Week 1 at Michael Jackson ONE
On Friday I started by going to The Talent Department of Cirque du Soleil where I met a team member that amplified my excitement for the internship (something I didn’t know was possible) by being incredibly energetic, happy and warm-hearted. I thought: “no wonder she is the first face interns meet” but I quickly learned when starting my first day at Michael Jackson ONE Theatre that these traits are found in every Cirque member. I got a tour of the space before the company meeting where we talk about upcoming events, artist and staff birthdays and the week of shows. Following that, I settled into my desk, talked with the Stage Management (SM) team about intern-y things and met with the Company Manager to get my official badges, signatures for paperwork and my Michael Jackson ONE/Cirque du Soleil shirts.
I watched the 7:00 p.m. show from the house; this time being the closest I had ever been in any Cirque show, which showed me a another kind of magic-- the joy and passion of the artists through their smiles and eyes (I know it sounds corny but I have no other way to word it, it was magical). I watched the 9:30 p.m. show from the booth with my boss’s dad (a very rare thing in this case), which lead to an interesting night of conversation both about the show and about life. After the show, everyone knew exactly what they needed to do and missed no beat in doing it. Stage Management leaves once the show report is sent because the next day’s schedules and other paperwork/office work have been completed. Leaving early was a concept I was not yet use to but that quickly changed as I learned the flow of Cirque shows and began to let go of the OCD control to build trust.
On Saturday, I started the day learning how to clean air filters, change all the clocks in the theatre to be the same time (as close to the second as possible) and other small tasks that you don’t think about needing with a short run. After that I watched a training or rehearsal, and shadowed rigging.
The 7:00 p.m. show I shadowed a woman working Automation from the room below the stage. The first thing I noticed when walking in was how much female power there was (with another department having a female down there too) and I got excited. There was a female performer that got just as excited about it as I did while waiting for her cue to enter the stage. This was the first of many small bonding moments between my coworkers and me. During this shadowing, I experienced my first time backstage at ONE. The energy is unlike anything I have experienced before. Everywhere you went artists and technicians are high fiving, fist bumping, exchanging smiles or doing pre-show rituals such as playing word games as they waited for their grand Cirque entrance on stage, the energy flowed through ever member.
The 9:30 p.m. show I shadowed the lead Carpenter on deck and got to experience from backstage the amount of finesse and grace that goes into act transitions. The loving energy didn’t stop for the second show either; high fives, fist pumps and smiles are exchanged constantly between artists and backstage crew. It’s something you think is little but it makes a huge difference in the atmosphere and morale. While shadowing carpentry I witnessed the mutual respect that every member in the company has for everyone else--artists, technicians, coaches, management, even the intern! You name it, they respect it because artists know it takes a lot to make the technical elements of the show and their performance happen and technicians/crew know artists have been training most of their lives for this moment. I couldn’t stop smiling all night because of the support in the air. During one of the transitions I got to ride one of the set pieces as it traveled across stage. On another transition, I helped push a set piece off. I learned a great deal about the show and about the people that help bring it all together during this track.
Sundays are management pot luck/family dinner night. For the first time, I got to bond with the coaches and other management over food after rehearsals and before the shows. It was a neat experience and one I look forward to every week now.
The 7:00 p.m. show I shadowed Lights and Projections in their booth. This was fun for me because lighting is what I know the most about after stage management. I don’t know enough to do what they do but I know enough to hold an intellectual conversation and ask technical questions about the systems, consoles and intelligent lights (thank you SILV). Watching the show from the house left booth rather than stage management’s house right booth, I caught a lot of things I hadn’t seen before which is a little bit of the magic that is Cirque. You can watch the same show 10 times but always see something new or different.
The 9:30 p.m. show I shadowed the Automation Rover (the track that moves between other tracks to help with large transitions or any maintenance that may occur). This is the first time I got to go into the high grid during the show and I got to watch “Beat It” from above which was incredible and literally gave a new perspective. I also got to watch “Earth Song” from backstage which onstage is my favorite moments and seeing how it worked and the joy that went on while creating it will make it permanently my favorite moment.
My way home marked a special moment for me, the start of not needing my GPS to get home, to work, the store, coffee shops, ext!
On Monday, I got to pick up a pair of FREE black steel toe women’s work boots courtesy of Cirque du Soleil because I am a backstage technician. On top of the paid work experience, they also treat you to perks and free gear to make your job easier. I arrived at the theatre early to watch a PR event for one of my favorite days of the year that I will talk more in depth about when it happens. Following the event, I shadowed the stage manager making the line up for the show that evening. This is where the Tetris lover in me silently screamed with joy. I love the puzzle of scheduling and Cirque shows are masters of puzzles. This is the day I also butchered the half hour announcements, to a point that I could hear wardrobe laughing next door… as sweaty as I was when the announcement was over, I wasn’t embarrassed. Wardrobe applauded me through their laughs and the supportive magical energy. No one was judging. When you do a show 400+ times a year, hearing things a little differently can be refreshing. This was a life changing moment for the perfectionist in me to be able to let go and just say, “I’ll do better next time.”
The 7:00 p.m. show I shadowed Wigs and Make-up where I learned about styling and maintaining different kinds of hair (fake, human and horse). Every wig is hand-created, from the threading of each strain to the cut and style. After a few sad attempts, I got to add a few strands of hair to a wig being fixed. WOW is it a lot of intense and work to hand create every wig… this is one of the most impressive things I have witnessed. During this track, I also had the opportunity to interact with a couple of the artists, which lead to a lot of conversations, and hopefully, the foundations of a lasting relationship. I also met the boyfriend of a classmate of mine from UT Austin… as we know, theatre is a small world.
The 9:30 p.m. show I shadowed Wardrobe with a wonderful woman that would be moving on from the show to her next career two days later. During this track, I was all over the theatre for quick changes and costume tech. I learn about the magic of LED costumes, Swarovski crystals and the maintenance of shoes, “oh my god shoes”. I watched “Dirty Diana” from the fore grid, which made me have a completely different appreciation for act. I also found my work soul mate in the wardrobe department--our love of containers, organizing and the special kind of OCD we have is something that quickly made me want to be close friends with them.
Tuesday is our Friday of the week. I quickly learned that the next 11 weeks I would be operating on ONE time, not “real life” time so I had to get use to people telling me to “have a good weekend” even though it was Tuesday… I loved it and time is relative anyways.
The 7:00 p.m. show I shadowed the Fore Grid Rigger which lead to “shaky ship legs” as we got higher and higher in our track. It was exhilarating and nerve wracking because of my fear of heights but I pushed through and began enjoying the height by the end. I knew the least about rigging (people) having never worked a show where anyone has flown. It was challenging and technical, but I enjoyed learning how to keep people safe and comfortable in the air.
The 9:30 p.m. show I shadowed Sound Playback and learned until my head felt like exploding. Tied with rigging in my lack of knowledge is sound. I asked questions that answers needed further explaining because I knew so little and unlike rigging where things felt obvious after learning, sound goes deep into the unknown web of data for IP address, patching, frequencies, feedbacks, comms, ext, ext, ext. my head was spinning with information by the end and although I didn’t retain all of it (of course not, there is no way), I did leave learning more than I ever had about sound before.
After the show a large portion of cast and crew went out to an Irish pub for drinks to celebrate the last show for the departing wardrobe colleague. This was one of my greatest nights in Las Vegas (including the 3 months I spent here last year). I bonded with my coworkers over everything from favorite drinks, and tattoos to videogames, LARPing and career history. I ended up staying out late enough to watch the sun rise, see and smell the rain come in from the south and eat breakfast at the same Irish pub. People that night made me feel so welcomed and excited about the friendships I will make over the next 11 weeks.
Wednesday and Thursdays are my weekend. For my first, I experienced the sunrise, the rain and 80-degree weather. It was INCREDIBLE. I stopped by Grill Chat, a weekly dinner and chat with professionals in the field hosted by The Stagecraft Institute of Las Vegas, an 8-week technical theatre program I attended last year. I also went to a nerdy bar (that I LOVED) for trivia night with a few coworkers. We bonded over our unplanned coordination in Star Wars clothing and winning 2nd place. On my dive home I drove through old Vegas and finally saw all the wedding chapels, I felt like I was diving in a movie.
The next morning I woke up early to meet a fellow stage manager at Mt. Charleston to take a 3-mile hike to see Cathedral Rock. It was beautiful and peaceful and a nice opposition to the city life, bars and traffic. Nevada cicadas sound just like Tasers, which is different from Texas cicadas I’m use to. It was a neat little moment to realize the difference. The rest of the day I took to myself to finally settle in before starting my second week.
Main Lessons I learned this week:
- The SM is less the law and more the Sheriff. Meaning they have to trust the other departments will do their own checks, run lists and know their cues otherwise the stage manager would have no time to do anything because there is just too much to do and check. I am learning to let go of my OCD “controlling” side.
- “Break a leg” freaks people out, you don’t say that in the circus, it is a theatre thing. Instead you say “have a good show” or just “good show.”
- Before a person ever fly’s into the air weather it is for a show or for rigging in the “real world,” there should be a known plan for how they are to get down. I am learning to step back and see the larger picture and scope of creating a show.