I have discovered theatre!

I didn't exactly discover theatre in the way that Christopher Columbus was said to discover America. Nor did I discover theatre in the way that one discovers a newfound love of theatre; I’ve liked theatre for years as long as whatever I’m going to see is willing to try and hold my attention for three hours –I need to fit the word “theatre” in this sentence one more time, theatre.

With my slacker/hands-on/fun course of the semester I’m in stage lighting 101 (actually 366, but it’s basically 101). So today I spent five hours climbing around up on catwalks focusing lights on my TA’s red hat below. While it was tons of fun, it seems a lot more fun to be the one designing the whole show.

Anyways, some things I discovered:
1. If you’re over 5’6 and walking around in the Hemsley Theatre catwalks, watch your head. I am more bruised today from pipes and grates than I was two days ago.
2. While putting up a show in the Hemsley Theatre use gel R361 (Hemsley Blue) your production will gain extra funding from the University. Not really, but I think it should be so.
3. Speaking of gels, I set a light with a bright “porn star” red. If this didn’t garnish enough energy, when I dropped the gobo it was nothing other than jagged bars, aimed behind a curtain. This show might be worth seeing after all.
4. Theatre folk have lights that are a lot easier to get results from. For starters, they have shutters and a rotating barrel. I’m sure there is a reason we don’t use ellipsoidal lights on set; what is that reason? Then again maybe outside of the university setting people do get to play with those on set.
5. Everyone in theatre is a “rock star.” Even those of us who should never take the stage with intentions of singing are called rock stars. Who knew?

After years working with TV and film I’m not sure how I missed out on theatre. It’s not what I want to do for the rest of my life, but they seem to have a lot more freedom to do abstract things with lighting and sets. Everyone should try it out on a free weekend when they feel like breaking into a theatre house, that means you rock star.