My Week In The Pit

[High Fidelity 0]

This may not be of any interest to many on here, but I know we all like to look at pictures.

 

This week, I’ve been busy with the Warrington Gang Show with an all day rehearsal on Sunday, Dress rehearsal on Monday, then performances Tues, Wed, Thurs and still got tonight Fri and a Saturday matinee and evening performance to do.

 

For those that don’t know what a Gang Show is, it’s a variety show put on by the local Scout Association. This year is Warrington’s 50th show. It has a cast of over 100, plus all the stage crew, house staff, dressers, make up, lighting & sound. All together, it involves around 200 Scouts, Cubs, Guides, Beavers, Leaders – in fact, anybody who is a member of the Scout Association.

 

My role in the show is a guitarist in the orchestra pit, and assistant musical director. Over 3 months of work has been involved before we even get to the show creating the music with my brother who plays the organ/keyboard and is the musical director. I also put in and control the sound system for the music.

 

The building we use is really a concert hall, so does not have a proper stage with fly’s, curtains, lighting etc. The stage crew descend on the hall at about 7am on the Sunday morning and start building the stage and installing lighting, while the morning rehearsal takes place somewhere else.

 

Some of the pictures are not brilliant quality as they were taken with my phone. Also, I apologise that I can’t show you any of the pictures from the show due to copyright restrictions, and that they contain pictures of the children in the cast.

 

We arrive at the hall about 2pm, and this is what they’ve achieved by then.

 

http://img1.putfile.com/thumb/3/8809003860.jpg

 

 

I then lash up the sound for the music while the have a rehearsal on stage.

 

This is the view that the cast would have from the stage, if they could see past the lighting.

 

http://img1.putfile.com/thumb/3/8809004144.jpg

 

 

By Monday evening, I’ve installed the music sound system properly, and the stage crew have reached this stage.

 

http://img1.putfile.com/thumb/3/8809003975.jpg

 

Tuesday afternoon, and we’re now ready for the public performances.

 

http://img1.putfile.com/thumb/3/8809363360.jpg

 

This is my little corner of the world.

 

http://img1.putfile.com/thumb/3/8809004011.jpg

 

As most of you know, I’m paranoid about backup. All the music for the show (plus any sound effects required), are on the laptop, loaded into a program called “Cue Player”, just in case. The music is also on the minidisk player under the laptop, just in case, in case.

 

Finally, for those that like their lighting, how would you like this little lot to play with. It’s all dmx controlled from the PA/Lighting booth at the back of the theatre, and is all put in by the stage crew on the Sunday morning.

 

http://img1.putfile.com/thumb/3/8809003998.jpg

 

Our Saturday night performance finishes about 10pm, and everything you've seen above has to be dismantled and out of the place by midnight. It's a pity I can't video this for you as it's an amazing sight with scenery flying about, the lighting lowered and dismantled, and an army of bodies carrying it all out of the theatre to the vans outside.

 

A really tiring week, but, I've been doing it for over 30 years, and only missed a few due to ill health or work commitments, and I wouldn't miss it for anything.

 

Oh yes, and it's all done for free by everyone involved.

[wizard 0]

I can understand why you do it for nothing, It must be a great sense of achievement when all the planning and rehearsals etc come together for a great performance.

 

Good luck with the rest of the week.

 

:good:

[music box 0]

Well Done :toot: :toot:

[Steve_Mitchell 0]

Lets hope your keen and enthusiastic when it all over and comes to packing away. :bouncy:

[Paul Smith 0]

And make sure you have your YMCA hard hat handy when those lights & scenery come down.

 

I take it the aftershow party starts at 00.01am (entertainment by the High Fidelity Disco smile icon )

[High Fidelity 0]

And make sure you have your YMCA hard hat handy when those lights & scenery come down.

 

I take it the aftershow party starts at 00.01am (entertainment by the High Fidelity Disco smile icon )

 

Funnily enough, YMCA was originally in the show in an item where the boy & girl scouts challenged each other as to who could do the actions best, but YMCA was cut on the Monday night as the show was overunning.

 

We used to have the party in the theatre after the show, but since the theatre now demand that we are out of the building by midnight, we have it a week later at a different venue, and the disco is done by another DJ who happens to be the lighting engineer.

 

Some other useless facts:

 

I met my wife through the show, she was in the cast.

 

There have been about 20 weddings where people have met their partners in the show.

 

We play roughly 40 to 50 songs each performance, nearly all are live play.

[Jimbo55 0]

Glad it all went well. I hope you managed to get through it all yourself intact.

 

Jim

[YourBigEvent 0]

And make sure you have your YMCA hard hat handy when those lights & scenery come down.

 

All joking aside, how many people have the required H&S equipment required

 

A safety hat

rigging gloves

Steel toe capped boots etc.

 

I carry mine with me all the time, along with my tool kit, large spirit level etc, in case I get an emergency phone call

[Frog 0]

We all know Harpenden Gang Show is much better tongue out icon

 

I have been involved for the past five years both performing when I was a Venture and as lighting, and it is a great week, always the 2nd week of January so is a great way to start of the year.

 

Pics look good, we are slightly luckier than ours in that we don't have to build the stage first lol!

[UKHero 0]

So nice to see some one put themselves out for others Well done and best of luck

 

 

Nik