Before Michelle Foster arrived on the Pegasus scene, we had only two years of experience under our belt with a production manager on our Living Black and White shows. Michelle came in and ever so graciously whipped us into shape.
Along the way Michelle had an unexpected learning curve. “Being a PM at Pegasus Theatre is unlike being a PM anywhere else,” says Michelle.
o The Living Black and White shows have unusual requirements, like the giant strips of black gamfloor* we use to line the proscenium arch.
o We have special terminology, like “ACD”, the Amazing Color Demonstration, which is the name of the cast photo we take with the Lady in Red to demonstrate the contrast of the black and white effect.
o Before load-in, the PM can do most of her work in weekly production meetings and by email, so there’s more flexibility.
o Load-in is “formulaic”. Everything has to be done in a specific order, something we learned by trial and error in the early years!
Michelle finds satisfaction, even fun, in her PM work. She enjoys bringing in new crew people she has worked with at other theatres, people she trusts. And there are moments when she is in awe of being the only “colorful” person in a sea of black and white! But in her heart, Michelle is a Stage Manager by trade, a subject she now teaches to eager young theatre people. You can find her behind the scenes as an SM at many theatres in town. For our part, we are intensely grateful that Michelle makes time for us each year and keeps the production on track!
*Gamfloor is like a theatrical version of contact paper that’s much more durable and comes in much wider rolls. It is very easy to remove and leaves no adhesive residue. Luckily for us it comes in many colors but especially in black!