i’m on sound for my school's upcoming musical. our final rehearsal is tomorrow.
this is my first time doing backstage. I signed up because my friends are great actors/dancers and i wanted to support them.
everyone wants me on sound because i’m the ‘tech guy’. i don't know how any of the A/V tech at my school works beyond setting the volume and working the computer. i haven't had time to rehearse half the songs (there's lots of cues, vamps, and other timing things i need to ace) and i feel like the whole world is resting on my shoulders.
if the person on lights messes up, no big deal, the show goes on. if someone moving props messed up, the show goes on. if someone on the ensemble messes up, the show goes on. hell, if the lead messes up, they improv and the show goes on.
but if i mess up, then everything falls apart, nothing works. the music and backing tracks lead the whole thing. i literally have the highest stakes role in the ENTIRE production, and i’m fairly confident that's not hyperbole.
the cast has been practicing for MONTHS for this moment. i’ve been assigned sound for like 2 weeks, tops and i feel like i'm not up for the responsibility.
everyone's depending on me. the amount of pressure on me is insane. yesterday i was getting yelled at from 3 directions for many hours and i honestly just can't with this level of stress. i’ve tried expressing this to others but everyone just says “you'll do great”.
everyone i know is coming to watch one of the 3 performances. i’m scared.
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It’s interesting to see everyone’s different ways of giving encouragement in the replies to this post.
From my experience as being a musician in productions - yes, the sound is super important but it can still go wrong and not matter too much. Last year in one of the performances for our school production the sound guy fell asleep - yet everything still managed to turn out ok. Missed cues happen, and they can often be worked around by the actors or musicians. Late cues can provide a nice source of humour. It certainly does depend on exactly what the sound is, but often it's very unlikely that the audience will notice if e.g. a sound effect is missing - they don't know it's meant to be there! And with any luck if you do miss a cue then somebody else will remind you and the show will go on.
Being launched into intensive rehearsals last minute is stressful. Working with tech you don’t understand is stressful. But it's an amateur production, and the aim is to have fun - and I can guarantee that no matter how well or poorly you or anyone else executes their role, the audience will have a great time, and the cast & backstage team will have a fantastic time. Just enjoy it.
Good luck :)
dw u got this. Remember, It’s a fun production, not an apocalypse situation. If you’re nervous, picture what you would say to someone else in this same position. Try reassuring that person (who is really you). In the end, the only thing that matters is how much work is put in, not results.
Bit rude? My original comment was a compliment, I think you took it the wrong way
probably misunderstood your tone. i took it more as dismissive like a “i ain’t reading all that. i’m happy for u or sorry that happened”
it’s fine, I probably could’ve worded my original comment a bit better, but it was meant as a compliment. Anyway, I just read it all, and hope it goes well, sure all will be fine eventually
that does sound really stressful, i wish you all the cool calm collectedness! i won’t say “don’t worry” since that is invalidating and being worried is understandable but the world won’t end even if you make some mistakes :) if it helps i like to write down exactly what i have to do and follow it as a schedule. break a leg!
thank you!! I spent the last rehearsal writing down all my pain points so i should be ready when they come up
Good luck! I did sound for a couple of my school’s musical’s as well!
I actually did play the wrong song the first performance, but I just quickly faded it out and it was fine.
That’s a really hard situation, I’m sorry you have to deal with that. All I can say is try your best and break a leg!
You’re already doing better here than the average person. You did not have to make this post, you know. No one on wasteof would have known anything about this, unless you told us. So I (and many others, I’m sure) respect you for saying this and putting it out here.
I really hope you do well, and it has to be super hard with all that pressure on you. In just a few days, you’re either going to be celebrating a job well done, or learn from the experience and come back stronger next time. Learning from it may not be fun at the time, but it’s how you become a mature person. So either way, it’s gonna be really good.
don’t feel too stressed out about it too, i felt like this during my high school’s band recital, but when i actually started playing it felt a whole lot easier
have you told the directors/organizers how you feel? or did they also “you'll do great’ you? i suggest explaining to them that you may not be too familiar with the equipment (“i don't know how any of the A/V tech at my school works beyond setting the volume and working the computer.”)
all the best ig and i dont think you need to mess with anything apart from the volume, also if there are mics involved make sure the echo stays minimal thats all
i have lots of cues i need to remember/not miss, and they happen throughout songs. so i actually do have a lot i need to mess with.
You’re building this up way too much. It’s a school musical. No one is expecting perfection, especially not from the guy who’s never done this before and was brought on late into preparation.
You should strive to put on the best production you can. That’s how you expand your limits and grow. But you shouldn’t place this much pressure on yourself about it. Even if the production falls apart, life still goes on.
Further, if sound screws up, the show still goes on as much as if the lights or the lead were to screw up. The actors will project their voices and know the songs well enough to keep the show rolling. And, should there be any mishap, I’m sure the production manager (or someone else who knows what they’re doing) will be back there to assist you shortly.
You’re a smart guy. I’m sure you’re already building systems in your head to keep all the queues straight and little efficiencies to make adjustments quickly and all that. You’re probably also building backup plans for any kind of err you might run into. You are doing more than enough, and the production is lucky to have you.
Keep your head up. Have fun with it. No one will fault you should something happen, and the show will go on no matter what.
You’ll do great!
