The first Sutco show of the academic year, ‘Come to the Five and Dime Jimmy Dean’, took place last week and transported us to the 1950s and 70s era. But how many backstage shifts made it all happen?
Three days before opening night, I went over to the Drama Studio to find out what goes on in a tech rehearsal?
Emily: What have you been getting up to today?
Charlotte: “I’m the set assistant. I come up with what we want for the set, and today we’ve been constructing it. Since 10am we’ve had five different attempts at making a bar, but I think the one we have now is going to work. My best bit was getting to use the electric saw.”
Diya: “I’m the stage manager, so I assist with all quick changes and helping actors come on and off stage when they should. I’ve also been helping build the stage and figure out the props tables. I’ve never done a production before, so it was nice to finally see the stage and space so I can plan it out in my head. I’d say today’s been a bit like organised chaos where there’s been a lot of little jobs to do, but we’re slowly getting there.”
Mason: “I’m a sound designer, so I’ve been programming sounds to make sure they actually work in the drama studio sound system. I’ve also done Sutco long enough that I’m a useful spare pair of hands to have around with things like set dressing.”
Abby: “I’m a costume designer, so I get info from the cast and production team, then make sure characters look like what they represent. It’s been a lot of last minute sewing, adjustments, steaming and ironing – and an annoying amount of time trying to make the right shape of a pregnancy belly.”
Emily: What is so fun about working on this production?
Charlotte: “This is the most colourful production. I really like the aesthetics of both the 50s and 70s and there’s lots of really interesting stuff you can do with that in the set.”
Diya: “There’s so much comedy in it and it’s really fun to watch from the side and see it all play out.”
Mason: “I’ve really enjoyed the shorter timescale as it feels very rewarding to have everything come together so quickly with everyone working so hard on it.”
Abby: “There’s a lot of time jumps, so it’s been fun to show a clear relation between the older and younger versions of characters without being too on the nose. I’ve been working little details into the costume for the audience to spot and make links from the beginning.”
Emily: What aspect of your role might people not know about?
Charlotte: “The amount of time I spend on Facebook marketplace, then asking friends to drive me to the other side of Sheffield to pick up set pieces.”
Mason: “There’s a secret trap door up into the tech box, and there’s no one there to stop us going through it anytime we like.”
Abby: “Many of the costumes we’re using have been from productions years before I even arrived at uni, and so we get to cut and sew accessories from secondhand shops onto these clothes to make them match different fashion periods.”
Diya: “While everything seems calm and organised on stage, there’s about 3 techies running around trying to make sure it all goes smoothly.”
