Standby Tigers…Tigers GO! By Anna Barnes
Dearest Makers of Theatre,
It has been an honor, and my pleasure, to keep you all punctual and properly scheduled for the past eighteen months. For those of you who don’t know it, I’m the rising Assistant Production Manager and the stage manager for Cap and Bells’ latest creation, Tigers Be Still, directed by the brilliant Lily Riopelle and featuring a brilliantly talented and (for the most part) on-time, off-book cast.
Stage managing is a truly unique experience. I’d never experienced anything like it before coming to Williams. From the god-like rush of calling a show to the little voice in my head going, “Oh my god, if I screw up, the whole thing is going to come crashing down and everyone is going to hate me,” it’s certainly never a dull job. It also happens to be one that I’ve come to love with all my heart, especially in the course of the Tigers rehearsal process. I’m continually amazed at how the script blends off-the-wall hilarity with heart-breaking human suffering, allowing Lily and the actors to let themselves go and just have fun even with the heavier passages. I spend rehearsals laughing myself silly, pausing only occasionally to put in a request to our props master for extra-large odor-protecting tampons, or perhaps to use my laptop to blast the Top Gun theme under the sound of barking Chihuahuas.
Unfortunately, I will have to take a break from stage management next fall, as I’m going to England to indulge my ever-growing obsession with Jane Austen. However, when I return in the spring it will be to serve as assistant to the lovely Miss Emily Ciavarella, our rising production manager. Production management has been something I’ve been aching to try ever since I found out the position existed , so I’m super-excited! Also, I will get to spend lots of time with Emily, who was the first stage manager I encountered at Williams and thus holds a very special place in my heart. It was her dedication, quiet sense of control amid chaos, and general badassery that first inspired me to try out the whole production side of things, so of course I’m very happy to be teaming up with her for the coming spring. Get excited. And slightly terrified.
In conclusion, I look forward to continuing to schedule your lives and make theatre with you all in the coming year!
P.S.: Guys. Chihuahuas. Top Gun. Extra-large, odor-protecting tampons. Seriously. Come see the show.