It can be a fascinating experience to go behind the scenes at a theatre and get an insight into how everything works. It is even more exciting to go backstage during a show as you will see even more clearly how things operate.
The first thing that usually strikes people is how different the theatre sets look from behind. The workings of a set were famously revealed in Michael Frayn’s comedy ‘Noises Off’ when it was turned around for the second half so that the setting of the play was backstage.
Whereas the set will look immaculate from the front (albeit immaculately decrepit when that’s what the play calls for), the back will consist of props and stage weights ensuring that the whole structure is safe.
Then you will see on one side of the stage, the stage manager’s desk. In a modern theatre this will be high tech and usually include a monitor showing what is going on onstage. The desk is the nerve centre of any production, with one of the stage management team sitting there throughout the show, cueing the lighting and sound operators as well as the fly men who will lift scenery in and out using weighted ropes and pulleys.
The props table will be an assortment of hot food, drinks, period newspapers and anything else required by the script, the director or the designer.
For sourcing and building props, at Keeley Hire we have movie props and stage props for hire.
