A glimpse behind the scenes

By Bob Shirk

Bob Shirk, Luhrs technical director, has lowered the lights to the stage for better access.

Saturday, June 2, 11 am—It’s a later start today. I look over the contract and rider for tonight’s show. The rider spells out all the requirements for lighting, sound, staging, instruments, food, dressing rooms, transportation, and hotel for the performers. The twenty-six page document has my notes in the margins from previous readings. A lot of work for tonight’s show was done earlier.

…About one year ago
I get my first look at the contract for this performance. It seems a long way off.

…Four weeks ago
I spoke with Fred Adams, the Spinners’ lighting designer, to get his ideas for lighting the show. After he told me what he had in mind and the colors he wanted to use, I checked my stock of gel (thin, colored plastic that gives the stage lighting color) and ordered the colors we did not have.

…Tuesday, May 29
Several student employees, a few guys from the sound company and I load in some sound equipment rented for the show. Although Luhrs is well equipped, many performances we do require additional equipment. We hang 24 speakers from the overhead steel that is in the building’s design for this sort of rigging. We wire everything, pop a Jimmy Buffet CD into a player hooked to the system and check the sound from each speaker. We will add another 22 speakers of our own for the show. If I hadn’t done this today, I would have had to start at 8 am on show day.

…Wednesday, May 30
I look over several contracts for next season’s shows. I talk to Mike Brown, the Spinners’ sound man, about last minute changes for the Spinners’ sound. I call Ron at Duttera Sound and add another item to our rental list. I remind him to bring a strobe light on Saturday. I cut, frame, and place gel into the lights on stage.

…Thursday, May 31
I set up the monitor amps and the monitors that provide the sound the performers hear. I spend some time focusing the 160 spotlights.

…Friday, June 1
I finish focusing the lights. Each light has to be hung and cabled in place. Then each is checked and programmed into the light board. Concerts like the Spinners are not as tedious to light as the dance performances, like Ailey II, and Broadway shows like Man of La Mancha. These shows have very specific instructions and designs with hundreds of cues to be programmed. We easily spend four or five hours on show day focusing lights for shows like this.

Saturday, June 2 , 11:50 am
Today’s crew starts to arrive. It’s a small crew. There will only be eight of us backstage. Dave Kniser shows up with the backline for the show. Backline is all of the instruments you see the band playing. We move in a drum kit, several keyboards, a few guitars, and some amps. This load in is an easy one compared to the Hungarian Symphony with 80 musicians, their instruments, and an equipment manager who spoke only Hungarian. And then there are shows like Man of La Mancha that arrive in two tractor trailers loaded nose to tail and floor to ceiling. For that show I had a crew of 44 and I started at 5 am show day.

I got an updated list of the Spinners’ backline requirements from Keith Fergusson, their musical director. Most of these shows are booked a year or more in advance and many of the requirements change between when we sign the contracts and they perform.

Bob has to focus each light used in each performance. Once the work is done, Bob returns to the control room (inset) where programming allows the lights to be manipulated during the show.

Early afternoon
We have the instruments in and set up. DJ is directing the crew. Wayne is here from the sound company. Cody and Randy are placing microphones and wiring them. The drums alone require nine mics. Paul is working on the monitor board; he will run monitor sound tonight. DJ has moved to the center of the audience area and is setting up the house sound board. We take care to ring out each mic now, making sure they are working and sound good. Natasha has cut and installed gel in the follow spots, and Jim is checking the video feeds to the lobbies and dressing rooms.

2:30 pm
We receive word the band’s flight has been delayed. This means two things. We get a little break, and we’ll have to hustle to get the sound check done later.

4 pm
Cody, Ron Taylor, and Leslie Folmer Clinton pick up the band at the hotel. The band arrives and checks out the dressing rooms. Coming from back stage they take a look at the theatre. Performers are always pleasantly surprised and a little amazed to find a big-city venue in this small town after traveling through the rural areas to get here. The Spinners make a little noise and are pleased with the acoustics. They comment, “This is a beautiful hall.” And we say thank you. Every performer has said this or something similar. They are always wowed.

The band takes a few minutes to have a sandwich and soda. Mike, the Spinners’ sound man, comes out for sound check. He works with Paul and DJ to check out the vocal mics and set monitor levels. Fred, their lighting man, reviews what I have hung for the show. Lamar, their tour manager, is getting the Spinners’ costumes ready and setting up their dressing room.

4:30 pm
On stage, the band is warming up. Fred and I head for the light booth. Fred likes what he sees and tells me how he wants the board set up. Sound check has started. Keith, their conductor and keyboard player, runs a pretty tight sound check. These guys are pros and sound check goes well except for one small detail. Their drummer is missing. He is driving from Montreal. Several people sit in to get the sound check for the drums. Fred asks to have a few gels swapped out and returns to the booth to play with the lights while sound check is going on. Randy and Cody go up to check the follow spots. This is Randy’s first time to run one of our spots and he wants to familiarize himself with the equipment.

5:05 pm
The temperature is rising in the theatre. I make a call to get it fixed.

6 pm
Turns out a chiller has shut down and someone is now on the way to fix it. I have more than 1,200 people showing up in less than two hours along with over 100,000 watts of lighting. It could get pretty steamy if it doesn’t get fixed.

Mike moves to the front of the house with DJ to work house sound. The band continues to play as Mike sets up the board. He tells DJ what effects he wants to use and DJ sets them up. I take a few minutes to explain the flying of the mirror ball to Natasha.

6:30 pm
We are almost ready for the show. Cody, Ron, and Leslie take the band back to the hotel and return with the Spinners. I talk to Deb Taylor, our house manager, about what time to open the house. I tell her she can have the theatre at 7:15. Once the doors are open she takes control of the house and the ushers. Today is a good day. Sometimes sound check runs late and we have to hold the doors until we are ready on stage. The drummer has not been seen.

The crew and I make our way to the Alumni Days crab feast to enjoy dinner. I always make sure the crew is fed before the show. We often eat with the performers at tables set up in the loading area. The crab feast is a nice treat for us.

7 pm
I remind the crew to be in place at 7:45 and I head back to the theatre. Cody and Ron make another run to shuttle the band back to the theatre. A crowd is gathering out front, and Deb is giving some last minute instructions to the ushers. I place some towels and water on stage for the performers. Still no drummer. I change into black clothes for the show.

7:45 pm
I check to make sure everyone is in place and take Fred to the light booth.

7:50 pm
Lamar tells me the Spinners are a little behind in getting ready, one has injured his foot. Keith asks when we will start. Looking at the crowd in the house, I say 8:05. Lamar returns to tell me the drummer is out front. I head to the lobby in a hurry and escort the drummer backstage. The band cheers when they see him and then give him a hard time about his late arrival. He heads out on stage to check the drums. Jeff Sommer, marketing director for the Luhrs Center, shows up backstage to do the pre-show announcement.

8:04 pm
The band walks out on stage. Mike, their soundman, has taken control of the sound. He turns on the backstage mic, and Jeff welcomes everyone and reminds them to turn off their cell phones. The band starts to play. The Spinners come out.

Cody and Randy will spend the next 75 minutes dancing with 600-pound follow spots. I can see Natasha on the other side of the stage waiting for her cue to make the mirror ball appear. I relax a little as I head to the light booth to sit with Fred. Fred is playing the light board like it is a piano.The crowd is enjoying the music.

9:20 pm
The show went very well. The audience had fun. They give a standing ovation. Fred says he thought it went well. He really liked the way we had the lighting set up.

9:35 pm
The curtains get flown out of the way. Dave has started packing the drum kit. Most of my crew are coiling cables and packing up sound equipment. Wayne is clearing the way to lower the speaker clusters. Natasha raises the forestage so we have a larger area to set the speakers. The band and the Spinners are enjoying their dinner in the Green Room.

We open the big doors back stage and start to load Dave’s truck with instruments and the sound truck with equipment.

11 pm
The band and the Spinners are back at the hotel. We have the trucks loaded. I decide we will take an early quit tonight. We have been here as late as 2:30 am loading out some shows.

Normally I would clear all of the platforms and start the work for the next show, but I have some time next week before I need to be set up for the Shippensburg High School graduation. I lock all of the doors and head home.