Can't Find the Air?

Once again in my life I find myself running around backstage; I landed a gig where Rob works the sound booth, at the Fairfield Theater Company. It happened because I felt like a bit of a "theater widow". I showed up one day wondering if there was anything I could do to help, I sat in on a production meeting, and then I had a job. Everyone decided I would be good at coordinating ushers, which was fine, and I asked for the job I really wanted: hospitality (getting the artists everything they need from their riders and coordinating dinner), and somewhere in all that someone realized I was the only one who didn't need to be around all the time for technical stuff and I'd be an excellent gopher, so now I think my official job is "she who does all".

What's a rider? Every artist who travels and plays shows for a living has a list of things they need to play their show properly (like what kind of lighting and sound systems) and a list of things they'd like in their dressing room. That's their rider. Some famous requests are Jennifer Lopez wanting all white flowers in her dressing room or some big rock band demanding a bowl of ONLY GREEN M&M's. See more famous folks riders here at the Smoking Gun.

Yesterday before the show that started at 8pm, I got to the theater at 2. I was sent out for a bunch of stuff from all from different stores. I had so much fun going around and collecting everything! I had a company credit card and a wad of cash. I admit, I felt very useful and important, and the good thing is I wasn't stuck in the theater all day.

The show that night was Duncan Sheik (you know, in the 90's he was "barely breathing") He asked for some avocados and cheese and wine and bread and a $20 per person limit for dinner from a non-pasta/pizza place (and our theater is conviently located right next door to a great French food restaurant). It was a fairly easy rider.

In the evening, I coordinated my ushers, Phil and Vanessa, who were kind enough to come and volunteer to help me, as well as two other young girls who were helping out for the evening (they were sweethearts, and I affectionately dubbed them the 'skinny white girl duo', which they thought was hilarious). Then I set things up nice and neatly backstage with all the dinners checked and labeled with band member's names, and introduced myself to the band, and made sure everyone who needed help got it. There was a bit of downtime before the show, but I kept running in circles in case anyone needed anything. It was fun; I was the only one in the theater who got to see all the different "worlds" of the theater at once: the box office tallying ticket sales, the bar tender serving drinks, the lighting gal and the super sexy sound guy in their booth getting ready, the audience chatting in their seats and the aisles, the opening act just off the stage and buzzing, because they played a great show and Duncan, in the wings with a glass of white wine, ready to go on. I checked one last time to see if he needed anything else. "All set." he said, and he smiled. He's got a great personality. I wished him a good show and went to take a seat near the stage door.

He played amazingly. I had never heard his music (except, of course, Barely Breathing), and some of his songs got me choked up. The second to last song he played was "Fake Plastic Trees" which is a Radiohead cover. He started singing and Phil and I looked at each other and freaked out. It is one of my favorite songs by them, and his cover was incredible.

He asked that his dinner be served after the show, and the main person in charge of hospitality was supposed to have taken care of it... but she dropped the ball big time and left without ordering it, so I ran around after the show freaking out about his dinner. They ended up taking him out to the bar next door for bar food, which he said he was just fine with, because, like I said, he's a sweet guy. I think (hope) soon they'll realize I might be more useful than people already in place.

So I'm back to two jobs; I did a show tonight, too, Professor Louie and the Crowmatix. They were old and very cool; thier rider said: 4 large pizzas. That was it! I bought eight pizzas and six salads for band and crew (I've never spent so much for pizza in my life!), I kept everything nice and neat, and the band liked me and gave me a copy of their CD, which I got signed.

I'm very excited about this job because it's a lot of fun and I get to meet really cool folks all the time. Plus, when I have a spare minute, I can sneak a kiss from that cute soundguy.