The Mind Creative March 2014
The behemoth was nick named “The Claw”. The stage weighed 400
tons and required 48 semi-trucks to ship it transport it between
cities. Count the number of lights (called instruments in theatre
parlance) and remember that each one needs a cable which goes
into the power source. 16 miles of cable! The video screen had
500,000 pixels and weighed 54 tons. The travelling crew numbered
130. In addition, 1500 people were usually hired as temporary help
in which ever city they performed in. Daily budget was over $75,000.
On this Memorial Day on the 26th, Broadway would pay homage to
all stage hands and assorted crew that make the productions not
only possible but in many cases create magic. Spare a thought for
the unseen magicians behind scenes.
(This article first appeared in my blog, entitled “Subtext”, dated May 24, 2014).
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