Much Ado About Nothing 2021

Much Ado About Nothing 2021
Summary
Dates 20th, 21st and 22nd January
Performance Course Second Year BA Acting
Location RS2
Creative Team
Director Becky Hope Palmer
Designer Lucy Herbert and Bethany McColl
Sound Designer Hayley Grogan
Lighting Designer Ryan Worrell
Production Team
Stage Manager Hannah Henderson
Deputy Stage Manager Zsanka Bollok
Assistant Stage Manager Leo Wittwer
Assistant Stage Manager Aisha Oyedepo
Assistant Stage Manager Anna Athanasiadi
Assistant Stage Manager Lewis Brown
Stage Supervisor Kyle Jessiman
Deputy Stage Supervisor Euan Dyer
Stage Technician Maddy Frost
Production Electrician Laura Martin
LX Programmer Pierce Brown
Lighting Crew Fraser Mackie
Lighting Crew Hannah Scott
Production Sound Engineer David Graham
Sound Technician Pippa Reilly
Sound Technician Viola Fowler

Technical Stage Department

Due to covid-19 we were unable to put this show on in the way it was originally planned. The TSD Department were able to start the fit up but then we had to move online and so were not able to finish the build or be there for the performances.

Our first challenge for this performance was that is was happening in Rs2 and so we had to turn it into a venue. Along with the designers and director we spoke about a couple different layout options for the truss and then decided on a stage that is 12m wide by 4m deep. We then added 4 stick of truss going across the top to give lots of rigging options for all departments.

Our second big challenge was that they wanted lots of flying set pieces which was going to be hard as we have very little space to hide the set when it was out. After explaining this to the designers we agreed that it would be ok for the set to be seen even when they are out.

Sound

Preparation For Productions

Preparation for this show was made more difficult by COVID restrictions both for meetings, attending rehearsals and prepping kit. In terms of Kit prep we were very lucky to have the all new RS2 sound kit. This kit included 4 Ex6, an SQ5 from Allan & Heath as well as a dante card and a lot of new cabling. It was however still required to go in and prep some kit, This meant requesting to be in the building. This then requires waiting for the confirmation which is yet another wait. Teams and Zoom also became a large part of prep for both the technical side and also the people side. Having access to the teams messaging made contact between the department much easier.

Kit LIst

We had planned to hire a comms system from Blacklight however this was derailed in the final stages by the national lockdown and uncertainty of the show as a whole.

Sound Vectorworks

This plan is this draft copy produced for going into fitup, however it transpired that different verions of the master copy were in use in different deparments meaning the location of the FOD truss is off in this document.

Technical Challenges

Since this was an entirely new venue there were numerous new challenges to consider. One of the challenges we faced was the fact the FOH truss was uncertain in position up until not long before fit up. This venue being a rehearsal space in normal times meant that there were no cable dip trays so everything had to be run round the edge of the room or under the stage. This lead to needing a lot more cable for things like comms and the subs. We also had challenges due to COVID, since there was an added safety procedures in place it meant that many tasks that usually would be done by 2 people close together could really only be done by 1 now. For example rigging a speaker to the truss. Even things like sharing tape was no longer an option. Eventually the call was made to stop the in venue production and switch to an online format; the day before fitup began.

Broadcast Sound

As part of the new online nature of the show it became necessary to record the actors so a broadcast engineer was brought onto the show. This lead to new challenges interms of recording it as there were now 12 mics on stage.

Mic Plot

This shows a breakdown of actors on stage in each scene.

Mic Fitting Notes

This contains suggestions on how to deal with costume related mic issues.