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Putting the pit onstage

  • 1.  Putting the pit onstage

    Posted 08-22-2018 09:37
    Has anyone ever put the pit onstage? I'd like to do this by putting them on a platform that is integrated into our set. Would love to hear if anyone's done this and your experience with it.

    Thanks!

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    Bernadette MacLeod
    Charlotte NC
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  • 2.  RE: Putting the pit onstage

    Posted 08-22-2018 11:59
    This has been done a number of times over the years, sometimes well and sometimes not.  :-)

    You can see below how we did it on my set for Kiss Me Kate a few years ago. I think it was about a ten-piece group including a keyboard disguised as an upright piano. They were under the stage right platform, and the conductor (who was facing upstage) had a monitor so she could watch the action.


    More photos at http://georgefledo.net/Kiss%20Me%20Kate.htm

    ------------------------------
    George F. Ledo
    Set designer
    www.setdesignandtech.wordpress.com
    www.georgefledo.net
    http://astore.amazon.com/sdtbookstore-20
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Putting the pit onstage

    Posted 08-23-2018 04:52
    We did this for "Disaster!" It was one of the highlights of the show. We called them the "Barracuda Band," (the name of the doomed ship) and made them a part of the illusion of turning the ship upside down. I also put them in the same uniform that the waitstaff wore. We built 3 tiered platforms for them. Here's a shot from a dress rehearsal. We were missing our keyboard players, who would have been on the stage left lower platform.

    image1.jpeg



    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Putting the pit onstage

    Posted 08-24-2018 05:41
    Since our auditorium doesn't have a pit, the orchestra is always on stage. Typically they are upstage against the back wall. Our typical pit size is about 30-35 student musicians. They have been on the floor, on a raised platform, or both. Any way it's a challenge. Most of the time they are hidden behind a traveler, screen, or some structural element of the set. I have kept them visible for some shows-they were inside the wrap around  scaffolding we used for Sweeney Todd . As others have mentioned you need a camera on the conductor and then at least one TV screen monitor facing the stage so the performers can see him/her. We have a single larger one above the booth at the back of the house. I've also seen two or three used hanging from the catwalk. You also need a camera trained on the stage with a visual monitor facing the conductor so she/he can see the action. It's always fun when one of those feeds goes down during a show and the cast or conductor is flying blind. This invariably happens at least once during a run. Also if the orchestra is hidden behind scenery, you will probably need to mic them. Make sure you have a sound board operator who has good mixing abilities. Oh-and did I mention that you also need an audio monitor for the conductor so he can hear the singers?  Typically it has to be turned up a lot to allow him to hear them amidst all the horns and percussion blaring in his ear which makes feedback a constant problem. We've gone to an in-ear monitor which has been a game changer. What I wouldn't give for a pit but as all of us know in theatre, you play the hand you're dealt and make it work. Feel free to message me if you have specific questions. We have the pit on stage thing down to a science by now. Doesn't make it any less frustrating though! 

    Ron Parker
    Appleton North High School




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  • 5.  RE: Putting the pit onstage

    Posted 08-23-2018 05:53
    We have done this a few times over the years but consistently now that we have moved into a new theatre that does not have an orchestra pit.

    --
    Mark A. Zimmerman
    Theatre Director,

    Akron School for the Arts
    Firestone High School
    470 Castle Blvd
    Akron, Ohio 44313

    330-761-3275

    FirestoneTheatre.com




    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: Putting the pit onstage

    Posted 08-23-2018 06:58
    I have done it for "Sweet Charity", "Return to Forbidden Planet" (twice). I love the visual element of having the band on stage. It's easier with a small rock band, obviously. The main difficulty is for the conductor having visual lines to the singers. We were able to overcome that in all three productions, but I'd really make sure your conductor is on board and up the challenge.

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    Tom Schulz
    Singapore
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    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: Putting the pit onstage

    Posted 08-23-2018 09:03
    We did it for "Rock of Ages" two years ago.  It was fabulous!  That show is written specifically to be done this way, and any misgivings I had initially worked out beautifully in the end.  Obviously, this was a small rock band and they were visible and costumed the entire show (and appropriately hammed it up), so not every show is going to work this well.

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    Amy Neal Bussey
    Theatre Director
    Stuarts Draft High School
    Stuarts Draft, VA
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    Original Message


  • 8.  RE: Putting the pit onstage

    Posted 08-23-2018 09:50
    We have changed the configuration of our theatre many times and the orchestra has often been designed into an upstage area or even more successfully on to an elevated platform. The keys to success with this concept are:

    1) visibility for cast & conductor (they need to be able to see each other somehow)
    2) familiarity (the cast has to be 100% prepared vocally to be ready to perform with limited visibility of the conductor)
    3) comfort - the higher the musicians are, the warmer it can get - treat them well: honor their talent and gifts they are sharing with your production with recognition whenever possible & keep them cool, hydrated & happy

    In the end, I feel that the decision as to where to locate the orchestra for a musical is one that should be dictated by the artistic needs for the production.  If the show is "about music" then is awesome to FEATURE the orchestra as part of the look of the show.  But then there are many shows where the orchestra needs to be invisible so that the story you're telling is featured first.

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    Jeff Bengford
    Performing Arts Chair & Theatre Director, Westmont High School
    Campbell, CA
    www.WestmontDrama.com
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    Original Message


  • 9.  RE: Putting the pit onstage

    Posted 08-23-2018 11:08
    What are some of the ways you tackled the challenges? I'm assuming you often used a closed circuit TV?

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    Bernadette MacLeod
    Charlotte NC
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    Original Message


  • 10.  RE: Putting the pit onstage

    Posted 08-23-2018 11:12
    ​Because we have no pit and an extra-wide stage, we put the pit on the sides of the stage. Last year when we did "Pirates of Penzance" we dressed them up like pirates and encouraged them to react to the show. Most of them were uncomfortable with the change, but with a little encouragement and prompting from the teacher who played trombone, they were able to participate.

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    Ellen Di Filippo
    Tracy CA
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    Original Message


  • 11.  RE: Putting the pit onstage

    Posted 08-23-2018 12:09
    Actually, come to think of it, when we did Kiss Me Kate, in addition to the TV monitor for the conductor, we had a large monitor in the pit so the actors could see the conductor. It all worked out very well.

    And yes the musicians were dressed in "period" outfits because they were visible to the audience.

    ------------------------------
    George F. Ledo
    Set designer
    www.setdesignandtech.wordpress.com
    www.georgefledo.net
    http://astore.amazon.com/sdtbookstore-20
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 12.  RE: Putting the pit onstage

    Posted 08-23-2018 13:10
    Hi,
    We placed the pit onstage for our production of Grease. We had a unit set with a large juke box as our backdrop. The pit was in the jukebox. I think it can work especially if it is a smaller pit and what your overall look/concept is for the produciton.

    Good Luck!

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    James Fry
    Director of Student Life and the Malvern Theatre Society
    Malvern, PA
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    Original Message


  • 13.  RE: Putting the pit onstage

    Posted 08-23-2018 18:14
    Yes.  With Rent and Starmites.  If singers need to see conductor, you'll have to create a setup where monitors are facing the stage from behind the audience with a live feed from a camera showing the conductor (as he would be seen by a pit musician seated directly in front of him).




    Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone



    Original Message


  • 14.  RE: Putting the pit onstage

    Posted 08-23-2018 18:16

    In Rent and Starmites the pit was on stage level under a functional 2nd story platform. 


    Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone



    Original Message


  • 15.  RE: Putting the pit onstage

    Posted 08-24-2018 09:16
    We did this last year for Cyrano de BurgerShack. It worked well! 

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    Carolyn Kovar
    McCluer North High School
    Ferguson-Florissant School District
    Florissant MO
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    Original Message


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