Eye on the Esplanade: Behind the scenes

By JACK NEMO on August 6, 2021.

As Alberta reopens, the theatre in the Esplanade is preparing to crack its doors back open with some exciting shows this fall.

I have my own part to play in welcoming the public back into the seats – I’m one of the theatre technicians and I help facilitate the needs of performers or groups, ideally all behind the scenes, so the audience can experience the best show possible.

My role starts hours or days before the first ticket-holder walks through the door. To use a cliché; the actual show is only the tip of the iceberg. Most of the time and work is spent in the background to prepare for when the lights go down. A single show can have multiple semi-trucks full of equipment waiting to be unloaded and set up. This can be multi-level structures that are strong enough to support an entire cast of actors, thousands of pounds of lights that will be hung above the stage, and everything in-between.

The flip side is there are shows that arrive with only a few props in a duffle bag. Then we’ll spend hours adjusting our lights, so the stage has the right atmosphere. Even a simple rock band needs time to set up all the instruments and microphones and do a soundcheck to make sure it sounds great from the first note. This audio area is where I specialize. When the show is over and the audience has left, everything gets disassembled and loaded back into the trailers/vans/duffle bags in the perfect order, because somehow there is always just enough space without an inch to spare.

Sometimes, something goes wrong during a show. Have you ever sat down with your friends to watch a movie and it won’t play or there’s no audio? You might be embarrassed because it worked fine yesterday, and now you’re trying to solve the mystery while everyone waits. Well, I can tell you it’s just as embarrassing, if not more, with a couple hundred people waiting. That’s another side of the job, trying to fix an issue when there is an endless number of potential things that could be the cause of the problem.

To answer a few of the most asked questions.

Do I get to see all the shows? Yup, I’m at them all.

Do I get to meet famous people? Depends on their mood. Like anyone, they can be friendly and social or keep to themselves.

What is the best show I’ve done? There are too many to count, but the ones I enjoy the most are usually the ones I would never have thought about seeing. Our theatre hosts some very unique and exciting performances. Next time you see something curious coming through the theatre, take a chance, get a ticket and experience something new. After this past year, we all deserve it.

Jack Nemo is a Theatre Technician with the Esplanade

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