THE BOYS AND THE NUNS
Directed by: Sandra Delgado & Mark Lococo
Original Script Written by: Sandra Delgado
Music and Lyrics: Michael McBride
Rehearsals: February-April 2021
Performances: April 17-18, 24-25, 2021
This semester, I had the task of being one of the Assistant Stage Managers on Loyola's final virtual mainstage production of the year, The Boys and the Nuns. Written and co-directed by Sandra Delgado with music and lyrics by Michael McBride and co-directed by Mark Lococo, this show was a new work that was extremely fulfilling and inspiring to be a part of.
Since this show was a new work, the majority of the rehearsal process consisted of workshopping and devising scenes as Sandra continued to edit and evolve the script. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to watch this show develop and progress and it was incredible to be in the room as decisions were made and the script and music were finalized. I learned a lot about trusting the process, having patience, and understanding that we truly are all on a team and are working together to make this show a reality.
In rehearsals, I was in charge of playing music and sound cues from Qlab and timing the lengths of each scene or run of the show. It was really cool learning hands on about the software and equipment our department uses and I am officially declaring myself a sound engineer.
As we approached tech and the script began to get locked, the SM team began our master tracking documents. I set up the actor shift plots and Alex and I would update information as things were updated and finalized throughout tech. I am proud of the organization of these actor shift plots and tracking documents and hope they were beneficial to the actors.
Throughout tech and performances, the SM team split up into different rooms each day and were in charge of coordinating filming, teching, and any check-ins with designers that were scheduled each day. Gianni, icon legend star, did an amazing job organizing each day of tech and I feel that for the most part, everything went smoothly and successfully! When we began teching the show, my job was to continue timing the runs of each scene and full performances we completed, and I had to update our master tracking with accurate timings of each something occurred in the show. In the image above (taken from the SM team's master tracking document), there are timings of when each moment something happens. We did this in case there was an emergency and someone besides Gianni would have to call the show.
After what seemed like an eternity, we finally opened and it was an amazing performance! Our entire run was filled with incredible acting, amazing teamwork between the cast, crew, and SM team, and just a lot of fun and positive energy that made this whole process worth it. I am so thankful to have gotten to work with with entire team, especially Gianni and Alex who are superheroes when it comes to being stage managers. I learned a lot about myself as a stage manager, our city's history, and what it is like working on a new work. Grateful doesn't really begin to describe how lucky I am to have been a part of this show, and I can't wait to see where it leads! Thank you to Gianni and Alex and the entire team for a life-changing experience, and I'm looking forward to working with this SM team and everyone in the future!