THE AUTHOR and costar Michael K. Lee during the “sitzprobe”: Like Christmas for actors. TELLY LEUNG’S FACEBOOK
NEW YORK—The line “I can’t, I’m in tech!” is attributed to the TV series “Smash,” but it’s been uttered by many Broadway people, whether someone in the cast, crew, production, or creative team. The days at the theater are long, sometimes lasting up to 12 hours. One minute you’re sitting for hours while scenes are being lit, and in another you’re dancing and singing full out.
Our days begin at 12:30 p.m., when the cast needs to get into costumes, wigs and microphones. At 1 p.m., we then begin technical rehearsals for the show, which can include any or all of the following: lighting states and cues, set pieces moving, quick costume changes, projections and sound effects.
Our design team includes Howell Binkley (lights), Kai Harada (sound), Alejo Vietti (costumes), Darrel Maloney (projections), Donyale Werle (sets), Tom Schall and Federico Berte (fight directors and choreographers) and Charles LaPointe (wigs and hair). They are all veterans of productions both on and off Broadway, and have done such incredible, wonderful work for our show.
There is many a day when we get into wigs, mics and costumes, prepared and ready to go … only to wait for hours on end. Tech’ing a scene can take anywhere from a few minutes to about an hour, depending on how many elements are going into it and how many actors are working. Every single detail is worked out, from figuring out where props are coming from, running to a quick change and back again, to standing still for a lighting state, and maybe even restaging a song to get it just right, considering sight lines, set pieces and projection.
We are all advised (nay, admonished) to take down notes so we don’t forget the goings on of the day that just passed. For these long tech days, our conductor Laura Bergquist and keyboardists Jeff Saver and Chris Kong are on hand to play music. However, there was one afternoon when said personnel weren’t around for tech; they had to be in rehearsal with our orchestra.
IT WAS the Broadway debut of conductor Laura Bergquist. LEA SALONGA’S FACEBOOK
Sitzprobe
Our first orchestra rehearsal, or sitzprobe, was last Saturday at Carroll Music Studios. Sitzprobe is a German term that translates to, literally, “seated rehearsal,” even though we’re encouraged to actually stand up when we have to sing. This first pass of the actors with the orchestra is meant to bring us all together.
Our music supervisor Lynne Shankel told us that we shouldn’t over-sing (though the temptation to do so may be great), and that this day would be more for us to listen. Listen to which instruments bring us into songs, whether it’s flutes, strings, or sax. Listen to the orchestrations so we can graduate from hearing just a piano to a fuller sound. Listen to one another in conjunction with the orchestra to familiarize ourselves and with this new sonic experience that we would soon have to get used to. And finally, to just listen to and appreciate the beauty of it all.
Lynne deftly utilizes Asian sounds as well as the 1940s big band style, all with an orchestra of around 10 people. Our pit at the Longacre is very, very small and can only accommodate a few bodies at any one time. That Lynne was able to create something that sounds bigger than it does is an extraordinary feat.
There are also times when we got familiar with the sound of Laura with a set of headphones. Part of our show is set to a click track because of other instruments incorporated into the orchestrations, as well as various sound effects used in the show timed to choreography and staging. I’ve seen quite a few Broadway shows use this, so it’s not an uncommon sight anymore.
Sitzprobe day feels like musical theater Christmas. Or, as our composer Jay Kuo put it, “going from black-and-white into Technicolor.” It was a day of jubilation, one that couldn’t come soon enough. This day though was most special for our Broadway debutantes, particularly for Laura, our esteemed conductor. This is her first Broadway show, and she shed many tears of joy throughout this day. After the rehearsal for my solo, “Higher,” we both just beamed at one another. It was very emotional for us both, and for many others in the room.
As of right now, we have only a few more days of tech to go before we finally get the show in front of a paying audience this Tuesday! We can feel the clock ticking, but we will be ready. We know we’ll be ready.
And we can’t wait!
“Allegiance” begins preview performances on Oct. 6 and officially opens on Nov. 8 at the Longacre Theatre (220 West 48th Street). For tickets, visit telecharge.com, and for more information on “Allegiance,” visit allegiancemusical.com.