Tag: Kate Dawson

Post-Show Evaluation

A Gothic Tale was a challenging performance to complete as it was very technically demanding. Our aim with this performance was to create a visual spectacle which captivated its audience using elaborate technical elements; however we were very cautious of not overwhelming the performance with tech. Technology should be used to enhance the performance rather than distract from the story itself.

I feel that we succeeded with this aim, as feedback for the show was extremely positive, one audience member even commenting on how our tech was comparable with that of professional productions. The get-in on performance day went very smoothly and, although it lasted longer than predicted, we had planned in advance for such an occurrence and were able to adapt our schedule respectively. The technical documentation produced also succeeded in assisting with the get-in process, ensuring that the company had enough time for a detailed cue-to-cue and a dress rehearsal. The set we constructed functioned very well, although an emergency trip to B&Q was required to buy more cord as bungee cord was not doing the job. However, because money had been left in the budget for such an emergency and enough technical staff were at the venue, this was not a problem.

We also managed to save time having already programmed a QLab file which operated both the lights and sound. This also meant that when one of the sound files became corrupted shortly before the show began, we were well organised and able to correct this problem quickly.

I believe I played a vital role in producing this performance and am happy with the way I organised and managed the production team. All technical elements of the production came together very well and I succeeded in ensuring that every part of the production (set, costume and props) came in either on or under budget and that all documentation, designs and construction was completed in plenty of time. My organisation of the team and production, along with the commitment of the production crew, meant that this tech-heavy show went ahead with few problems and was successful in creating a visually stimulating performance.

Kate Dawson

Word Count: 357

A Gothic Tale Magic Sheet.

A magic sheet is a pictorial ‘description of which channels in the lighting design are assigned to which jobs’ (Goudie, 2011: Online). This is the magic sheet for our show: A Gothic Tale Magic Sheet. Creating this took a lot of time as I was unsure what to do at first. This was a useful document to refer to when I needed to know what channels are assigned to what lighting state.

Work Cited

Goudie, E (2011) How to Make a Magic Sheet for a Lighting Design. Available at: http://www.helium.com/items/2110537-how-to-make-a-magic-sheet-for-a-lighting-design (Accessed: 21 May 2013).

A Gothic Tale Focus Chart.

Another document that was needed and had to be sent to the theatre technicians of the Lincoln Performing Arts Centre before the performance date was the focus chart. A focus chart is a useful guide that states what the intentions of each light. The chart shows graphically where each light should be focused and gives specific details on what the light should do and look like once rigged. This is our shows focus chart: A Gothic Tale Focus Chart.

This was a very useful guide for me to refer to when we began to rig and focus each light. Although more lights were added I could still use this document to aid me when giving the technicians information to complete the desired lighting effect.

A Gothic Tale Lighting Plot.

In preparation for our show A Gothic Tale, a lighting plot has to drawn-up and sent to the technical staff of the Lincoln Performing Art Centre (LPAC) before the date of the performance. A lighting plot is scale drawing of the stage and the position of the lights needed for the show. The drawing communicates what lights are desired and where the lights should be placed in relation to the stage. Our lighting plot is as follows: A Gothic Tale Lighting Plot. To create this document we had to go through each scene and decide what how we wanted to light each specific section of the stage. We also used the LPAC’s lighting rig document (LX Bars & FOH Slingco Lighting Positions) to aid us in our own lighting plot to create a document that would be easy to follow for the technical staff.

On the day of the performance I helped rig and focus the lights while referring to the technical documents Kate and I produced. I have learnt from this that, even though our documents were accurate, more lights are needed to create some effects. For example on our lighting plot, light ten and eleven are used to create a wash over the bed. While trying to focus I quickly realised more lights were needed to create the effect that I intended. If I ever needed to draw-up another lighting plot I would take this into consideration.

Technical Documentation – After (and Pre-Show Checks)

I am extremely pleased with the results of our technical documentation and feel that the hours spent creating and developing them have been well spent.

We used a ‘Progeny Theatre’ layout, font and format to ‘brand’ our documentation, which gave them a professional look as well as used previous examples of other Theatre Company’s work as case studies for our own documents. The response to our documentation from the venue has been very positive and, as such, the LPAC are prepared for our arrival, which is now at 9am on Sunday 19th May.

All technical documentation can be viewed here.

Myself and the Stage Manager have produced a Performance Day Schedule which underlines the ‘desired’ performance day schedule. However, due to the recent date change (we were originally booked to complete our get-in the evening prior to performance day) we are aware that, because we are a’ tech-heavy’ group, our get-in may over-run and have planned our day accordingly.

We have completed a Pre-Show Check-list of all technical requirements and I am confident that we are fully prepared for performance day.

  • Technical Documentation – completed and sent to venue.
  • QLab file – completed 3 weeks prior to performance and has been kept up-to-date. Saved on memory stick to transfer to LPAC Apple Mac.
  • Sound – all files saved in numerous locations in case of file corruption.
  • Props – sourced and stored in venue.
  • Set – finished and stored in venue.
  • Costume – completed and stored in venue.
  • Actors – briefed on Risk Assessment and Performance Day Schedule.
  • Budget – up-to-date and with £30 left for last minute expenses.

Kate Dawson

Word Count: 251

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