Backstage at "Wicked." Photo by Dan Hudak

Pulling Back the Curtain
Behind the Scenes as "Wicked" Takes Over the Arsht Center

By Dan Hudak

None of this is supposed to be seen.

When “Wicked” opened at the Arsht Center on March 3, what patrons saw was a smooth, first-rate production of an immensely popular, big-budget Broadway show.

But behind the scenes, how it all comes together, is anything but smooth.

It’s the morning before the show’s first preview on Wednesday night, and the set is scattered throughout the vast backstage area of the Arsht Center. Some lights are hung, some sit in groups near the front of the stage.

Screens, wires, props and scenery are strewn about, some of which are suspended from the ceiling. Wicked Witch Elphaba’s costumes are in her dressing room, but her hat is yet to arrive. Only the fierce dragon that sits atop the stage looks ready to go.

Surely, transporting a show of this size from city to city is chaotic, but the man whose responsibility it is to get things up and running is undaunted throughout this hectic morning.

“It’s really a relatively simple show,” Production Stage Manager Peter Van Dyke told The Lead. He says it without sarcasm, adding that soon everything will be hanging so that the show’s floor can be assembled.
The process started Monday morning when the crew unloaded 14 trucks worth of equipment and started assembling the production. Once the stage was ready, the cast came in Wednesday afternoon for a sound check before the first preview that night.

During the show’s three-week Arsht Center run, Van Dyke is responsible for coordinating lighting changes, visual effects and scene changes, and it’s his job to ensure everything runs smoothly. Of course, glitches do happen.

“We use computers to keep things on track, and one time the computer stopped working when the Good Witch was still in her bubble,” Van Dyke said. “Sometimes you have to do things manually.”

Van Dyke said he’s seen the show countless times during his three and a half years with the production. However, his focus is on the various and numerous technical elements of “Wicked,” which means his viewing experience is quite different from the average fan’s.

“Part of the skill set for my job is to watch the show repeatedly and not get tired of it,” Van Dyke said, adding that there’s typically 24 performances in each city, and at least one full rehearsal to prep understudies.
In contrast, Company Manager Steve Quinn, who’s been with the show for more than four years, can’t remember the last time he saw all two hours and 45 minutes of “Wicked.” His responsibility is running the front of the house, meaning he coordinates travel, arranges tickets, housing, etc.

For “Wicked,” that means scheduling the transportation and housing of the 75 people who travel with the production, not to mention arranging for a staff of 28 local crewmembers provided by the Arsht Center to help run the show. That’s more than 100 people who need to get paid and fed, and this doesn’t even account for when flights get canceled, talent, props, and scenery get stuck in traffic, or hotels end up being less than desirable.

“I’m already working on housing for 2011,” Quinn said, noting that the show is booked through most of next year. Right now, though, New Orleans, Louisville and Houston are fresh on his mind, as that’s where the show is headed next.

One thing Van Dyke and Quinn do have in common is their affection for the Arsht Center, which has the second largest backstage area in the United States (the Metropolitan Opera House in New York has the largest).

“We could do four different ‘Wickeds’ in this theater,” Van Dyke said. “It’s that big.”

“This is a world-class theater,” Quinn added. “There’s space upon space backstage, and it’s much bigger than some older theaters we play in.”

But enough talk about a show in a huge theater that’s nearly sold out for the next three weeks. These guys have work to do.

Read Dan Hudak’s interview with Wicked star Donna Vivino.

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