Elixir: From Sketch To Stage 2
Over to Catriona Muir and Alice McKay,
Assistant Stage Managers, who work their
magic on tour to keep The Elixir as beautifully
realised as the day it opened.
It’s 9am on a Tuesday morning in Elgin and the technical team are ready to unload the 18-tonne truck we tour containing everything required to make The Elixir of Love possible – apart from the singers of course!
Our morning is spent building the floor, set and truss for the lighting rig.
Alice divides her time between props and costume, so after a morning tea break the two of us focus on setting up the dressing rooms and laying out all the costumes for the performance that evening.
The Laundry on a show like this is a daily chore!
We have a list of daily tasks that need to be achieved each show day, and maintenance notes that have arisen from the previous show such as lipstick stains and sagging fat suits. Daily tasks include maintaining wigs, polishing shoes and covering scuff marks, steaming and lint rolling jackets and of course my favourite, laundry!
With a cast of ten, some with multiple costumes, we tour three wardrobe vans packed with not only costumes but accessories, spare costumes, a sewing machine, ironing boards and irons, costume rails, laundry materials and all the bits and bobs for hair and makeup!
We are very self-contained as we take our own tumble dryer and twin-tub washing machine for laundry – as long as there is power and a water supply we can put a show on anywhere.
Forty five minutes before the performance, Catriona starts double-checking everything is set for quick changes backstage, helping the cast get into their costumes, and ensuring everything is as Oli the designer intended.
Throughout the performance Catriona is backstage, too, to help the cast with quick changes, and to be on-hand should there be any sewing emergencies.
On The Road Again
Once the show comes down we pack it all up, load it back into the truck and get ready for the next venue!
The seven members of our team are responsible for all technical and backstage elements of the production on tour.
On show days we start at 9am and don’t finish until 1am the next morning, so when we have time off we enjoy getting out and exploring, even if it is in the pouring rain!
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