The Winter’s Tale

Yesterday was our first rehearsal on the stage for the Optimists’ “The Winter’s Tale,” their offering for Milwaukee’s free Shakespeare in the Park.

Here’s the space, with the set loaded in. We finished up focus, or rather what passed for focus in full daylight. Later on, after sunset, many discoveries were made and either exploited or corrected.

We’ve got four 6 dimmer Leprecon packs, with 1.2 k dimmers. Most of the ERS’s we borrowed are 750 watt. Which means careful balancing of loads as we cue. I had originally planned to use the front of house units to break the stage up side, center, and side, but since I couldn’t play them at more than 40% without popping breakers, I realized that since one unit comfortably covered the whole stage, I could turn them into tonality units — each got its own color. I might not be able to pull focus, but at least I have a wider variety of atmospheres.

With the sprinkler running all day to water the newly laid sod, it got rather muddy. Here’s artistic director, scenic designer, and actor Ron laying a spare platform over the mud pit in the stage right vom, as director ML looks on.

Here some of the actors work with the fabric they will use to create the storm.

And when it’s a young company mounting only their second outdoor show, it pays to come prepared. I hadn’t heard anyone talk about a tech table, so I brought my own.