Road to Opening Week 13: Matt Armet on 2 Weeks to A CHORUS LINE at Stratford

2 weeks until Opening Night

Our previews are coming along very well. We've been continuing to rehearse, always in an effort to improve on what we've done before. Our houses keep getting bigger and everyone seems to love the show.

But, in an effort to give you the complete behind-the-scenes experience, I did something a little scary this week. At the half hour call before the show one day, my friend and crew member, Rory Feore (yes, he's also Donna's brother-in-law) took me all the way up to above the stage to see his view from the spotlights.

Rory took me up four different flights of stairs through the Festival Theatre and all the way up into the long and winding catwalks above the audience. From there, you can see all of the lights just under your feet and then the seats waaaay below. Let's just say that I definitely had my own hand prints on the thighs of my pants because I kept wiping my sweaty palms. I guess that's why they call them 'sweat pants.' (Cue two drum hits and a rim shot!) There are four spot lights in total up there, and centre-back in the middle is the stage management booth.

After about a five-minute journey, we finally reached Rory's spotlight #2. He handed me this huge, thick nylon belt attached to a pole and tells me to wrap it around my waist. After I sit down, he encourages me to lean forward and look down. I'm basically right above the sound board and I'm sure I saw a drop of sweat fall from my forehead onto a seat below.

He then shows me the different gels (plastic films in front of the light to change the colour), and how to change them. He also shows me how to change the diameter of the light beam and where the handles are to maneuver the light around. Then he shows me the coolest part: the scope. I felt like I was in a video game as I aimed the light down around the stage. There's a cool red target and everything (see photo)!

He then points out the stand on my right which has all the cues on it so that when Cindy (our stage manager) is calling the cue numbers over headset, they know exactly what each cue entails: who the light is for, colour, diameter, etc. I took some cool pictures and then he led me all the way back through the catwalks and down to my dressing room to finish getting ready for the show.

Crew is a department that is often overlooked by audiences. When they are as amazing as ours (and everything goes smoothly), you shouldn't even know they are there. It means they're doing their jobs flawlessly.

The next time you are in the Festival Theatre, wrench your neck back and look way up to those spotlight booths, and appreciate how incredible the men and woman are who help to make us look so amazing on stage every single show.

Quote of the Week! This week a new catch phrase has been developing between our company over our Snapchat accounts. After every preview, a lot of us either eat dirty food, such as McDonald's, perogies and bacon, or chicken wings, and/or drink any sort of alcoholic beverage, while we hang out or watch Netflix. So, the quote that has been developing is, "I deserve this!" A Chorus Line is a freakin' tough show and sometimes you just have to reward yourself for making it through it again.

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