Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 2025 - 20

counterparts, and the local team helps
smooth the way for the production coming
in.
The venue staff are the " mirror image "
of the touring company, and see
everything from the other side; just as
every production needs to adapt to the
stage it's playing that night, the venues
host dozens of shows each year that
each bring their own set of unique challenges.
Every time, the two crews must
work together with their counterparts
whom they have only just met.
The final layer of this cake is proMamma
Mia being unloaded into an arena. | Image courtesy of Clark Transfer.
vided by the locally based stage technicians,
usually but not always IATSE
members, who work the load-in, the
load-out, and the shows. These may be
general " hands " there to push boxes,
or they may be highly skilled specialists
in particular areas such as lighting,
sound, or rigging. The number,
qualifications, and timing of the " calls "
for local stagehands is agreed upon in
advance between the show, the venue,
and the union local, based on contract
provisions and the particular needs of
the show.
" We're
a
roadhouse
at
ASU
Specialized Theatrical
Drivers Engage in
Tightly Choreographed
Dance
Katherine and David Jacobs,
lead
truck
drivers
for
Clark
Transfer, share their experiences.
" We are absolutely amazed when we see an entire audience cheering for
something that we were able to bring to them. As lead drivers, we take care of
the trucks and trailers, making sure they're in the spot where they need to be,
when they need to be for the head carpenter to get unloaded and on the stage
in a safe and timely manner. We try to think one step ahead and be prepared
for what he needs to unload the trailers in the fastest and easiest way possible.
It's really kind of like a symphony and he's the conductor. You've got to
understand that those trucks wind up being a show on a stage, and that's a big
production. Every nut and bolt. That's a lot. Once the show is in the theatre, we
might get some time off to see the sights, or we might end up going to help out
on another show while ours is sitting. In any case, we try to get some sleep on
Sunday, as much as we can, before loadout starts. It's usually in the evening,
because a lot of times on Sundays, they have matinees and a second show. So
one of us prepares to work all night coordinating the loading, while the other
one sleeps, getting ready to drive "
Gammage, which means that almost
all of our shows are part of a tour. Every
show that we do comes out of trucks, "
explains Jeff Rollins, ASU Gammage
director of event operations. " I am in
charge of all the activity that happens
on stage and behind the stage. From receiving
and loading in shows, to making
sure they go up on time, to getting them
back out of the building and back on
the road. We put together the calls for
the local crew to make sure that show
comes in and goes up on time. As a rule
of thumb, every truck that is unloaded
and loaded back up means an hour of
strike. So for a nine-truck show, the
strike will be about nine hours. Sunday
nights are the biggest challenge. The
crew arrives on Sunday morning about
10 a.m., preps for the matinee call, the
matinee show happens, there's a little
break, and then there's the evening
show. After the evening show at 10
o'clock, a whole bunch of other folks
join to strike the show, put it back in the
trucks, and send it to the next venue. We
start at 10 o'clock at night, and we don't
get home until early on Monday morning.
Lots of coffee and donuts! "
20 | THEATRE DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY | ISSUE 4, 2024
Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 2025

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 2025
