The Chief has occasionally helped build or strike sets for shows I've been in and was on the scene change crew when I did Magic Flute, but this is the first time we've both teched a show. It was nice learning very rudimentary lighting stuff together, and when he finished his "spot op" (spotlight operator) duties at the end of each act, he'd come down to my spot in the stage right wings and wait until the end of the act, when we could start striking props. That was fun - at the end of Act I we'd usually boogie to "Light of the World".
I also enjoyed having company on the ride to and from the theater, chatting about the previous night's performance, technical glitches or things that went well, what a delight the director was, and so on. When it came to strike, he was very take-charge about which of us would take which props (we both drive Saturns; needed both of 'em to accommodate the old door and the beat-up trash can), set to work right away pulling gels as soon as the house lights came up after that last matinee, then got to business w/ his drill dismantling the set. Taking things apart, hauling pieces out to the loading dock, loading props into our cars - he probably worked at least as hard as any of the (much younger) cast members. We both crashed & burned once we finally got home after strike, but it was nice working together for a change.
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