In the beginning was the Lattice,
and the Lattice was with God,
and the Lattice was God.
My first experience with stage crew was through the production of The Music Man in Spring of 2017, and it still remains one of my favorite productions I was involved in. I had recently dropped out of my school’s rowing program and I felt that it was in my best interest to become involved in something that I truly enjoyed. My experience with the crew in my freshman year taught me lessons that I would recall throughout the remainder of my time in the program.
The amount of detail that went into the set, and the smaller moving pieces utilized throughout the show, was tremendous. No mistakes could be tolerated on these projects, and I quickly learned my first lesson from stage crew: Always strive to improve your work, and ensure that it is durable and beautiful.
The two materials that taught me this lesson were the wooden spindles and lattice that were widely utilized in the set. They were both nightmares to work with, and they were very easy to break in the process. It was a rookie’s worst nightmare.
After introductory training on how to use the power saws and drills, I was immediately given projects to tackle with the veterans of the program. If it were not for the guidance of these experienced builders, I would have screwed up countless times during the production, and I would not have evolved into the builder I am today. Their expertise with their construction and their abundant determination encouraged me to put my best efforts forward.
As displayed in photo three in the gallery above, the lattice and spindles were attached to large frames made out of a combination of 2x4s and 1x4s. The main issue that the crew faced during this production was cutting down the lattice from the larger sheets were were stocked with. These sheets, which can be seen in photo six, had a tendency to splinter under the power of our table and circular saws, and in order to produce the best finished product, be needed to focus on quality over quantity.
We broke out the jigsaw cutters and hand saws and got to work. Each cut was individually measured and traced before the cut was made, and we were encouraged to take out time with the saws. The hours I spent with the jigsaw with saw dust flying up to my protective goggles were demanding, but it gave me a deep understanding of how to tool worked and how I should approach cutting with it.
This was also the production were the beloved stage extension came into being. The entire façade of this structure was covered by small wood spindles and arches, which I also had to produce and paint.
If you think cutting spindles and lattice is terrible, wait until you have to paint it. I quickly learned that precision was required for the small things, in order to bring out the beauty in the larger set. After several broken spindles and feet of spent painters tape, the crew was able to create one of the most stunning pieces in my career.
People remember the first time they were involved in something or did something that would change them, and I am no exception. My involvement in the production of The Music Man and the trials I was immediately presented during it turned me into the experienced builder I am today. If there were any production I would go back to work through a second time, it would be this one. The design of the set, and the people I met in the crew made me fall in love with the program immediately (The spindles and lattice were fun to pulverize on demolition day too).