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FeatureThe hero of Die Hard: The Puppet Musical, John McClane, surrounded by, well, puppetsWalking the Tech TightropeSpeaking more specifically abouttech issues at NYMF, here’s the bottomline: The disorganized need not apply.“The production levels are high,”stresses Yuhasz. “The shows that succeedare the shows that can be selfsufficient.For example, with storage— you’re allowed maybe a two-footby three-foot space to stack a dooror a couple of screens. Six shows canbe sharing a space where the stageis a 99-seat house with a 20 by 20stage, so you have to have a goodstage manager.”Speed is another trick participantsshould have up their sleeves, particularlyright before performance time.NYMF provides a floating tech directorfor all productions, who can lend ahand if sound or lighting snafus cropup, but you’ve got to be able to troubleshootyour own work as quicklyas possible. “You’re basically given anhour before your performance to re-gela light, or to set up any scenic elementsor props,” says Yuhasz. “After the show,you need to strike within an hour.”Strober rose mightily to the timecrunchchallenge. “Our set was lightand manageable in many ways,” heexplains. “But add to that 35 puppets,two overheads, 20-plus slides,two stage tables, 20 toy props and afull-stage backdrop with a toweringoffice building. Then try to assembleit in 30 minutes, then disassemble itin another 30, all while carrying everythingin and back out to a van parkedon the sidewalk!”Strober prevailed and credits theskill of his hard-working company. Still,he advises paying close attention towhich specifics of your show mightcause unforeseen headaches. In hisproduction’s case, “At the end of eachshow, the ‘cast’ (i.e., puppets) had to bepacked into plastic bins and bags andstored away — as quickly possible. Thisgave us some problems, as some puppetsdidn’t fare so well in transport. Thesecret: A hot glue gun was on backstageduring most of the shows.”What the Future HoldsNYMF’s goals for the years to comeinclude bringing cutting-edge musicalsto an even wider range of commercialproducers and enthusiastic theatergoers.“I think we’d like to develop longerruns, somewhat like what the PublicTheater does — we’d like to give theseworks a chance to grow beyond thefestival,” says Stewart. “We’d also liketo do more in terms of commissioningwriters and supporting peoplethroughout that process.”In the end, what’s the most vital infoany theatre pro approaching NYMFshould keep in mind? First: If you doyour job well, prepare to be intenselysupported. Recalls John Ardolino,20 December 2007 • www.stage-directions.com