Surviving the chaos of backstage
Backstage Survival 101:
Most of us have been through it, whether it’s a competition or a showcase where you have 1,000,000 quick changes and have been left in charge of a group of 5 year olds. The chaos never seems to end!
By the 3rd time, the majority of people have it all sorted out but if you’re anything like me, your teacher adds even more jobs onto your to do list!...sigh
Some do's and don'ts:
• Do get there early and set up your own spot.
• Do have all of your costumes and accessories laid out neatly, this will make any quick changes a lot easier.
• Do bring a ton of extra pins, bun nets and hair ties, you will most likely find that they go missing or your friends don’t have enough.
• Don’t just sit there in your spare time, stretch and keep warm.
• Don’t take up all the space, it’s not only you there so be considerate towards others.
• Don’t eat or drink anything that leaves stains! The last thing that you want to happen is finding a massive red stain on your pure white tutu.
If you have been left in charge of a group of younger children, I definitely recommend that you start off by learning and memorising their names and organise a todo list!
Check with whoever’s in charge and see what their limits are and what you are expected to do. If it’s your teacher doing hair and makeup, offer to help.
You might be finding it slightly stressful but think about the time and effort that they are putting in!
Quick changes are pretty stressful but here are a couple of tips to make it calmer:
- Check if you are allowed to change in the wings, going back to your dressing room just leaves you with less time to change.
- Have your costumes organised with the ones you need first, on top.
- Have someone help you! You could save a lot of time by doing this as you could be touching up your hair and someone else could be doing up your ribbons etc...
- Have a timetable next to you to check when exactly you have to go on.
- Don’t bother worrying about other people seeing you undressed, most people don’t even notice!