Fresh Words Daily

It was very quiet in the auditorium.  Usually the set builders are talking, arguing, hammering or there is the swish of the paint brush.  They were silent, the temperature was cool and every action was definite. Things were not going well with the director.  There had to be changes made. “Bloody directors” said one of the men to me daring me to react.  When a play goes on in any theatre there is often more drama before the opening night. Set designers are fantastic people but it is the set builders that I take my hat off to.  The ones at Howick Little Theatre are the best – they can build from a shaky bit of a drawing dashed off on the back of an envelope to a sophisticated plan with all the measurements.  They try hard to do what the director wants but not everyone who can direct, or act can hold a colour in their head – understand dimensions outside of reality, or realise the size of furniture in relation to the set – the set builders accommodate, and if it is sometimes with gritted teeth I don’t blame them.  What always fascinates me that through the maze of irritations, grumbling, director’s mind changing, out of it all comes a play. A set which is spectacular, a play which entertains. Howick Little Theatre do it well – always worth going to perfomances in this jewel of a theatre. When the play ends the set gets broken down, furniture goes back into store or is sold on Trade Me and they are ready to start the process all over again.  A cheer loud and long for the forgotten heroes in the theatre – the set builders.