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Pitski work involves more than imagined
Lucknow Sentinel, Wednesday, August 31, 1983—Page 2
13y Darrell Kloeze
Most people, if they were offered a job
as a "pitskie" would graciously decline. In
fact, after finding out what the term meant,
some would be even Tess inclined to take
the job. But two area students have been
doing pitskie work all summer, and have
been enjoying it.
Pitskie is a theatre nickname for a
production trainee. Heather Ann Stapleton
of R. 2 Auburn and Rick Martin of Lucknow
have been working as trainees at the Blyth
theatre all summer. They, along with
Shirley Hall of Goderich, are responsible
for much of backstage work that goes into
putting on a play.
Both of them have discovered that
theatre work involves more than they had
at first imagined. Heather Ann says the
long hours are one of the major drawbacks.
They usually work a full day doing
maintenance work, cleaning, fixing and
setting up for an evening performance.
Then, quite often, they have to be back
at night to work on one of the shows. Both
Rick and Heather Ann were on the running
crew of My Wild Irish Rose, which involved
being at every performance to make the
scene changes. Rick also shared the part of
the bell -boy in the Innocent and the Just.
Heather Ann understudied for Deborah
Glover in the same play, and was required
to attend as many rehearsals as possible.
She says she stood in for all the female
roles in the play at one time or another,
getting the blocking for the actresses who
could not attend.
After a show is over in the evening,
everybody stays and helps to take down the
set and put up a new one, because quite
often there is a different play showing the
next night. When a play is finished its run
the set has to be taken down completely,
and that takes more time and work, Some
of their days can run from an early
rehearsal call at 8 a.m, to striking a set for
a play ending up at midnight.
A day like that would make any normal
person ready for a warm bath and a soft
bed. But a theatre worker often has a cast
party to attend. The more seasoned theatre
worker can hit most of the parties and still
be up in time for the next morning's
rehearsal.
Of course, not all the days are that busy.
Heather Ann says the times vary, and they
can work anywhere from 30 to 55 hours a
week.
The work includes anything involved
with theatre. The emphasis is on the word -
"trainee",, and the students are constantly
reminded that to get anywhere in theatre
they must start at the bottom like every-
body else had to.
But at the same time, it is a tremendous
learning experience. Heather Ann says,
"You really do learn a lot about profes-
sional theatre." Their small performance
experience is only the least of what they
have been involved with this summer.
They also have worked with set construc-
tion and painting, lighting, audio, advertis-
ing and promotion, and backstage work.
A more intensive performance training
was provided by the Young People's
Theatre Workshop, in which both Rick and
Heather Ann were able to participate.
Director Simon Malbogat led 'the workship,
for students from 18 to 22. They learned a
variety of theatre exercises, and practised
improvisation in particular. The six stud-
ents involved in the workshop presented an
evening of improvisation and skits on
August 19.
Rick says he is still interested in the
theatre despite the inside glance at its
drawbacks he got this summer from his
job. He is going to the University of
Toronto in the fall where he will be
studying English and drama. He has not
decided whether he will choose theatre as a
career, but he says it has been "interesting
working with all the professional actors".
Heather Ann will be entering grade 13 in
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September, and then plans to study theatre can be "very high-pressure work",
but also enjoyable and rewarding work.
languages at university. She agrees that
Heather Ann Stapleton and Rick Martin have spent their summer learning all about
professional theatre at the !Myth Summer Festival. The two students were production
trainees at Blyth, and were involved in all aspects of theatre work, from acting to
maintenance. [Photo by Darrell Kloeze)
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