When the audience sat back to engage in the Dispatch Dialogues at the Guild Theatre this week, they were blissfully unaware of the behind-the-scenes exertions that enabled them to see the stage.
The event co-incided with loadshedding and when theatre manager Zane Flanagan realised this, he swung into action to ensure there would be light when the speakers discussed xenophobia and colonial statues at the ‘Identity, Place and Space’ forum.
The nerve-wracking backstage scramble is indicative of the theatre’s need to raise money for a sizable generator and LED stage lights and is why the Guild launched ‘The Show Must Go On’ campaign to raise R800000.
“We only heard in the morning that there would be loadshedding during the last hour of the Dialogues, and we knew it had to go ahead so we had to get our act together pretty fast.”
Flanagan and his two-man crew rallied together to haul the theatre’s 26kVA generator from the back of the stage with the help of a tow truck, position the bulky machine outside near the stage door and run cables to various power points to ensure there was light.
“We couldn’t keep the generator in the wings because of the noise and fumes which is why we had to move it outside,” explained Flanagan, who has managed the Guild for 24 years.
“People only realised there was loadshedding when they came out of the theatre. Then, once they had left, we lifted the generator onto a trolley in the pitch dark and wheeled it into the foyer so it wouldn’t be stolen.”
Living on tenterhooks and making a plan is what it’s all about at East London’s much-loved theatre now that loadshedding has become a daily part of South African life.
“We are living on the edge. We only know on the day if loadshedding will affect us and then each production that moves in has specific lighting requests for their set.”
A hair-raising case in point was a hairstyling conference on a Sunday afternoon earlier this month.
“The 26kVA generator donated from Transnet for the mobile theatre truck had not been serviced yet and so on the day of the show we only had a small 5kVA generator.
“So we quickly borrowed a 7.5kVA generator from a friend to power the sound and hair irons for the show.”
Flanagan said the out-of-town organisers were surprised the theatre did not have a more substantial power source.
“But they were happy with the result.”
He said ‘The Show Must Go On’ Campaign had raised just over R31000 since its inception a month ago.
“We got R23173 from The Secret Rose fundraiser and also received R7000 and R500 donations from generous members of the public.
The money raised has already been spent on six energy-efficient LED stage lights.
Contributors to ‘The Show Must Go On’ campaign can deposit money into Nedbank Limited, branch code
19-87-65; account number 9018866026. The account type is corporate saver/savings.
Please call Margie Beaumont at 072 174 5795 regarding payment queries. — barbarah@dispatch.co.za
Theatre campaign to keep lights on
The event co-incided with loadshedding and when theatre manager Zane Flanagan realised this, he swung into action to ensure there would be light when the speakers discussed xenophobia and colonial statues at the ‘Identity, Place and Space’ forum.
The nerve-wracking backstage scramble is indicative of the theatre’s need to raise money for a sizable generator and LED stage lights and is why the Guild launched ‘The Show Must Go On’ campaign to raise R800000.
“We only heard in the morning that there would be loadshedding during the last hour of the Dialogues, and we knew it had to go ahead so we had to get our act together pretty fast.”
Flanagan and his two-man crew rallied together to haul the theatre’s 26kVA generator from the back of the stage with the help of a tow truck, position the bulky machine outside near the stage door and run cables to various power points to ensure there was light.
“We couldn’t keep the generator in the wings because of the noise and fumes which is why we had to move it outside,” explained Flanagan, who has managed the Guild for 24 years.
“People only realised there was loadshedding when they came out of the theatre. Then, once they had left, we lifted the generator onto a trolley in the pitch dark and wheeled it into the foyer so it wouldn’t be stolen.”
Living on tenterhooks and making a plan is what it’s all about at East London’s much-loved theatre now that loadshedding has become a daily part of South African life.
“We are living on the edge. We only know on the day if loadshedding will affect us and then each production that moves in has specific lighting requests for their set.”
A hair-raising case in point was a hairstyling conference on a Sunday afternoon earlier this month.
“The 26kVA generator donated from Transnet for the mobile theatre truck had not been serviced yet and so on the day of the show we only had a small 5kVA generator.
“So we quickly borrowed a 7.5kVA generator from a friend to power the sound and hair irons for the show.”
Flanagan said the out-of-town organisers were surprised the theatre did not have a more substantial power source.
“But they were happy with the result.”
He said ‘The Show Must Go On’ Campaign had raised just over R31000 since its inception a month ago.
“We got R23173 from The Secret Rose fundraiser and also received R7000 and R500 donations from generous members of the public.
The money raised has already been spent on six energy-efficient LED stage lights.
Contributors to ‘The Show Must Go On’ campaign can deposit money into Nedbank Limited, branch code
19-87-65; account number 9018866026. The account type is corporate saver/savings.
Please call Margie Beaumont at 072 174 5795 regarding payment queries. — barbarah@dispatch.co.za
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