Backstage Guide for New Crew: The Old Ropeworks Theatre

Welcome backstage

Thank you for joining the crew at the Old Ropeworks Theatre. Backstage areas can be dark, crowded and full of moving scenery, so it is essential that you know your way around before the first performance you work on. This guide describes the backstage plan of the ground floor. The control room and lighting gallery upstairs will be shown to you separately by the technical manager.

The stage door

Crew and performers enter the theatre through the stage door, in the south-east corner of the building, on Tanner's Row. The stage door opens into the sign-in desk, where the stage door keeper checks everyone in and out. You must sign in every time you arrive, because the keeper uses the list to check that everyone has left the building if there is a fire. Post and deliveries for the company are also left here.

Rooms for performers

To the west of the sign-in desk is the rehearsal room, a large room with a sprung floor that is used for warm-ups before each show. Beyond the rehearsal room, in the south-west corner, are the dressing rooms, which have mirrors, sinks and costume rails. Crew should knock and wait before entering a dressing room. The green room, a lounge where cast and crew relax before and between scenes, is in the centre of the building, behind the rehearsal room.

Costumes and music

Against the west wall, to the left of the green room, is the wardrobe room, where costumes are washed, ironed and repaired. Damaged costumes should be left in the basket by its door with a note. On the other side of the green room, against the east wall, is the band room, where musicians store their instruments and wait before going into the orchestra pit.

The stage and scenery

The stage takes up the centre of the north side of the building. Scenery is brought in through the large doors of the scenery dock in the north-west corner, where it is stored between scenes. In the north-east corner, on the other side of the stage, is the prop room, where every item used by the actors is laid out on a labelled table. Nothing should be taken from the prop room without the permission of the stage manager.

Working during a show

Wear black clothing and soft-soled shoes so that you cannot be seen or heard from the audience. Do not use a torch on the stage unless it has a blue filter. When the red light above a door is on, the performance is in progress and you must not open that door. Mobile phones must be switched off or set to silent backstage during every performance.