Behind the Scenes...
Every year, we are honored as talented actors spend their valuable time auditioning for our season. This year was no exception and we are patiently waiting to reveal our casts to you. In the meantime, we'd like to take a moment to focus on the people who work behind the scenes to make our shows happen. In our last blog entry, we focused on the directors, whose visions will be brought to life on our stage in 2020, but there are countless other people who are integral to the success of our productions. And perhaps this year, you could be one of them!
Beyond the director, each Bobcat production has at least three main off-stage roles: a producer, a stage manager, and a technical director. If possible, we also like to have an assistant director and a props master/mistress. So, you might be wondering, what do all these people do?
A producer helps the director stay organized by coordinating with different timelines and people. For example, the producer would schedule our photographer to have the actors' headshots done in a timely manner for our program writer. The producer also lines up house managers for the nights of the shows and works with the budget. We are fortunate to have Pat Depenhart producing our first show, One Man, Two Guvnors, but are in need of producers for our other mainstage productions. If this sounds like something you would be interested in doing, please reach out to us!
A stage manager works quite literally backstage, setting the props and stage each night--sometimes even between scenes, depending on the show. The stage manager cleans up after the show closes and resets for the following day. Of the three roles mentioned, this is the position that works most intimately with the production each night. We are excited to have Patty Hamilton as our stage manager for the first show and Ernie Mancing as our stage manager for The Gentleman Clothier. We are currently searching for stage managers for The Revlon Girl (September) and Lucky Stiff (November)!
A technical director is in charge of running both lights and sound for a production. Typically, this position only requires two weeks of commitment--and you don't even need to be that tech savvy! We will happily train anyone who is interested in learning our sound and light board. Josh Antoon will take on the role of technical director for Lucky Stiff, but we are currently in need of volunteers for our other three mainstage productions!
The other two "optional" roles previously mentioned are pretty self-explanatory. An assistant director works side-by-side with the director, basically as an apprentice. A props master or mistress would be in charge of locating the various props needed for a production. These are roles we are also looking to fill this season on almost every production, so feel free to throw your hat in the ring at any time!
We hope that one of these essential positions sounds just like you, and you'll consider joining our group! But maybe you feel those roles are too big of a step for you right now. While we have all the confidence in the world that you can do it, we understand--and we still have many other jobs that would greatly benefit from your volunteering! Consider selling tickets at the door, acting as house manager on any given show night, or joining our building or painting crew for set construction. We'd love to have you join us! Feel free to contact us via our Facebook page or through bobcatplayers@gmail.com with any questions. We promise you, too, will fall in love with the theater!
