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Hairwaves

trell
Memoirs Contributed by Karla Hennig
a The lights go down, actors
H take their places, and in the con-
Authentic trol booth the stage manager
period hair starts the show. Her name is
._ | _| Yvonne, Michaud, and she is an
fashions~ : integral part of Brighton Beach

‘Memoirs, the second show in
Terrace Little Theatre’s 1990-91
season, ue

Being a good stage manager is
like being a good juggler; you
need a lot of natural ability and
even more carefully learned
j skills. The stage manager in the
theatre is a combination God

created and
styled by

Performances in
piano, guitar,
_ instrumental, ballet

Salons Barber
Esthetics
4646 LAKELSE
635-5727
635-4555

NORTHWEST ACADEMY OF
PERFORMING ARTS
#308 — 4722 Lakelse Avenue

Terrace, B.C.
OPEN HOUSE

Saturday, March 9, 1991
2:00 p.m. — 5:00 p.m.

Teachers available for consultations
concerning the 1991-1992 season

Everyone welcome

[Sononsccss | The Brighton Beach in

and go-fer, being the director’s
main assistant and also the per-
son responsible for every tech-
nical aspect of a production.
‘It’s quite difficult at times,”
says Michaud, “‘like walking on
a tight-rope. You have ideas but
you bite your tongue because
you can’t ‘interfere with the
director, and the next minute
you are called upon to make all
sorts of decisions.”

This is Michaud’s first time as

stage manager, and she has been
learning ‘‘on the set’? the many
facets of the job. The S.M. must

Northwest Arts and

R.E.M. Lee Theatre

Entertainment Calendar __

Mar 13 — 23 — Pacific Northwest Music Festival

*April 14 — Chinese Magic Circus

eApril 18, 19 and 20 — Skeena Zone Drama Festival

The Terrace Inn

*Gigi’s — "Poolside Logic" until March 16
*Augie’s — Lee Nicholson

Northern Motor Inn |
*George’s Pub — "Easy Money” until March 16
Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 13
*March 8 and 9 — "Rocky Tops"

Thornhill Neighbourhood Pub

«Mar. 16 and 17 — Pool tournament

Every Tuesday evening — Crib Night

Kitimat Centennial Museum

-Mar. 6 — Apr. 6 — Kitimat Artists 1991 (deadline for entries Feb. 26)
“Until May 4 — INSIGHTS '91, a showcase of dynamic art by young artists of

Kitimat

Prince Rupert Performing Arts Theatre

be at every rehearsal, setting up
the rehearsal space, making
notes of every movement and
direction in her master script,
ensuring that the actors are on
time and on cue, timing each act
of the play, setting up warm-up
and make-up space, and assist-
ing the director in any way.
“‘Sometimes it’s very comfort-
ing,’”’ laughs Michaud, ‘‘the ac-
tors lose their place and turn to
me as if to say, ‘help me, you’re
my saviour’.’’ She must also be
constantly in touch with the peo-
ple in charge of properties, front
of house, costumes, set building,
and make-up to ensure that they
are on schedule and have all the
information they need about the
production.

‘*T love the feeling,’” she says.
‘We've developed a good rap-
port, and when we all get to-
gether we know we can do it
together.’’

When technical rehearsals
begin, the stage manager marks
her script, noting the exact lines
when lights go up or down,
sound cues turn on and off, and
calls must be made to the actors.
No technician is allowed to turn
on or off a light without an O.K.
from the S.M. ‘‘I’m looking for-
ward to the tech and dress,”’
says Michaud, ‘“‘when I can have

SJ my hands on the whole show.”

On dress rehearsal the director
has no more authority in the
theatre; the show is now in the
capable hands of the stage
manager. She is the one who
decides when the doors open to

Terrace Review — Wednesday, March 6, 1991 Bll

visible fixer

allow the audience in, what time’
the show starts, if the show
needs to pick up pace, and she
must deal with every emergency.

The theatre is full of stage
manager stories. When an actor
was accidentally locked in the
bathroom, it was a quick-.
thinking stage manager who
used a fire axe to break down the
door so the actor could make her
entrance on time; another time, |
the tape deck failed, and the
stage manager ran around the
building, climbed into the back-
stage window ard uttered the
dreaded howl of the hound of
the Baskervilles before climbing
out of the window again -and
making her way back to the con- |
trol booth. In TLT’s last pro-
duction it was the stage manager
who talked two policemen out of
walking into the theatre while
the show was running and insist-
ing that one of the patrons move
his car, which was parked il-
legally.

With luck, no such emer-
gencies will beset Michaud and
the show will run smoothly. The
most ironic thing about being a
good stage manager is that if
you are good, no one notices
you exist.

Brighton Beach Memoirs will
be performed March 14 to 16
and March 21 to 23 at the Mc-
Coll Playhouse. Tickets are $8
for the Thursday show and $10
Friday ‘and Saturday. They are
available at Erwin’s Jewellers in
the Skeena Mall and at the Bank
of Montreal.

Terrace Little Theatre .
. presents

Neil Simon’s

BEACH |e

—-» alove letter to the past
~~ KEN MORTON
DAVE BATTISON

GORDON OATES

producer

~ MARCH 14,15,16 & 21,22,23
McColl Plghowe, 3625 Kalum Street

*March 15 — Long John Baldry, presented by the Kinsmen of Prince Rupert
“April 4, 5 and 6 — Chekov's "The Brute" Harbour Theatre Zone Festival
entries

This Column Sponsored By:

Tickets at Erwin Jewellers (Skeena Mall)
rn _ & Bank of Montreal
~. +... $8 Thursdays, $10 Fridays /Saturdays

starring

Jane Sparkes Lillian de Balinhard
Sarah Brorup-Weston * Linda Zwaga
John McGowan *Lorenzo Campanelli and

Kevin Oates as ‘Eugene’

poses. efOtine malute seenes- ,
“poster design M.B.Weaston vee