Backstage Broadway

By Jeffrey Levine

The lights go on, the curtain comes up and the actors take the stage. But how was it all created?

The hallmark of any good production is the audiences’ lack of recognition that they have just seen a show. Rendering the audience unaware of all the mechanisms that went into staging the illusion, the production team simultaneously exists as both craftsmen and conjurers. It is the people behind the scenes, on the scaffolding, and up in the booth that are forced to solve technical problems while creating magic.

Far away from the glitz and glimmer of Broadway, however, are the realities of tech work. Starting before the actors take the stage and working after they are finished, it is the production team that is responsible for setting up all of the sound, lighting, and scenery that will be used in the show. But before the tech runs can even begin, all of the equipment has to be unloaded from the tractortrailers, about three to six trucks worth.

“On the first day, a crew of about 60 stage hands will unload the majority of the equipment,” said Bryan Sidorowicz, Director of Production for the Center for the Arts. “After load-in, the next few days up until ‘show day’ are very repetitive. Some tech [runs] last two days, others ten, but each day there’s a morning crew call to do technical notes, scenery fixes, lighting fixes, and sound fixes. Then there’s the afternoon and evening rehearsals. Sometimes it’s rehearsing scenes over and over again. Sometimes it’s doing run-throughs of the entire show. And sometimes it’s jumping from cue to cue to work out programming.”

Although hard work and long days are not unusual in the Broadway business, on or off the stage, what is incredible about the shows being put on at Backstage Broadway University of Buffalo is that they often have student volunteers working on the productions. Learning firsthand what it means to be in the business, UB students are able to supplement their academic classes by working side by side with their professional counterparts. “I think students from every discipline come to college with a pre-conceived idea of what they will be doing ‘in their field.’Working at the Center for the Arts provides the real world experience they don’t get in class,” Sidorowicz explained.

“I think it’s vital to show students who desire to work in this field what it really means to be in Technical Theater. I think it really opens an undergrad’s eyes, both positively and sometimes negatively, to what the business is all about. Working these techs also exposes students to current technologies in lighting, sound and automation that aren’t taught at UB. Techs, by their nature, expose the students to real problems that need real solutions. Solutions that then go on the road all over the country.”

Gaining real world experience, the knowledge UB students receive from their work at the Center for the Arts translates into new creative aspirations, and in some cases, a new gig.

“I was on tour with The Full Monty after Fosse, for about six months. Fosse was kind of a test run for me and the touring company, like a two-week interview,” UB alumni Rebecca Wolf said. “I am in Graduate School in Maryland right now getting an MFA in Lighting Design and I still keep in touch with some of the people I met on Fosse today. The facilities at UB are amazing and allow a really unique experience for undergrads there to interact with touring technicians, designers and performers. It’s quite rare, I’m discovering lately, and I hope the students there know how much they actually have at their fingertips.”

Working with local theatres such as Studio Arena and Shea’s in addition to Broadway, the techs who set up shop in the CFA seem to get as much out of the runs as their young protégés do.

“Everyone loves it. Everyone has been the “novice” at some point in their careers,” Sidorowicz said. “It’s amazing to see how much they embrace the students and work with them in every way they can. I can’t think of a better way to expose students to this field.”