Archive - MacAllen's Theater GUide

Top Ten Show Stoppers [Only 8]

Wet Paint

Never paint anything the day of opening night. While the set and props should have been finished at least a week before the show, often in small theater productions last minute color changes are inevitable. Always leave at least a day for paint to dry. Something as simple as increased humidity during the day can keep a prop from drying, even if it was painted that morning. Its better to have the wrong color prop than one that is too wet to use.

Where’s the Audience?

On some rare occasions, a performance may not have any audience members show up. The most likely reason is poor advertising. Simply hoping that word of mouth will spread the word does not suffice. See the section on promoting your show to avoid this.

However, the other things that can cause an audience to not show up are things like holidays and local events. Holiday weekends are never a good time to perform a show unless the performance is at a holiday resort. Religious holidays that are important to particular religions but not to the business calendar also can prevent an audience from coming out. Besides these, local events can take away your audience—for instance the day of the local high school graduation day may prevent many audience members from attending. Ultimately the show is for the audience, so make sure you work around their schedules.

Late Actors

Try telling the audience the show is starting twenty minutes late because Felix Unger hasn’t arrived yet. They won’t be very pleased. The bottom line is that actors tend be very late. Its in their nature and cannot be changed. Actors should arrive at least two hours before the show is to begin. This gives them enough time to check that their props and costumes are in order. Actors requiring makeup should arrive even earlier to ensure they are ready for the show to start. Once the house is open, actors should remain backstage and so any on stage props need to be set before then.

Lost Props

Actors lose things. Its fact. They are programmed from birth to misplace essential props. Always check your prop list at the end of each rehearsal and at least an hour before every show. At least you will have a little time to find a replacement piece.

Power Surge

If you haven’t plugged all your lights, special effects, and other electrical items in at the same time, you may blow a fuse on opening night. While all these things should have been tested during rehearsal, its possible that appliances like an actor’s hairdryer or a band’s amplifier will suddenly cause a power drain.

While you should know ahead of time how much electricity your equipment uses, many people do not. Account for your appliances and instruments before you power everything up and you should be alright.

Burnt Out Bulb

Even under the best conditions, light bulbs can and will burn out. Always have spare bulbs on hand. But more importantly, make sure you have the correct bulbs. Check before the night of the show that you have bulbs for each lighting instrument model. Different size lights from different manufacturers are likely to require a different bulb.

Theater lights are delicate tools that must be treated properly. They also can get very hot. The fastest way to blow a bulb is to shut them down immediately after rehearsal and store them someplace cold. The rapid temperature change can cause the glass to crack. Likewise, heating them up too quickly can also damage the bulb. Don’t take lights in from the cold and turn them on full right away. Let them sit at room temperature before even plugging them in. Then turn them on a at ten or twenty percent to let them warm up before need them on high. Newer lights are more durable, but you still need to be careful.

Stage Fright

If you are working with a first time actor, they may suddenly realize they are performing in front of an actual audience and not just a director and stage manager. You won’t ever really know until they are about to go on in front of the live audience. However, as a final dress rehearsal, inviting several friends or family members to watch the show can be helpful in preparing first time actors for what they should actually expect. An alternative to this is having a premier night, inviting business people who have purchased program ad space or donated materials to the production. Of course, you must only do such a performance rehearsal if you and the actors are ready.

Fire Marshal

Nothing can shut down a show faster than a fire marshal who thinks you’ve violated a local ordinance. Every building has a maximum capacity of people based on the number of fire exits and local ordinances. While in most places by law, this maximum is posted in each room, in some cases it may not be. That does not mean your audience will not reach a maximum number or that no maximum exists. Find out how many people your performance area can hold before you begin selling tickets. Keep in mind also that your actors and technicians will are also counted towards the maximum number.

Fire Marshals also seem to have a hankering for bad wiring. Clearly you will need to run some power cables for lighting instruments, special effects machines, and sound. Make sure your cable is not losing insulation and that connections are tight. Do not plug in more power than your electrical box is designed for or that your cables are rated for. Having too much electricity run through the cables is also dangerous and actually can start a fire.

Be sure all your fire exits are clearly accessible. Don’t build a set that blocks the exits, or that would slow people to the exit. Do not cover battery operated exit signs, as tempting as this is.