Hard to believe that it is already August and everyone is getting ready for back to school! At The Reif it means preparing for the thousands of students who will be traveling here to see one of our eight different Student Matinee performances. Attending these daytime performances are schools from within a 90-mile radius of Grand Rapids including Duluth, International Falls, Aitkin and Bemidji! Teachers love Student Matinee performances because they fulfill curriculum requirements and the kids have a great time! One very popular show is Dinosaur World Live, which we’ve had at The Reif twice before. Here is what it takes to get this show ready by February 9th, 2024.
In September of 2022, Executive Director Shantel Dow shows a promotional video from Dinosaur World Live to our selection committee. Many of them had seen the show previously and the committee enthusiastically supported bringing them back! By October their agent accepts our offer, issues a contract and provides a Technical Rider that covers all their audio, lighting and stage needs.
In December of 2023 I contact the Company Manager that tours with the production. We review the Technical Rider and see if there are any changes. We discuss what time load in will be and how many local crew are needed. This is often the time we here the dreaded words, “Oh, it sounds like you got the OLD tech rider!”
Tech Prep, February 6, 2024, 3 days to performance
Dinosaur World Live requires some special lighting. We hang extra lights with leafy jungle gobos to cover the stage and audience. A gobo is a metal template placed in a lighting instrument that then projects that pattern onto the stage. A lighting special is needed down stage center. A lighting special is a fixture used for a single purpose, as opposed to a fixture that is part of a stage wash.
February 9th, 2024 –Day of Show
Load In, 6am –6 hours, 30 minutes to performance
It’s dark and it’s cold. The sun won’t come up for another hour and a half and if we’re lucky the temperature will be in the positive double digits. Myself and our Reif crew of Greg, Melanie and Buzz are standing by for the 55’ semi to arrive and the bus with the cast and crew of Dinosaur World Live. We get our coats, gloves and hats on and wait until the last minute to open the garage door and begin unloading the truck. Dinosaur World Live travels with 4-5 LARGE road cases in which all the dinosaur puppets are stored. These aren’t just their road cases, they also become part of their set on stage.
Assemble Puppets –6:30am –6 hours to performance
After the truck is unloaded the crew helps the puppeteers unpack and assemble the dinosaurs. Road cases are placed on stage and additional set pieces are added like banners and a dinosaur egg incubator.
Focus Lights/Set up Sound –7:30am –5 hours to performance
I sit at the light board and bring up lights while Greg and Melanie focus lights. If we prepared well our stage washes should already be done and all we need to do are focus our lighting specials. Afterward I make sure that the receivers for the wireless microphones are properly set up and their audio computer is set up and working.
Break -8:30am, 4 hours to performance
It’s already feels like a long day, so everyone takes a break and enjoys some snacks provide by our box office manager who is in charge of hospitality. I’m hoping for coffee and jelly donuts!
Write Light Cues –9am –3 hours, 30 minutes to performance
Melanie and Kat, the Dinosaur World Live Stage Manager, sit down at the light board and they program the 20-25 light cues that they need for the show.
Sound Check –10am –2 hours, 30 minutes to performance
Performers put on their wireless microphones and Kat, who is running sound, checks to make sure they all sound good. I stand by in case she needs any assistance.
Warm ups –11am –1 hour 30 minutes to performance
Every performance has a warm up for the cast. It could be a vocal warm up for a musical or a physical warm up to get the blood pumping. The London based performers in Dinosaur World Live have a unique warm up. They tape out a small grid on the stage, get out a soccer ball and play some games for 30-40 minutes!
House Opens –12pm –30 minutes to performance
Melanie puts the stage into our lighting preset, Kat begins to play some soft jungle noises, and I let the ushers know we can open the doors to the auditorium. Out in the lobby Gary puts on his white gloves and top hat, opening the door and greeting the students as they arrive.
Shantel tells the story of how Gary became known as the Reif Butler, “While Gary was volunteering at the front entrance welcoming students to a Class Acts show, he was holding the door open and a young 2nd grade student said, “WOW, this place is really fancy, they even have a butler!” Gary really gets into it and the kids love him!
Performance -12:30pm
It’s show time! 700 kids pack the Wilcox Auditorium and Katie E. Smith, our Education Director, steps out to welcome the kids and go over performance etiquette. She always takes a moment to get a selfie with the audience! The house lights dim, and the show begins!
But wait, there’s more! The 12:30pm performance is just the first show of the day. After the show is over, we go away for a few hours to rest, then come back for the 6pm show. The show is over by 7pm and it’s time to pack everything up, load the truck, and send the cast and crew on to their next venue. The day ends as it began, in the dark and cold as the truck pulls away from the loading dock!
Most of our School Matinees only have daytime performances and they are open to public schools, private schools, and home school students, but not to the general public. A few of them, like Dinosaur World Live have both a student performance and a public evening performance. Check out our website for more information about our Student Matinees.