Everybody is talking about Jamie
planning for a live production
Everybody‘s talking about Jamie is a musical written about a young boy in his last year of school who is on a self discovery journey with wanting to get into drag, there are many themes in this musical such as identity, sexuality, self acceptance, expression, tolerance and respecting others differences. This musical is inspired by the story of Jamie Campbell and his mother Margret Campbell who at 15 had written To a tv documentary asking them to tell his story and have it as a tv series which then aired in 2011 which has now been turned into a huge musical success and now a movie.
when preparing for a musical there is alot of backstage rolls that play a big part that all interlink with eachother to make sure all of this can come together such as;
Hair stylist
In theatre the hairdressers roll is to create the desired look which will compliment the characters personality and costume, in order to do this sometimes the stylist will need to
prepare the performers scalp and skin to create hairstyles that are suited to the production requirements. they will work with both the performers natural hair and also work with wigs, hair extensions and hair pieces. Throughout the production the stylist will continuously check on the hair to make sure that it stays in shape as it can become messy and out of shape as they are performing so they may re-do the hair in between shoots and remove products if asked. Hair stylists are recruited onto sets pre production and work throughout the production. Depending if they are a private stylist or not they will either work on one actor or several throughout However for theatre productions the budget is never normally high enough for a private stylist so it is likely that they will be working on all of the performers. they will work closely with the chief dresser, who is responsible for breaking down the script, all hairdressing requirements and monitoring the continuity of hair for their actor throughout each production. It is helpful when they can have a broad range of services such as cutting/styling hair and application of extensions . Some of the mandatory hair duties include shampooing, cutting and styling, and some may provide other hair treatments such as permanent hair colouring, deep conditioning and weaving. There are skills that are required of a hair stylist such as being fully qualified and have experience in working wigs and being able to style them, as you will be working and spending a fair amount of time with the performers it would be helpful if you were to be a person with good social skills and can get along with people. It would be helpful for yourself if you were to be an organised person so when you need things you can find them without wasting any time as you may be under a time restriction.
hair and/or makeup assistant
The roll of a hair/ makeup artist assistant is to provide help for the head makeup artist or stylist. essentially they are there to make make their job easier and smooth flowing, this will help reduce stress on them and help out with time management. this roll includes jobs such as setting up their work station and maintaining cleanliness in between performers by sanatising brushes and other makeup tools, keeping the makeup kit stocked and organised to avoid anything missing and wasting time looking for products. if necessary and asked for they may also need to apply makeup onto the performers to get it done in a timly manner.
makeup artist
Makeup artists job is to provide general stage make up, prosthetics or glam makeup which in this live production is a mix or stage makeup and full glam, where they will enhance facial aesthetics through makeup. A makeup artist has certain duties such as having good communication skills as it is important for them to have a good understanding of what is wanted from them taking into consideration all the other factors such as the hair, costume and lighting, this is crucial when having production meetings. When applying the makeup on to the actors and performers the artist will need apply it in a professional manner for example, they need to be gentle and make sure they are working around the performers needs as due to factors such as sensitive skin, allergies to particular products . The makeup artist has the responsibility of visually transforming people's appearance to the directors vision. The makeup artist will need to be aware of the set lighting and setting so they can work around these factors weather that be the makeup colouring or the fine or bigger details, also how the makeup will be applied, for example under a stage light you will need to give your performers a matted look so they don’t look shiny/sweay during their performance. It is critical that the needs of the client is met, for example when doing a longer makeup look you need to ensure that you client is comfortable . As a makeup artist it is important to possess some of the qualities such as patience as there are alot of factors that go into your look and you may have to go back and fourth with a look until it fits the aesthetic of the scene, Another quality which is essential to have is to be able to work under pressure, for a lot of jobs you come across you will find yourself under a time limit as you will be working on various performers who will need to all be ready for a particular scene.
lighting designer/ operator :
A light designer job in the arts is to create the light plot and/or outline for the whole show. The purpose is to create lighting which will properly showcase the performers and the setting varying the design throughout the production to meet the action on stage. The lightning designer however do not manage the lights during the show. To work in this area you will need certain skills such as the willingness to work as a part of a team which requires good communication skills, it is extremely critical that you will need organisational and numerical skills so that you can manage projects and budgets. They will need to be able to pay close attention to detail and be willing to work under tight deadlines. They work with many people on the set, for example the director as it is their vision for the productio, choreographer as the lighting needs to match the mood of the performance, set designer, costume designer so their outfits can look how they are meant to under the lights, sound designer to get the right atmosphere from the lighting and importantly the makeup artist as they need to match the tones ti the lighting. They will have to keep in mind issues of visibility for safety reasons.
sound designer/ operator
a sound director is responsible for all audio on the production and that varies from the minimal background noises that creates an atmosphere to the music/songs being played in the scenes. With Theatre everything is more dramatic and emotional so it is important that the sound director can appropriately match those feeling and emotions with sounds and music. They have to create a whole sample with all of the songs and sounds so it is easily accessible on the show day so everything will be prepared. The sound director is also in charge of mics of the performers so when necessary they can change to volume of each character so they are heard without having to shout out to the audience, this is crucial as the performers will need to save their voices as it may be a long duration showing. the sound director will interlink with the director and the hair stylist and choreographer they need to discuss microphone placement.
costume designer
Their role is to create the character’s outfits to fit the production. The costume designer does not work alone as they work alongside the directors scenic and the light designer, hair stylist and the makeup artist to ensure that all aspects of the look match. With this job role it is more than just coming up with an outfit, they have to take into consideration the personality of the character, the period of the event and the scenery for example alot of this production is set in a school therefore the the attire is mostly a school uniform, this determines many aspects of the look such as the colours, the types of material, if the look is rugged or pristine. The outfits which have been created must be washable and durable for plays which go extended for longer periods of time and for those which will not be changed within scenes they also need to be made particularly for certain performance, for example the uniform needs to be loose fit as the performers need to be able to freely move when they have dance scenes. As a costume designer you will have many responsibilities such as studying the script to make sure that they have a good understanding of the character throughout the play. They would need to research what would be considered suitable costume designs styles and fabrics. Once that has been done they would have to sketch their ideas out and see which version of their looks works best. The looks which are made have to fit the needs and desires of the production design concept and budget. these designs need to be accepted by the directors and the makeup artist as it is all a collaboration to make everything look correct.
producer
The producer on the set is the person who is contributing the finances towards the production and will look after the financial side of things and will decide where the budget will go on each department. The producers roll is vital in any live production as the show would not go on without them as they have the responsibilities of making arrangements for every aspect of the production to make sure it’s prepared for the show day.
casting director
The casting director is responsible for hiring the actors to play particular characters in the production. This is such a vital part as casting correctly makes all the difference with the outcome of the show. when you cast the correct person it is almost as if they have embodied the charred themselves and it shows through their performance. The casting director will have read the script and will need a deep understanding of each character that they are casting so it can be an appropriate match. The casting director will work closely with the director and the producer.
performer
A performers roll is to entertain on the stage, weather they have a bigger or smaller roll. a performers roll can vary from acting, dancing or singing all in all are important.
The actors roll is to undertake the persona of the character that they are playing, this is done by reading the script and get a deeper understanding of the character by looking at their past and other obstacles around them. if necessary the actors in advance may take on the life of the character so they can personally feel their emotions and put it into their acting. the actors will work with the understudies, writer, director and the choreographer. The singers roll is to ensure that the musical numbers go well and are all in tune with each other so the harmony and melodies are smoothly flow, they will work with the write and composer, musical director, sound director and the main director. the dancers roll is more abstract than you think, not only do they dance to the music but within their dancing they also need to portray feelings through the character, a situation or story line, they will be working with
understudies
The roll of an understudy is to learn all of the script and characteristics and dance performances the same way that the actor would as they are there to replace the actor is anything is to go wrong, for example if they were to fall ill or are hospitalised or just un able to perform they take over and embody the roll. The understudy will typically have a normal roll within the play doing something in the background such as the musical numbers and will get paid for every for every track that they do cover. It is a highly skilled roll as they can learn multiple rolls at once so it is more flexible and are more likely to get a main part if you are to
set designer
A set designer’s job is to create the desired look of any given set. This means that the role is a combination of creativity and practicality, as you have to have a vision design it and then do your best to make it a reality with the help of the other backstage cast. the same skill set is vital to all The roles which fits inside the planning stages of a production, there will be a planning meeting put in place pre production and running through right until opening night. You’ll have to understand the concepts of the production you’re involved in as you’ll need to convey exactly your needs to a variety of people including make-up artists, lighting designers sound teams and directors and props technicians.
Responsibilities and importance of a backstage roll
my roll backstage is a creative makeup artist. This roll is highly important as it puts together the “look” whole show. This pieces together the characters, their personality and the era of which the play is taking place. More often than not this role seems to be looked down on and not seen as important by other backstage members however without us in the characters will have not been “brought to life” and will have no physical substance to them. The point of the makeup and hair is that you can tell who the character is before they are introduced and you get an idea of what sort of character they are going to be before the play goes ahead, for example in every body is talking about jamie, the characters mimime and loco channel are both drag queens played by males so without the makeup artist there they will look their norma selves and will not be able to differentiate them from when they are performing as Jamie new and Hugo Battersby. makeup artists will work alongside various different people behind stage as they all interlink for example; the lighting crew, costume, hair, and the sound crew.
makeup artists will work alongside the lighting crew as the makeup needs to look good under all lighting For example there will be different lights used such as the stage lights which will make their dewy makeup look Sweaty so they will need to powder their faces down, and if they are to use coloured gel lights the makeup will have to change colours due to the colour theory meaning certain colours will change under the lights therefore you will have to use a different shade in order for it to give the desired look. costume designers work with the makeup artist as you need to make sure these looks go hand in hand and do not clash for example if the character was to wear an outfit with neutral tones you wouldn’t put a bold bright eyeshadow on them otherwise it would look out of place So in this case you would give them nude brown tone shades to keep it natural.
hair and makeup artists practically work hand in hand and some makeup artist will be qualified in both areas and do both rolls on the set. This makes it easier as they can choose the hair and makeup that compliment each other without having to go back and found with separate people. The reason these things go hand in hand is because they will effect each others looks. For example if you were to do a bold makeup look and then the hair was completely down the chances are that the hair will be in the face and cover up the details put into the makeup. So if it is a detailed makeup look that is going to be done normally the hair will have to be out of the face so it is seen in contrast to that if the hair is down it is likely that the look will be more simple but effective. Both hair and makeup artist will work with the sound crew as they deal with the mics which are usually placed in the hair, because of this the hair will have to work around the mics and will have to be done in a way that you won’t be able to see the equipment.
a production meeting is where everyone who is involved in the production get together to discuss different areas in the production to make sure that it will run as smoothly as possible. It is important to have these meetings as different departments interlink with each other so it is the best way to combine and communicate ideas and can come to an agreement that works best, for example the makeup artists will work with departments such as; hair, costume, lighting ect. Before a show there will be multiple meetings with various department until everything is set in stone and is ensured everything can run smoothly.
Production meeting notes
Risk Assessment
why do we have risk assessments?
risk assessments are critical in any kind of live production, this is because you can pre- evaluate anything that could potentially go wrong before the show so you can take the appropriate measures to resolve these issues. All risk assessments are going to be versatile to one another as the risks are going to be particular to the show itself, for example in Sweeney Todd’s risk assessment one risk would be misplacing a prop blade to a real one causing an in-action slit throat, whereas in Everybody’s talking about Jamie the risk would less severe for example there is a risk of the performers straining them as they are dancing a lot.
Evaluation of the live production
overall I think the live production had gone very well, as the backstage crew had good communication throughout the production it allowed it to run as smoothly as possible. Of course all of the makeup hair and costume departments had their own ideas on how they wanted the characters to look during the performance, however until the practice performances happened they couldn’t have been 100% on their looks. For example when standing under the stage lights the makeup looked different slightly pale so when speaking to the makeup artists and the lighting designers we had come to a conclusion to use a slightly less cooler light and a slightly warmer shade of makeup on the performers, once this was agreed the performers looked perfect under the stage lights.
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