Garry McQuinn - Ask the Producer 2

Apart from the matinee days the mornings in the theatre are usually quite slow, although costume and maintenance crews will be working. They don’t staff the performances and we need plenty of time for laundering, dry cleaning and repair. Priscilla may be one of the largest costume shows seen in the West End, this is a huge and constant job. Beginning after lunch there are regular maintenance sessions and rehearsal calls on most days. Many of the show crew will arrive at this time - to keep Priscilla in shape, and to ensure that all stage equipment and show machinery is in perfect working order.

Although we deal with unexpected issues as soon as they arise, Wednesday is the scheduled maintenance day. The afternoon is spent undertaking a very rigorous series of safety checks - beginning with any issues or problems that have arisen in the previous performance. These will be analysed, explained and dealt with. This is particularly critical for a production such as Priscilla, for Priscilla herself and for the safety of our cast and crew. We rely on very sophisticated mechanical, electronic and hydraulic equipment, all computer-controlled. The bus, the revolve, the Diva flying … there’s a lot to go wrong and the checks are very comprehensive. If any of the systems fail the show may stop (which has happened, although rarely) and the safety of our company may be compromised (which we will not accept!). So the maintenance day is long and involved.

Priscilla Flying Area

Company rehearsals take place on Friday afternoons. This is usually spent rehearsing the understudies and covers into their alternate roles. We have seven performers who cover a range of roles from offstage, and others in the chorus who move up into lead roles or features in case of illness or absence. Other than the lead performers and Divas, most Priscilla performers cover a number of roles. The logistics are very complicated and our company manager spends quite a lot of time working out the many combinations. We rehearse all possible combinations in these Friday sessions. If anyone is ill or on holidays then the sessions are directed towards replacing those particular roles.

Whether or not there are afternoon calls, the show crew in every department will begin setting up for the evening performance around 4pm. Sound and lighting, stage equipment, automation and flys are all put through their paces, and set up for the beginning of the show. Wardrobe, wigs and props are placed either in dressing rooms or on stage, and everything is checked from comprehensive lists … and then double-checked by each department and by stage management.

Depending on the length of time it takes to prepare, the cast members begin to arrive a couple of hours before the show - and sometimes earlier. Even with the assistance of dressers and make-up artists the drag queen make-up, corsetry and wigs take Tony Sheldon (Bernadette) at least two hours to apply.

Costumes backstage

On Thursdays and Saturdays the show crew arrive mid-morning to prepare for the matinees, and the set-up process begins much earlier.

In addition we have to find the time during the week for press and publicity calls, company functions and meetings and any of the many other matters that surround a large West End production.

So … the performance takes a little over two hours but the preparation takes many hours and most days!