Student Blog: DITL Summer Stock Theatre (Tech Week Version)

I’m so excited to share another DITL blog post! This time, it’s the tech week version! Since this was the first tech of the summer, it was not quite as hectic as changeover (72 hours to go from one show to the next, including strike, load-in, focus, and tech) will be, but it was a great introduction to how professional tech functions! In July, I can post a DITL (changeover version) if anyone is interested in what that looks like! For now, here is what the Tuesday before we opened on Wednesday consisted of for me:

7:45am  I wake up to my alarm and get dressed for the day.

8am  I take a quick morning walk. I prioritized good sleep after a late night so the walk is shorter than usual, but any morning movement is still a great way to prepare my body for the day. 

8:35am  I walk over to the lobby to eat breakfast, set out by our administrative team. We have bagels from my favorite restaurant in town! During tech, the theater provides at least one meal for us each day to minimize our stress. 

9am  The work day starts! I start by addressing notes from the previous day’s tech, such as moving a cue light, adding two instruments, running extra cable, and changing dead lamps. 

11am  Lunch break (veggie samosas)! I bought frozen samosas over the weekend because I knew they would be a quick and delicious meal to throw in the toaster oven when I didn’t have energy to cook. This gives me more time to rest and socialize during my break.

12pm  We head back over to the theater to finish preparing for the end of tech. This mainly consists of cleaning and testing microphones.

1pm  Tech starts! I’m in charge of the mics for tech so the sound designer can listen from the audience.

5pm  Dinner break! I make pasta with veggie meatballs.

6pm  Back to the theater for crew calltime! I help wherever I can (I don’t have a specific role for this performance, so I just bounce around wherever anyone needs an extra pair of hands).

7:30pm  The invited dress rehearsal begins! I run house lights for this show (which only change at the beginning and end of each act), so I’m able to mainly watch the performance. It’s so fun to witness all the growth from the company run I saw just a few days prior.

10:30pm  After the audience leaves, a deck crew rehearsal occurs. Since I’m not on that team, I complete a few tasks and then watch them work from the audience.

12am  We’re released from rehearsal. We all head back to the cabins to get ready for bed!! Tomorrow is super exciting because it is our first opening night of the season! 

This was my first time experiencing a professional technical rehearsal, and it was so fun! The day was long, but conquering it alongside friends made it seem easy! After this first tech, I’m looking forward to my first changeover!

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