Behind the Scenes
--Theatre On Ice prop crews enjoy challenges, camaraderie-- |
The grace of figure skating blended with the drama of theatrical dance grabbed center stage in early April at the Nations Cup and National Theatre on Ice Competitions in Hyannis, Mass.
In addition to amazing skating, fabulous costumes and creative themes coming to life on the ice, a good deal of undetected magic took place in the prop tent and scenery staging area.
Those responsible for bringing this show to life are scenery coordinator Roland Bessette, team prop managers and the executive prop crew consisting of six members from three states--Vermont (1), Boston (1), Chicago (4)--who serve annually in this capacity and help oversee the functionality of the prop tent and staging area.
"The executive prop crew has props staging and scenery changes down to a science," Bessette said.
On average, it takes only 50 seconds to change out props/scenery between numbers, including those programs which use between five and 15 props.
As scenery coordinator, Bessette oversees the prop/scenery operation, delivery of props, tent layout, prop storage assignments and the movement of props on and off the ice during the events.
In the days leading up to the competitions, the prop storage locations for each team are finalized based on prop inventory, team skate order, tent size and walkway layout to create an efficient storage and staging area. The tent used to house the props is erected adjacent to the rink service door and is approximately 4,500 square feet.
At the beginning of April, props arrived in Hyannis in pick-up trucks, in vans, on trailers, in semi-trucks and on shipping company crates and pallets. As an alternative to shipping props, some of the teams flying in designed their props in such a way that they could be broken down into many pieces, allowing each skater to carry a portion of the props on to the plane.
Each team is also responsible for bringing its own crew to oversee its prop assembly prior to the event, movement of props on and off the ice during the competitions, and perform prop disassembly at the event's conclusion.
The majority of the props used during the Nations Cup and the National Theatre on Ice Competition were constructed of PVC pipe. This material allowed for easy transportation and shipping, reduced prop weight, ease in assembly and more maneuverability across the ice by skaters.
Certain rules regulate prop construction, storage, movement and usage at the competitions including:
- Once the scenery is assembled, it must fit into the assigned 10-by-0 space in the prop storage area
- Prop crews are not permitted to step on the ice, and skaters are not allowed to step off ice during the props movement on or off the ice between programs. If they step on or off, a penalty of 0.1 is assessed
- Once in place on the ice, scenery cannot exceed 7'6" in height
In keeping with the 10-by-10 scenery storage requirements, individual prop crews such as the Houston Ice Theatre Skaters design their props to maximize their storage space capabilities. Once the prop crew moves the scenery to the ice, it is staged by the skaters, with the elaborate scenery spanning an area of 50 feet in length and 15 feet in width.
Theatre On Ice has been instrumental in allowing clubs to increase membership and retain skaters through the fun environment it provides, as well as encouraging involvement by many non-skating family members as team prop crew members.
This unity behind the scenes is apparent not only by the numerous family members who volunteer as prop crew members but also when a team is working on prop repair, assembling the scenery or tearing the props down at the conclusion of the competition. If another team's prop crew needs help, individuals step in and lend a hand. If they need a particular tool to do a repair, another team's crew will lend them what they need and help in the repair process.
"It is a team environment similar to that of a close-knit family," Bessette said. "It's what skating should be all about, with clubs helping one another and working with other clubs for the betterment of our sport."
