Watching 'oliver'

[mollykins]

Should i abandon my fellow backstage crew to watch 'oliver' ?

I really want to see it, but i don't want them to not be able to cope, I could still help them set things up etc at the start of the show, during the interval and at the end.

there's four more shows I could go see/ help with. What about asking the head of backstage, which of those shows he has the most crew and chaperones for and going to that one as long as there are seats left!?!?!?! I'm really torn . . . Someone did say about filming it but they're not sure if they could, and let me watch it as that counts as distributing it but they wouldn't be selling it, so we're confused.

What should I do?

[Bobbisox]

I am sure you have worked hard enough Molly to allow you to watch one performance, they will cope without you x

[mollykins]

Plus I'm assuming i can sneak into a random spare seat in the audience for free . . .

[redman41]

Can I come and shout 'He's behind you..........oh no he isn't, oh yes he is ?

[Bobbisox]

has it been a great success the Molly?

[Bobbisox]

<then>

[Mick-Talbot]

You have contributed so much molly, I think it should be renamed 'Molliver'

[mollykins]

Head of backsatge is slightly younger than me but we've been friends for ages, he did say ages ago that he didn't mind me watching one of the shows. But he's really nice and even if it would be a struggle he wouldn't complain and still let me watch it, but I'd feel bad if i knew they didn't have enough people to sort it out :/

[mollykins]

That's not my real name though :P

[mollykins]

I can't get intouch with head of backstage so reluctantly I'm talking to the assistant head of back stage (that one that I asked if i should accept their FB friend request).

[Mick-Talbot]

ah, I see, sorry, Albert.

[boxtops]

Molly, IF you can get cover and IF you are confident that someone else can do as gooda job as you, then ask the stage manager if you can go and watch one night. However, it is your responsibility so you can't just cop out of the job if you want to watch the show - that's one of the disadvantages of backstage, I have rarely seen more than scraps of any of the shows I've been involved with.
The thing about filming is all to do with the licence. The group will have been licensed for so many performances, filming is usually not allowed except for the group's own records.

[mollykins]

They're short of people on saturday so I'll have to watch either wednesdays or sundays.

[boxtops]

What we've done if we are a person short one night, is ask a stand-in to shadow the night before, so they know exactly what's to be done. Could you do that, have an understudy with you, the night before you want to watch, so they can see what you do?

[mollykins]

Boxy, i don't aprticularly have specific jobs i HAVE to do, but it seems i get into a routine so once I've finish taking the mic off of Noah I'm ready to help Mr Bumble put it on with the rest fo his costume etc etc but other people can do hat - if there's enough of them.

[mollykins]

Boxy there's quite a few of us and we all know what we're doing, it's just that we're not all at all of the shows.

[boxtops]

Yeah, but they need to know exactly what to do and when - there is nothing worse than the actor coming off stage for help, and the helper's not there.

[mollykins]

We're really organised, in the props room there are a few huge charts with what order the scenes are in, one with what props need to be where, one with what actors need to be onstage and one with who needs what microphone. So if there's someone in the props room, they can listen to the music or words and know where we are in the musical, and look on the charts and automatically see what needs to be done then or during the next scene change.

[boxtops]

Excellent - you just need to be sure who's doing it then, otherwise if you're not there, who is. Being out front and seeing someone come on without a prop because the cue's been missed is not a good feeling, and you said in your OP "they might not be able to cope".