What are the benefits of being appointed Light Manager during Sophomore Year and Tech Director Senior Year? You get access to the keys. These are not keys to the high school Ferrari or food storage. No, they access something much better.
Throughout the entirety of my senior year, I had a private penthouse located within the busy corridors of my school. I used the theater’s light booth on the second floor as my study space, locker, and bedroom during school and before show productions (I never skipped class).
The booth is a beloved landmark in the theater program, and I had the privilege of occupying it longer than any light manager in the program’s history. It is a hallowed space, yet it is still shrouded in mystery. Very few photos of the cavernous interior exist, so the few circulated in this blog are a rare sight. This is due to the strict code that the light manager and his fellow lighting operatives uphold in regards to the booth.
The first rule of light booth is: You do not talk about light booth
The booth is a peaceful place isolated from the chaos of high school life, and its environment should be preserved.
Besides this, the place is pretty much a free for all.
The events I lived through in the booth probably deserve a blog series of their own, but this will be a quick look into the aspects of the chamber that made it such a wonderful home during shows and classes.
- The views:
This is the only photo of the booth in operation during an actual production run (It was a dress rehearsal hence the mostly empty seats). The view was captured by an actor through a small screw hole in the rear wall of the All the Answers set. The booth’s two spotlights and the sound manager’s window are clearly present, and I am probably blocking light out from the light manager’s window on the left side. As you can imagine, the booth is positioned in an excellent location to watch shows and observe the reactions of audience members.
One of the best parts of being in the booth during a production is that you are basically a member of the audience, and you don’t need to pay for the best seats in the house.
2. The amenities:
For downtime, the booth came equipped with a comfortable sofa and two lounge chairs, several frisbees for outdoor play, a jacuzzi, and sleeping bags for rests. (The jacuzzi is a well hidden gem. Even I don’t know where it is in there.) Either crash on the sofa or crawl into a sleeping bag in the booth’s secret second room, and I guarantee that you will get some of the best sleep of your lifetime.
3. The Boyz n the Booth: (They’re quite the comedians)
Whenever you ask students about their favorite part of their school, they are bound to default to “the people”. This stereotypical response is also my favorite aspect of the booth. During every production, there are five Prep students assigned to the booth, and every group I have been with has been memorable. Not only are they competent during shows, but they also love to fool around during downtime. They make the booth the legendary shrine it has become.
My time as King of the Booth was a wonderful, simpler age, and hopefully the dynasty of the boys in the booth will last much longer than me. My name is preserved on the wall of the booth, and its annex upstairs, so I will be a ever present part of its history.
Yes, the booth has an annex, The Catwalk, on the third floor that is even more mysterious. It is the Holy of Holies for the lighting crew, and I am forever bound to preserving its secrets. Enjoy dreaming about what you think it holds.