[Behind-the-Scenes, a series of guest posts by associate technical director Barney Bayliss, has returned for the winter run! This post was written Jan. 26. To see all Behind the Scenes posts, click here]

Tonight is the Dress Rehearsal for The Magic Flute. Today we changed the set and lighting over from Nixon in China, and spent some time this afternoon rehearsing with the crew. Magic Flute is the kind of show where the crew needs rehearsal time. During Act II, the action is set in a labyrinth of hedges which move magically from scene to scene.

The hedges have wheels and run in tracks on the deck, but are operated by stagehands. Four of the hedges are closed on all four sides, so the operator inside has to work blind. They have headsets to get their cues from the stage manager, and spike marks on the floor so they know where to stop. Those four guys are stuck inside their hedges for all of Act II. We call them the hedgehogs. In total, we have spent about 14 hours working on the staging of the hedge moves, making them so that the timing is right, avoiding collisions. Two of the hedges have to pivot around on a single point, and do it in unison. The effect is quite magical.

[Behind the Scenes, a series of guest posts by associate technical director Barney Bayliss, has returned for the Winter Run! To see all Behind the Scenes posts, click here]

We are near the end of the second week in the theatre with The Magic Flute and Nixon in China, and as with the Fall Season, I have not had much time to write blog entries until now.

Nixon in China is a rented production, first presented in St. Louis, and we loaded it in first on Jan. 5.  We spent a day hanging the lighting, then a day building the Nixon set, then two days focusing for Nixon. That all went very well, ahead of schedule and everything looks good. The Nixon set is very red and the lighting looks interesting. The Nixon cast is rehearsing back at head office now.

Yesterday, on Jan. 12, we loaded in the Magic Flute set. This is a new production, fresh from our Scene Shop, via the rehearsal hall. Flute also went together smoothly, and the set looks beautiful. It reminds me of Edwards Gardens.