Eye on the Esplanade: Making the Esplanade a home away from home

By Medicine Hat News on May 18, 2018.

Welcome to a day in the life of me: Krista Wilde, guest services supervisor at the Esplanade. Although my day involves many different aspects —box office related duties, bar and Front of House (the public areas of the building) — people are usually interested in what goes on backstage. I give you a snapshot of what happens behind the scene on show days.

We book most shows far in advance. As they get closer I connect with the tour manager to discuss the details: Hotels, food, hospitality, rider items (items requested by the artists in their contracts), show day schedules, artist meet and greets and much more. Artists usually travel from city to city on a prescheduled tour. They jump on a bus one day and off they go traveling through the night to their destination, possibly not knowing what the next venue will hold; we want to make sure they feel comfortable when they arrive. After all, we are their temporary home away from home for the day. From the moment they first walk through the doors, they should feel welcomed in the building. They’re excited to get off the bus, stretch their legs, explore the area, eat, take a nice warm shower and most of all take their first steps onto the stage. I find it really exciting to see their eyes light up and hear the performers say how stunning our theatre truly is.

I am often asked, “What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever had to get off a rider?” We hear about celebrities asking for outrageous items to have placed in their dressing rooms, but the reality is that most artists coming through the Esplanade are looking for items to make them feel at home. They want their favourite — whatever that may be. I’ve had to pick up many different things: Bubblicious bubble gum, socks, a humidifier, Xbox 360 etc. The most common requests are definitely throat coat tea, fresh fruit and vegetables, and room temperature water. I once had to go on a mission to find a place in town that would make a simple chicken salad sandwich. I called numerous restaurants and eventually convinced one to prepare it for us, even though it wasn’t on their menu. This resulted in the artist, who has most likely eaten chicken salad sandwiches from all over the world, being so impressed that he even mentioned it during his performance. When you’re on the road for months at a time, these everyday items are a luxury. It’s my job to make sure it’s there, waiting for them to enjoy so they can sit back, relax and focus on what they’re here to do: Put on a show for all to enjoy! The better I do my guest services work, the better day everyone has, and that results in an amazing performance that we all get to enjoy.

Show days can be long for sure. I start early when the bus rolls in at 7 a.m. and I usually don’t end until well after midnight. Somedays it’s one performer all alone, and others, like the recent Kip Moore concert, it’s three buses, two trailers and 27 people. On those days, I run nonstop. I deal with day-of requests, such as finding a gym downtown for the band to go work out at. Sometimes I’m lucky if I even get a chance to enjoy a few bites of a meal. Show days are busy, but fun, both in front of and behind the curtain.

Do you want to see even more? Follow us on Instagram @esplanadestagemh for “day in the life of posts” where I take you behind the scenes on show day.