Everything has been going to plan with the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus. The last two shows have been a success, and the teamwork – performers, tech crew, everyone – has been top-notch. It’s been a blast seeing our hard work pay off on stage.
For us, the lighting crew Time was one of the problems we encountered early on being able to create three cue lists for each show felt impossible with all the things on top of us. So, we came up with Plan B – updated and overwrote the existing cue list for each performance. Got the job done, but cue management got a bit like herding cats so we had to keep everything noted on a separate piece of paper to know which cue corresponded to the correct act.
We also tried to schedule a work day with the ligthing crew to be able to refocus the ligthing fixtures and make sure they’re all in the correct places but since we had an escape the room exhibition in the theater there was still scenery on the stage and we couldn’t focus any lights without that being striked down first so the ligthing crew was too busy helping take down the scenery and ultimately we didn’t have time to refocus the lights.
Aside from that thanks to what I’ve learned in my ligthing design class I was able to take those skills and use them by syncing up Vectorworks and Lightwright. This software helped us update the ligthing plot and most importantly create the channel hookup and instrument schedule, the crucial paperwork needed to run the lightboard smoothly and nail those killer cues. Now we have been prepping for the final show day, we’re using what we learned from the past show days to fine-tune those lighting cues, tackle any remaining issues, and make sure the audience leaves with minds blown.
Here’s the big revelation for me. This whole live show process? I’ve been Enjoying it and realizing that this is what I want to do for a living after I graduate. Learning the ropes, and facing challenges head-on – it’s been an eye-opener. The thrill of a live show? I’m all in.
