The Official Bulletin - Quarter 2, 2019

finished a run as Production Carpenter in the Broadway production
of Anastasia. “Now, there are winches with multiple
motors that move performers in any direction three dimensionally,
controlled by computers.”
Before Anastasia, Munroe worked on Hedwig and the
Angry Inch. “I flew Neil Patrick Harris on every show,” he said.
“I’m hooking him up and operating the console. I tell the computer
when and where to fly him based on cues from the stage
manager. I’m also monitoring the cables, motors and everything
else in real time to make sure it’s all safe. It requires a lot
of high tech skills, a lot of training, and many rehearsals to get
the flight path set.
“Instead of carpenters manually moving scenery around
in between scenes, you now have automated flying scenery
on most productions,” he added. “On Anastasia, we had flying
scenery, three turntables and a wirelessly operated train. During
the production, you’re overseeing everything happening on
stage, making sure everything is going right, constantly making
adjustments, and ready to step in instantly in case anything
goes awry, because the safety of the actors and crew depends
on it.
“The advent of high efficiency electronics and smaller motors
is letting automation go where it couldn’t go in the past,
into smaller, tighter spaces, and it can do more, too,” Munroe
said.
King Kong’s Elman echoed his comments, saying, “the
change from DC to AC motors has helped shrink the size of
physical pieces. Everything is digital now for the most part.
Control and information all happen a lot quicker. It’s easier to
diagnose problems when they occur because you’re always
getting feedback. The gear itself is better at self-diagnosis.
Ironically, when we have problems it’s often because the gear
is based on factory robotics technology and it’s meant to run
24/7, rather than being used for three hours a night and being
turned on and off each day.”
Kevin Hoekstra, a member of Local 26 and Head Carpenter
on the Dear Evan Hansen national tour, described his production
as probably the most technologically intensive show
currently on tour. “We have twenty-four automated scenic effects,”
he said. “Our automation system for scenery is tied in
with our lighting and projection systems so that everything is
projection mapped. We have six laser projectors tracking the
positions of all the scenery in real time. Our sound system is
tied in, too, and linked with lighting cues. Everything is interconnected.
“Every sequence of scenery movement starts with an automation
operator pushing a button,” Hoekstra explained. “It’s the
same with lighting. Some are multi-part sequences where one
action triggers another. The Head Audio is up front mixing the
show live. So while everything is scripted and pre-programmed
to the best extent possible, human beings are still in control.
It has to be this way, because if a show was completely automated,
it wouldn’t account for any variations — for example, if
an actor is standing in the wrong place or skips a line. We also
have manual controls for safety, especially with scenic automation.
Even when the computer is running cues, I have an operator
ready to hit stop if anything goes wrong.
“The work I do now is almost unrecognizably different
than when I started,” Hoekstra said. “While the end product
the audience sees is similar, the way we get there is different
and the sophistication of the production is much different.
The first shows I worked on had no automation. Stagehands
pushed the scenery on stage. And while it’s rare for a show to
“While everything is scripted and
pre-programmed to the best
extent possible, human beings
are still in control.”
Kevin Hoekstra, Local 26 member
and Head Carpenter on Dear Evan Hansen
SECOND QUARTER 2019 29