Charlie Morgan Jones: The Producers Diary – Part One
Comments Off on Charlie Morgan Jones: The Producers Diary – Part OneProduced by the award-winning Selladoor Worldwide, a brand-new production of The Producers recently opened at the Shanghai Culture Square and is currently embarking on a 14 week tour of China. The Lighting Designer is Charlie Morgan Jones and the equipment has been supplied by White Light. Whilst in East Asia, Charlie kept a diary of his travels in order to give us a first-hand insight into life on an international tour:
Thursday 12th October – Eight Days Before Flight
I was out of the country until yesterday, so had to express my Chinese Visa application through. It’s all a bit complicated, but thankfully our wonderful Company Stage Manager Sharon Speirs accompanied me to the Embassy and walked me through it all (she’d been so many times that she was old pals with the Embassy Official…!)
Today also marked the first run through of the show. It’s always special to be there the first time it’s all put together. As I write this, it’s just finished and it’s in-cred-i-ble. One of those “I CAN NOT WAIT TO LIGHT THIS” shows. Tara Wilkinson, the Director, and Matt Cole, the Choreographer, have done the most fabulous job.
Thursday 19th October – One Day Before Flight
This week has been slightly mad. I’m in pre-production for Inside Pussy Riot which begins tech the day I fly back from China, Eden Project at Christmas which starts mid-November, rehearsing for Gobsmacked! which opens in the USA the same night as The Producers and on Tuesday I had to travel to relight Derren Brown: Underground for one night only! So safe to say I’m somewhat pre-occupied!
Today, after an overnight plotting session for Gobsmacked!, I’m solidly in The Producers rehearsals (thank goodness). This show just gets better and better and there’s now only four days until I start lighting it.
Friday 20th October – Flight Day
It’s early Friday morning (and I mean early!) and I can’t sleep. My flight isn’t until 15:15 but I’m very excited. One of the huge perks of the job is that producers pay me to fly half way around the world to do something I love with people I admire – what could be better?
All the crew have flown out ahead of us – so it’s just the Musical Supervisor, Sound Designer and Costume Designer on my flight…I promise we’ll be well behaved!
As we board, I know it’s going to be a good flight as I’m asked “Would you like a glass of champagne, sir?”. I think I can manage it.; after all, it is 10pm in Shanghai!
Saturday 21st October/Sunday 22nd October – Arrival in Shanghai
We all arrive (after a seemingly endless transfer) slightly worse for wear…I’m not sure any of us have managed to sleep, and with the time difference between the UK and here it would be dangerous to go to bed now… The hotel is lovely, but can’t quite get to grips with lunch so we find a Starbucks instead. Supper is an equally interesting experience…
Sunday is a whole day off, so Shane Button (Programmer), Alex Carver (Production Electrician), Andrew Blumsum (Touring Chief) and I all go for an explore…
We managed to find the theatre and were allowed to poke our heads in to check it out pre-fit up. I did a cracking ‘this is where my lights need to be’ for Alex using only a foot and a hand… I should be a mime artist!
We carried on to the “Westfield of Taicang”. It had some great food (steak and noodles – interesting combo!) as well as the sort of shops you’d expect to find (I bought us Uno for fun this evening. I really know how to party). We were asked for our photo a couple of times by local people…are we really that famous?!
Monday 23rd October – Fit Up
Most of today was spent with me doing coffee runs. There were a lot of language barrier issues making some of the fit up slow going, but the amazing LX boys got through it and did an incredible job. It turns out that Google Translate is genuinely the best thing since sliced bread!
Tuesday 24th October – Focus/Plot/Tech Session One
We bashed out the focus in record time. Andrew was on booms with our lovely ETC Lustr 2 units and JP (Tech Swing) was out Front of House. The tag teaming was incredible.
Shane and I managed to plot the first three numbers before tech began so we were in a healthy place to start. It suddenly feels like it’s all starting to come together!