint the floor in KLT. There is a set of masonite in the office that is cut to cover the stage in KLT if the set designer wants it to be painted. For the walls, we have tried hanging up linoleum and painting it, to moderate success. It was a pain to get it to lay flat, so it might be better to screw masonite to the wall. Edit this wiki if you try that, I'm curious. NOTE FROM 2023: I have no idea what this means. What walls? KLT walls? Currently we are not allowed to attach anything to KLT walls with screws/do any alterations to KLT of this nature.
The masonite is now kept in La Sala, in the audience riser closet. Never cut masonite unless you canMost of the masonite is now kept in the office or in La Sala. Never cut masonite unless you can't help it. You can always paint "not-stage" a different color than "stage" to make up for not cutting it to the right size/ shape. Audience supplies are also kept in La Sala – find someone who knows how to assemble audience to help you out, but there are more instructions lower in this doc.
Gaffe Gaff and Fire retardant: Gaff tape and flame retardant can be purchased from Backstage hardwareonline. E33 also sells high-quality Gaff. Flame retardant is ~$25 per gallon of paint. MAKE SURE you have enough of both gaffe gaff tape and flame retardant before Put-In. Additionally, make sure that fire retardant is added to each gallon of paint as it is opened. ProGaffe tape is better than ShurTape.
Make sure you have 5+ sharpies. They're really useful and people need them to measure things to cut and such (although colored pencils also work for this). Worse, people never return them to you when they're done with them, so it's hard to get by with just one or two. We also now have pencils (they are wide and in a cylindrical case somewhere. Make sure the sharpener exists.
In general, make sure you know where everything is Organization: In general, make sure you know where everything is being stored. There can often be so many small components that they are hard to keep track of and easy to lose, so be sure keep things in at least a semi-organized state and ensure that people communicate to you promptly where things are placed and if things are ever moved around.
Sala door signs: We have nice black luan signs that we use to block light in Sala by where audience comes in, and MTG has matching ones that we use to block the other door. If we want to borrow the signs that block out the windows from MTG, we should contact them in advance. Black trash bags also work, although they don't look as nice. We share them with MTG, and they are passed between the two offices.
Builds
The TD should begin scheduling builds as soon as possible. This varies from show to show, but builds should start at the latest the weekend after final set design is due (you can always start earlier with set pieces that you know will happen no matter what!). Put the time you want to have your builds on the build calendar (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1eknzAu2E1UHNJsdC8K2D3sX_Mn4nj92i-tLh4QF0eY4/edit#gid=21) so we don't overlap with MTG, as well as on the show calendar so that you don't overlap with builds for other departments. Ignore the generic where it says we build Saturday mornings – that's outdated. A good amount of time for builds is generally 3-4 hours per week, but you may need to put in extra hours for particularly extensive sets. Try to make sure Always overestimate the time it'll take to build something. Try to make sure you are having sufficient build time early on so you don't have to be trying to finish everything yourself during or right before tech week. You may want to alternate days builds happen, so people with other conflicts have a chance to go.
Always email out to people-who-should-come-to-builds@mit.edu (not to any other mailing list) about builds.
Builds need not be dedicated to the completion of a given set piece. It is often advantageous to measure and cut lumber at builds, especially as put-in approaches. Keep in mind that anything constructed at builds must live in the set shop until Tech Week (the theater group with the next Put-In can store set pieces in the front part near the Set Shop doorway) and must fit through relevant doorways and into the freight elevator. Big set pieces HAVE to be saved until Put-In. If you finish set pieces, try to paint them entirely before Put-In. The entire set usually needs to be painted during tech week, and it helps a lot when pieces don't require painting so just the floor/backdrop can be focused on. Coordinate with the scenic painter if they want to have painting builds!
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Check the list of set pieces to be completed periodically to ensure that everything is being built on schedule. Large set pieces with many components are suitable to be worked on during builds, while smaller set pieces tend to be one- or two-person jobs. Still, be sure that these smaller jobs are still being done.
Set Shop
The two (previously three, rip) theater groups that use the set shop have written up several documents in an effort to keep the set shop clean and safe. These documents are all linked to here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bONe-KXnjkrsZy7yjn0W8GUtsDNZgBuEc9c5KTbo9bo/edit?usp=sharing
Review these documents thoroughly before having any builds in the set shop. Be sure to adhere to the rules, and mark when your builds are to make scheduling easier. You may also want to add yourself to the contact sheet of people who know things about the set shop. If you have any questions, ask the set shop manager.
We have our own area in the set shop, by where the dexion is being stored. We currently have our power drills, mitre saw, circ saw, jig saw, and other hand tools stored there. Everything that belongs to the Ensemble should be marked with a blue sticker. You should never use another group's equipment without asking first (like if the circ saw breaks). You can use the panel saw, that's communal! And really useful!
UHAULs
Getting UHAULs for Home Depot/Put-In/Strike is really important. It is essential for Home Depot/Strike – Home Depot because you can't take that wood yourself, and Strike because of the time crunch. Put-In is iffy – it is not cheap (~$40 if you get the insurance. Which you should.) If you have a lot of big set pieces that would be hard to transport (like Measure for Measure, where we had like 60 feet of flats), it's worth getting one. If you have more smaller pieces, even if there are a lot, and they would be happy on the Dex cart, you should bring it over like that. Consult your budget and consult your MC about what they think.
Set Shop
The two (previously three, rip) theater groups that use the set shop have written up several documents in an effort to keep the set shop clean and safe. These documents are all linked to here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bONe-KXnjkrsZy7yjn0W8GUtsDNZgBuEc9c5KTbo9bo/edit?usp=sharing
Review these documents thoroughly before having any builds in the set shop. Be sure to adhere to the rules, and mark when your builds are to make scheduling easier. You may also want to add yourself to the contact sheet of people who know things about the set shop. If you have any questions, ask the set shop manager.
We have our own area in the set shop, by where the dexion is being stored. We currently have our power drills, mitre saw, circ saw, jig saw, and other hand tools stored there. Everything that belongs to the Ensemble should be marked with a blue sticker. You should never use another group's equipment without asking first (like if the circ saw breaks). You can use the panel saw, that's communal! And really useful!
The set shop is kind of far from the ensemble office as well as our performance spaces, so it can be difficult to move set pieces back and forth. For a small amount of items, the dexion cart (which lives in the set shop) as well as the ensemble's shopping carts (which lives in the ensemble office) can be used for transportation. If the set has a lot of pieces, The set shop is kind of far from the ensemble office as well as our performance spaces, so it can be difficult to move set pieces back and forth. For a small amount of items, the dexion cart (which lives in the set shop) as well as the ensemble's shopping carts (which lives in the ensemble office) can be used for transportation. If the set has a lot of pieces, you will want to use a U-Haul during Put-In/Strike. It is much more important during strike, since we are more pressed for time.
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- That it meets fire and safety regulations
- Any platforms more than 4 feet off the ground require railings, and railings must be 42" tall.
- That the exits are wide and straightforward
- That the entire set can be seen from booth
- That it fits in la Sala and/or KLT (It's also helpful if it fits in 491/ 407, since anything larger tends to be pointless, since blocking is never done in rooms larger than 491/407), with room for backstage, the entrances and exits actors need, enough audience room.
- Likewise, it should be able to fit backstage/through the wings if it has to be there. Check where the set designer put the back curtain in KLT.
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The TD is responsible for meeting with CAC to get final approval for the set design a week or two before Tech Weeksafety meetings with CAC and EHS. Our current contact at CAC is Meredith Sibley (mfsibley@mit.edu), and our current EHS contact is Alice Ursella (aursella@mit.edu). The producer should also attend this meeting, and it can be helpful for the set designer , and perhaps the lighting designer, to be present. The producer is in charge of scheduling this meeting.Either the producer or technical director should schedule these meetings. Two meetings generally occur: a preliminary sets and safety meeting soon after the set design is finalized, and a second meeting for lights much later on, usually a week before tech week.
The primary purpose of the first The primary purpose of the meeting is to assure CAC and EHS that the technical elements of the show are safe. The meeting typically consists of a short summary of the set from the TD/set designer, including any particularly challenging or unique set elements; the light plot from light designer; , the weapons plan from the props designer; , a production safety, and a work safety plan. See the sample documents here.This is also when we request tables, chairs, EHS now requires a 3D CAD of the set (or at least, photos of a CAD). Vectorworks tends to be terrible for 3D CAD, but it is useful for lights and showing general layout, so you should still have a vectorworks set design even if it isn't what you use for the 3D CAD. This meeting is also when we request tables, chairs, costume racks, Germans (the large audience risers), and butterflies (larger but shorter risers). You will need more tables than you think, ask for 15 + number needed on stage. They are used for booth, changing room, and keeping backstage tidy. If you want a fancy ticketing table, ask for one or two of the tables to have a maroon skirt.
If you're in Sala, you also need to ask for the Genie key at this meeting. Genie is the lift that exists that is helpful for lights hanging. Meredith will either give it to you now (if you mention it in the email) or will let you know when you can come pick it up and drop it off.
Sleep
No seriously. You will be up late on Saturday putting up scaff (if you're in Sala), and up early on Sunday for put-in. During Tech Week you should expect to spend 3-4 hours per day putting up audience or finishing set pieces, on top of PSets and rehearsals (although there is some work that can be done during rehearsals, anything noisy has to be done earlier or later in the day).
Put-In and Tech Week
Alright, this is it. The big one. The one you've been waiting for. The day where you ascend to godhood. It is up to you to ensure that the space is ready to go for the show. You can do it!!!
Before Put-In
This is also when you should ask anything about the MEWPs (Mobile Elevating Work Platforms, i.e. lifts for reaching high spaces). It can be useful to have both the Genie and Skyjack (2 different kinds of lifts we have at our disposal) for Sala to make things go faster.
The second meeting is similar, but for lights. You will need a lighting plot made in vectorworks, a cable plot, and an instrument schedule. You should also ask about picking up the genie and skyjack keys at this meeting.
Examples of documents for both of these meetings can be found in the Technical Director Samples drive here.
If you're in Sala, you also need to ask for the Sala and Genie keys at the meeting. Genie is the lift that exists that is helpful for lights hanging. Meredith will either give it to you now (if you mention it in the email) or will let you know when you can come pick it up and drop it off.
Sleep
No seriously. You will be up early on Sunday for put-in. During Tech Week you should expect to spend 3-4 hours per day putting up audience or finishing set pieces, on top of PSets and rehearsals (although there is some work that can be done during rehearsals, anything noisy has to be done earlier or later in the day).
Put-In and Tech Week
Alright, this is it. The big one. The one you've been waiting for. The day where you ascend to godhood. It is up to you to ensure that the space is ready to go for the show. You can do it!!!
Before Put-In
- Put-In is usually the Sunday before tech week, lasting from 7am - 11 pm.
Each actor and Ensemble member is required to complete a number of hours, usually 8. Details on this have varied from show to show – use your best judgement. If membership is particularly large, for example, you could only require 6 hours. - Email out a google form asking for everyone's availability and what they are comfortable doing/skill level doing so
- Heights, power tools, painting detail work, sewing, carrying heavy things... things like that
- Dietary restrictions/pizza preferences
- Email department heads, asking:
- How many hours their department will need
- How many people they need
- When they think they'll need them
- The rule for department heads is that they should arrive at 7am when Put-In starts and should stay until their department is over or until they have completed their 8 hours, whichever is longer.
- Once you have this information, you want to start making your scheduling spreadsheet. There are fantastic examples from earlier shows – if you don't have one, for some reason, contact the previous TD.
part of the spreadsheet from She Kills Monsters (summer 2018) credit to Cami
- Scheduling is hard. The most important thing is that you want to make sure there are no "dead" hours, meaning you want to make sure there are always enough
- Put-In is usually the Sunday before tech week, lasting from 7am - 11 pm. Each actor and Ensemble member is required to complete a number of hours, usually 8. Details on this have varied from show to show – use your best judgement. If membership is particularly large, for example, you could only require 6 hours.
- Email out a google form asking for everyone's availability and what they are comfortable doing/skill level doing so
- Heights, power tools, painting detail work, sewing, carrying heavy things... things like that
- Dietary restrictions/pizza preferences
- Email department heads, asking:
- How many hours their department will need
- How many people they need
- When they think they'll need them
- The rule for department heads is that they should arrive at 7am when Put-In starts and should stay until their department is over or until they have completed their 8 hours, whichever is longer.
- Once you have this information, you want to start making your scheduling spreadsheet. There are fantastic examples from earlier shows – if you don't have one, for some reason, contact the previous TD.
part of the spreadsheet from She Kills Monsters (summer 2018) credit to Cami
Scheduling is hard. The most important thing is that you want to make sure there are no "dead" hours, meaning you want to make sure there are always enough people on a task at a time to be getting things done – if there is an hour where there are only 2 people assigned for sets, for example, not much is likely to get done. You also want to pick out sets/lights people who are experienced to help lead what is happening during that time – remember, you won't be building during Put-In.- At the same time you're doing this, make a checklist of things that need to be done and when you think you can do them. This is extreeeeeemely useful, so don't slack on this. I split time into a few sections: FIRST THING, MORNING, AFTERNOON, and LAST THING. First thing is stuff like getting things from the set shop and setting up a tool area, morning is things
- New members probably won't have skills. New members probably won't have skills. That's okay! See where they'd like to go, and help them learn from upperclassmen. You might help find the next lighting designer or TD...!!!!
- Remember, the sets people there in the morning will be doing runs from the set shop to bring set pieces over. They should have the full list of set pieces for this.
- You're going to want to schedule someone to be the TD's assistant – they're in charge of ordering food and taking attendance when people arrive. There is a term job for the food master who should be in charge of food, and the SM is a good choice to replace them when they leave. Dunkin Donuts for breakfast, Dominos for lunch.
- Once the schedule is done, send it out to everybody so they know when they're scheduled.
- Make sure everything is ready to go – first aid kit, tools, list of set pieces in the set shop...
- If you're in Sala, you need to construct scaff the night before. Contact the lights team to do this, or it can be a last-minute chance for prod hours.
- The night before, send out one final email to everybody, reminding them of these things:
- You should have your prod hours done by put-in. If not, email the TD to figure something out.
- Check the spreadsheet again to ensure they know when they're coming in and what they're doing
- Wear closed toed shoes, clothing you aren't afraid to get covered in paint, and tie back long hair
- If you hear someone yell GROUND CREW, stop what you're doing and go to move scaff. Everyone is ground crew.
- If you are uncomfortable with what you're doing, you should tell the TD and they will find you something else to do
- If you ever are looking for something to do, ask the TD
- HYDRATE OR DIEDRATE
- If you're on lights, bring an adjustable wrench attached to your belt.
Put-In
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Before put-in, make sure you know what actors can do what and when they are available in order to schedule everyone for a reasonable time slot so that everything can be done. Ask whether people are afraid of heights and whether they can lift heavy things in addition to whether they have lighting experience. Make sure you have first-aid kit at Put-In, and again at Strike.
Put-In is the first day that the Ensemble is in space and is the single most important day for sets. Lights are hung, masonite is placed, big things are built, etc, etc. Generally Put-In officially runs from 7 am to 11 pm, though in reality it can go until 1am. Each member of the cast is required to attend Put-In for a a number of hours which varies from show to show (usually 8). The TD should schedule actors ahead of time (about two weeks) and attempt to distribute manpower throughout the day. Additionally, the TD should talk to lights, costumes, and props to see if/how much manpower they anticipate requiring during Put-In and when they want it during the day.
To reiterate, people involved with the show or members who do not complete their Pre-Put-In hours or do not complete their 8 hours at Put-In will lose their 2 comp tickets. Make sure that these people know the consequences of inaction.
Monument, the scaffolding in La Sala, should be constructed the night before Put-In if possible. This will save lights an hour or two of time in the morning, which helps everyone in the long run.
Lights are usually the rate determining step. Make sure everyone knows this, and knows that when people shout for ground-crew, they should drop everything and go help.
Put-In is the TD's baby and everyone at Put-In is the TD's bitch. The TD must be present in space for the entirety of Put-In. A list of jobs-which-need-doing should be bouncing around in their head, as actors will need direction. If a chalkboard can be obtained, it's helpful to write this list of things down, so that people know what they can go help with if the TD is too busy to ask. Delegating is a good thing; life will run much more smoothly if a competent person is placed in charge of a given project so the TD doesn't need to worry about every detail. Less competent actors can be shoved at these more competent people and told to ask them how they can help, freeing up the TD to put out fires or deal with other actors. Some tasks should be done by the TD, however, especially any job that would take more time to explain than complete. The TD should be in charge, making sure everyone has a job and everything is getting done. If there is nothing else to do, you shouldn't be afraid to get your hands dirty, though!
Ordering food is nice, it makes your helpers happier and more likely to come on time. Usually donuts and coffee (although Dunkin Donuts won't be open yet, so find one that is and order, or go to Verde's or buy them ahead of time) for breakfast, pizza for lunch, cookies for later in the day.
Assigning run-time jobs is the SM's job, but since it may affect Put-In you may want to check in with the SM about this. Things that need to be assigned include:
- clean the stage
- clean the audience
- clean the dressing room
- laundry (assign multiple people if play involves blood)
- clean props (as necessary)
- buy food (candy) for dressing room - a lot, actors are greedy
- buy water (and cups) for the dressing room - a lot, actors are thirsty
- silence doors
- warm ups
- morale
- props
(More jobs can be added as necessary to make the number of jobs equal the number of actors)
The Rest of Tech Week
- If you have a competents sets person in charge of this that lives in EC, you might want to ask them to go to the set shop first instead of space to get things ready for when friends come.
- You're going to want to designate someone you trust as Put-In-Assistant TD (if you don't already have a formal Assistant or Co-TD). If, let's say, you need to leave space to deal with something in the set shop, this person should have an idea of what needs to get done such that they can tell people to do things if other tasks get completed. Sit down with them a few days prior to Put In so that they have a sense of the Put In so they can effectively lead in your absence.
- You're also going to want to schedule someone to be the TD's assistant – they're in charge of ordering food and taking attendance when people arrive. There is a term job for the food master who should be in charge of food, and the SM is a good choice to replace them when they leave. Dunkin Donuts for breakfast, Dominos for lunch. (according to older versions of thie wiki we used to get cookies in the evening... I'm jealous)
- Once the schedule is done, send it out to everybody so they know when they're scheduled.
- Make sure everything is ready to go – first aid kit, tools, list of set pieces in the set shop...
- If you're in Sala, you need to construct scaff the night before. Contact the lights team to do this, or it can be a last-minute chance for prod hours.
- The night before, send out one final email to everybody, reminding them of these things:
- You should have your prod hours done by put-in. If not, email the TD to figure something out.
- Check the spreadsheet again to ensure they know when they're coming in and what they're doing
- Wear closed toed shoes, clothing you aren't afraid to get covered in paint, and tie back long hair
- If you hear someone yell GROUND CREW, stop what you're doing and go to move scaff. Everyone is ground crew.
- If you are uncomfortable with what you're doing, you should tell the TD and they will find you something else to do
- If you ever are looking for something to do, ask the TD
- HYDRATE OR DIEDRATE
- If you're on lights, bring an adjustable wrench attached to your belt.
- GO THE FUCK TO SLEEP. If you don't get 8 hours before put-in, you're gonna be reeeeeeal sad.
Put-In
- General tips:
- You should never pick up a drill. You're a delegator, not a builder.
- If you've been standing for more than 3 hours, you should sit down for at least a few minutes. Your legs will thank you.
- Likewise, hydrate and eat.
- Make sure you give people specific tasks. It is much much more effective to tell someone to "screw the legs on that table" than "go help sets." Make sure everybody has a job, and everything is getting done.
- Make sure people are being safe. Safety glases and tarps on floors are a must.
- Remember: everyone is stressed, including you. Take care of each other. Ask someone how they are doing. Smile and laugh at a your mom joke. Send a hellmo to Coprolite. It's okay.
- If it gets too much, you should take some time for yourself. Hide in the bathroom for the length of your favorite song just to refocus yourself. Treat yourself to stud boba.
- If people have been working all day (like your master carpenter or lighting designer), make sure you give them (and yourself!) a dinner break. We don't provide dinner at Put-In!
- First things first: get your food guy getting Dunkin (THE DUNKIN IN THE STUD IS CLOSED AT 7 AM) , get attendance going, get sets people to start bringing things from the set shop, get lights people doing their thing.
- What I like to do is get one of those big whiteboards and write down that checklist you made earlier. This is useful for several reasons. First, it lets you easily keep track of what has been done already and what still needs to be done. It also lets you assign people to tasks and keep track of where they are. Second, it's useful to have it to just sit down and re-think through what is going on. It can be great to help you re-focus on everything. Third, if someone asks you for something to do, it's easy for you to just look over and give them something to do!
Mary's checklist from Queen Lear (spring 2018). This was at the end of the day. You can see a lot of things got moved around or added as the day progressed. - Print out copies of the set design so people can consult them even when you/the set designer aren't around!
- When the people get back from the set shop with the tools, have someone set up a tool area. If you're in KLT, just put things in the back in the scene shop. If you're in Sala, you need to set up some tables. Tape out this area and don't let people inside if they don't have PPE/they don't know how to use the Mitre saw.
- All the drill chargers should be plugged in and all batteries that aren't being used should be charging. ALWAYS plug in dead batteries, or there will come a time in the afternoon where all the drills are dead.
- Remind people using saws that if they're about to make a cut, they should yell LOUD to warn people.
- From here on, things are rolling. Keep track of everyone and everything, check in on departments, help to solve problems. Pizza will come at some point, and everyone should chill and eat for a half hour. Then keep going. People will leave, people will come in. Keep everyone moving. You've got a show to do!
Remember, you're probably not going to get everything done. This is okay. However, you want to get as much done during Put-In while you're guaranteed to have people there to help you as you can. - Don't forget to make booth! Something like 4 Germans should do it.
- Don't forget about setting up audience if you're in Sala! Everybody forgets this and everybody is really sad when they realize they forgot.
The Rest of Tech Week
Tech Week is the week that will make or break a TD. Generally after Put-In the set still needs to be painted, blacks need to be hung, windows need to be blacked out, audience needs to be put up, and a hundred other things need to be done.
After Put-In, check in with the producer. We now have a clause in the actor contract mentioning post put-in hours; two are required by default, but this number can be adjusted as necessary. If there isn't much that still needs to be done, you should let the producer know to email the cast/crew (or email yourself) that the hours are not required. If there's a lot left to do, bleed those actors dry.
The TD should have a plan for making sure the set is done in a reasonable time frame while keeping in mind that actors act on it every night so paint must be dry and the stage must be clear and that CAC kicks us out of La Sala at 2 AM (sometimes even earlier) and KLT also early.
If there are big things that need to be done (like setting up audience in Sala), ask prodstaff if you can steal the first half hour or so of rehearsal to get actors to help do this. A lot of hands makes it go much, much faster.
If people need to access space at different times of the day, ensure there's a plan for someone to be in space in between (because CAC doesn't like opening/locking up multiple times).
Assigning run-time jobs is the SM's job, but since it may affect Put-In you may want to check in with the SM about this. Things that need to be assigned include:
- clean the stage
- clean the audience
- clean the dressing room
- laundry (assign multiple people if play involves blood)
- clean props (as necessary)
- buy food (candy) for dressing room - a lot, actors are greedy
- buy water (and cups) for the dressing room - a lot, actors are thirsty
- silence doors
- warm ups
- morale
- props
(More jobs can be added as necessary to make the number of jobs equal the number of actors)
Tech Week is the week that will make or break a TD. Generally after Put-In the set still needs to be painted, blacks need to be hung, windows need to be blacked out, audience needs to be put up, and a hundred other things need to be done. The TD should have a plan for making sure the set is done in a reasonable time frame while keeping in mind that actors act on it every night so paint must be dry and the stage must be clear and that CAC kicks us out of La Sala at 2 AM (sometimes even earlier). If extra hands are needed, the TD shouldn't be afraid of mailing out asking for help, though this may be difficult because actors are quite tired during tech week and no longer have the incentive of prod hours to come and help. Blacks generally take at least 3-4 people to hang. The audience (both Germans and chairs) is best put up right before or after a rehearsal because every actor can be drafted.
Transitions & Organizing Set Pieces Backstage
Setting up the Audience
Either the TD or the set designer has to formulate a plan for the audience plans. There are various arcane regulations about the layout of the aisles. Chairs are approximately 17" across. There are two types of audience platforms in general use: Germans and butterflies. Germans are 1m by 2m, and can hold about 2 rows of 2 each people (or one row of 4-5 people) each. There exist something like 16 or 20 Germans. Butterflies are 6 feet by 8 feet, and can hold 2 rows of 5 chairs each. CAC has something like 24 butterflies, but usually we only use 4 or 5. Butterflies can only be set at one height; Germans can be set at a variety of heights. Some heights are at preset intervals, and some of them require the use of additional pins. There are 4 preset heights on Germans, the lowest of which matches the height of the butterflies.
Setting up the Audience
(Please update this after spring 2022 show! I (Mary) am putting this based on memory from Merry Wives of Windsor (spring 2020). There was a pandemic shortly after we did this, so details may be inaccurate due to pandemic fog brain. It is also entirely possible CAC has gotten even newer audience since then and all of this is useless lol. Ask Meredith what the current situation with the audience is, and ask for an amount shown in these pictures.)
CAC has a lovely audience set that you can put together. It isn't too painful at all; you just need to understand what goes where. The main thing to keep in mind is that every other platform has legs directly beneath it, not all of them. You will run out of legs if you try and put legs under each one. You connect them with the diamonds that have four pegs (see image.) The "floating" platforms (the ones that don't have legs directly under them) are hanging over, while the leg platforms are directly above.If you have an even number of platforms, you will have two pegs sticking out on the end, which is OK. You can also use the trapezoid and double caps to attach the extra ones as well. The front rows will be those flatter platforms (i have them called "butterflies" in my notes). It will probably make more sense with pictures, so luckily I took a lot.
(dabbing Sarah not required, but is encouraged)
You'll want to ask for 16 of the platforms, 2 ( ? ) butterflies for the front, 150 chairs. You also want about 15 tables (dressing room, tickets, booth, saws, etc.)
Be sure to leave an aisle in the middle for people to climb up, as well as one on the side. You may need to use the steps in the ensemble office. Also, try and make sure there are guards to stop the chairs from falling in the gaps behind the platforms – just a bit of 2x4 works wellPlatforms can be obtained from CAC. Make sure that butterfly steps and German hardware are around when they're delivered to La Sala. Pretty much all audience platforms (any chairs not on the ground or on butterflies) should have toe rails. This can be pretty much anything - 1×3s or dexion is best, thicker pieces of wood will also work. Extra audience rails can either be borrowed from MTG (they're in the scene shop in Walker basement) or built, but there are a large number of them in the ensemble office already. The difficult part is to make sure that the railing are stable and must be reinforced below the seating platform to avoid wobbling. Additionally, toe rails need to be added to the audience platforms so that chairs don't slide off the back- any scrap wood is fine for this. Make sure that all platforms that vary in height by more than 8" have a step present, and that it is firmly attached. Generally this is only an issue with the butterflies.
Audience size: you can look at the number of audience members expected for a given show and use that to decide how many seats to add or remove for that show. The size of the audience may depend on how well-known the show is - a well-known show can attract up to 150 people per night, but 100 might be larger than can be expected for something nobody's ever heard of.
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Strike runs after the show's last performance. Strike is the time when everything is taken down, moved out of La Sala or KLT, and somehow stuffed into the Ensemble Office and the set shop. Strike is the TD's second baby and everyone at Strike is still the TD's bitch. While the TD may need to do things during Put-In, the TD should generally not be doing anything during strike other than delegating tasks to other people, making sure these tasks are being done, coming up with more tasks that still need to be done, and making executive decisions as necessary. Everyone other people, making sure these tasks are being done, coming up with more tasks that still need to be done, and making executive decisions as necessary. CAC can and WILL kick us out when time is up for strike. You HAVE TO get it all done. It sucks that we're so time limited, but this also makes sure that everything gets finished.
Everyone involved with the show is expected to be present for the duration. It helps to have a competent person in the Ensemble Office as things begin to be moved up so that storage is slightly less of a nightmare. Making the person in charge of office cleans that semester the person in charge of the office during strike means that the office is likely to be much less of a nightmare. Sala should be left in the condition it was found- nothing should be on the floor, all Germans and butterflies should be folded, all chairs put away, etc. If any paint is found on Sala floor, it must be cleaned off. It helps to have a U-Haul, if lots of set pieces need to be moved.moved. It is worth renting the U-Haul during open hours at the U-Haul place, so the Queen Lear Strike Disaster doesn't happen again (there was no U-Haul when we went to pick it up)
Lights are the rate determining step. Make sure everyone knows this, and knows that when people shout for ground-crew, they should drop everything and go help.
Running pre-strike in the week between the two weekends of shows or during the second weekend of shows will make strike go MUCH more efficiently. You can offer post put-in hours for this/offer to let actors make up prod hours for this. Try to clean up everything that won't get used for the show/strike, and move it all back up to the office/set shop. For example, return all the paint supplies and most power tools/saws to the office, but remember to leave behind the drills and their batteries so the set can actually be taken apart. In addition, to expedite the process, try to come up with a list of tasks ahead of timetry to come up with a list of tasks ahead of time.
You don't need to make a strike plan as intricate as the put-in plan, but a concise strike plan could be useful for making sure things run efficiently (it's easier to tell people what to do if they know where to go).
Delphine Kaiser's vision of an efficient strike:
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The basement door near the set shop in Walker is silent-alarmed (and will summon the police). The alarm will go off if the door is propped open. Ask CAC to deactivate the alarm at times you wish to move material in and out of Walker.
Alternatively, you should use the wheelchair ramp to get things out of the set shop. There's no alarm on that door, as far as I've ever heard (it's always been open when I go there).
All cables running around the stage floor should be taped down with nice Gaff tape. If it is running across an entrance or an aisle, then it should be taped down completely along the length. Any hanging cables should be glow taped. So should anything that people need to navigate near in the dark.
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Mike Katz - Former TD for MIT Theater Arts, possesses an endless supply of awesome beard and terrible puns. He's still in the area, and knows everything. Email: narishkup at gmail dot com
Becki Gray - TD for MTA (As of 2023 MIT Theater Arts is now MIT Music Theater Arts), bcgray@mit.edu