Behind-the-Scenes: How Production Pulls off the Magic of The 39 Steps
By Liz Armstrong, guest writer
This season’s The 39 Steps is a fast-paced “whodunit” and a refreshing romp for audience members, but it’s highly complicated for the four actors onstage that never stop moving and the 15 people working backstage to keep everything going seamlessly. Join us as we dive into how the Festival production team pulls it off behind-the-scenes.
The Props
Production Manager Richard Girtain said that The 39 Steps leans into theatrical magic and doesn’t shy away from showing the audience how different production elements are put together to create different scenes and characters.
“Transforming a lectern into a car, making a ladder into a train bridge, quickly switching hats to run through multiple characters. . .it’s the kind of performance that shows what is special about live theater,” Girtain said.
Many of the props have duplicates in order for the stage crew to get everything where it needs to be.
“Not only are we tracking all of the scenic pieces, but we also have a lot of prop doubles, so there was a lot of paperwork for this show to make sure we were keeping track of everything,” Assistant Stage Manager Kathryn Whilden said.
Some props and scenic elements took extra time to build because of their complexity. Ash Cox from the props department and run crew shared her experience working on the show, as well as her favorite prop: the armchair used throughout the play.
“The chair needed to be reupholstered, but an arm also needed to be removable for a bit in the show,” Cox said. “This chair is a wing-back which means all of the structure for the chair is in the arm rests. Upholstery is my specialty, so I immediately jumped on the challenge.”
Cox explained what it was like to get this armchair onstage.
“The armchair ‘magically’ slides out on stage, but what the audience doesn’t know is there is a crew member responsible for that chair that has practiced pushing on that chair over 100 times to make it slide out at the right angle, the right speed, and the right length,” Cox said.
For Whilden, the ladder in the show was one of the most challenging parts of making sure the action runs smoothly.
“We have this huge ladder that is supposed to be a bridge, and we had to take a big chunk of time during tech to figure out how we were going to do this,” Whilden said. “It’s the most difficult thing to maneuver because it’s so huge and it’s taken onstage by just two actors, one of which is on the ladder.”
The Process
Girtain went on to explain the process. How does the production team accomplish a successful run of the show, six times a week?
Whilden’s job included creating “tracks,” which is the process of laying out each person’s order of operations for the entire show, both for techicians and performers.
“When I created these tracks, [for mine] I tried to give myself enough so that I can have some fun and also be available when there could be problems, especially during the really hectic moments,” Whilden explained.
Creating these tracks and running through them before the opening of the season in technical rehearsal is necessary to make the show possible.
“My favorite part of the job is getting to map out the puzzle of how a show is going to run backstage. I like knowing all of the things we have to make happen and then being part of figuring out how we do that,” Whilden said.
Every detail counts and it’s very much like choreography. Whilden explained they even plan out where each person stands backstage, so that they can stay out of each other’s way and meticulously keep track of the foot traffic to make the process as smooth and safe as possible.
“The actors never stop moving and need safe, reliable, and quick technicians to be in the right place at the right time,” Girtain said. “Between handoffs of props, quick changes, and just the occasional drink of water, the show backstage is action packed just like the one onstage.”
Cox seconded this, commenting that “for 80 percent of the show, we are running around like mad men.”
“We have one transition where we have 40 seconds to set 11 furniture props; we time this transition everyday to make sure that we are not seen on stage,” Cox said.
It’s the competency between both technicians and performers that makes this work. Just like the actors, the run crew has understudies that come backstage in place of their absence, as every single person is needed.
“The acting company’s sprint from curtain up to curtain down may be the most challenging part. The four cast members are like Olympic athletes,” Girtain said. “They are put to the test every day to deliver a fun and high energy performance.”
The People
For Girtain, the best part of this whole process is the people and “seeing the creative ways the team found to make ordinary objects become entirely different things.”
Ash Cox said the biggest challenge was coming late to the run crew process and the unpredictability of the show. Despite the challenges, Cox is doing a stellar job, having been awarded the Festival’s Gene Chesley Memorial Design Award for her work this season and for her past five years of contributions.
“It was a great honor to receive this award,” Cox said. “This job is behind-the-scenes and it’s unusual to be in the spotlight. I came to this Festival only having basic skills and wouldn’t be where I am without the mentorship of Props Director Ben Hohman.”
Cox and Whilden both agreed that The 39 Steps was both the hardest and most rewarding shows they’ve ever worked on.
“But because of the challenges, it is also one of the most rewarding shows. When we make that 40 second transition in 20.94 seconds, we all cheer silently backstage. When our crew member pushes the chair out just right, we praise them. The actors, hair and makeup crew, wardrobe crew, electrics, stage managers, and all of us run crew members work so hard to make this show the success that it is every night,” Cox expressed.
It’s an impressive feat both onstage and off, and one Festival patrons won’t want to miss. With just five weeks left to see the show, make sure you get your tickets today at bard.org or 800-PLAYTIX.
