Q&A with 'Footage' SM Carrie del Furay

  On Friday I caught a preview performance of The Footage at the Flea Theater, a multimedia drama about technology, torture and intrigue running through Nov. 30.

In Footage, a mysterious video of a bound and sexually tortured young woman (Elizabeth Alderfer) streams over the internet and captivates the masses. Is it real? And why can't anyone look away?

What captivated me the most about this play, however, was not the exploration of sexual darkness but the immense technological demand and flawless execution thereof. There are five screens onstage, countless light, video and audio cues, and only one woman, a Stage Managing powerhouse named Carrie del Furay, pushes every last button.

Del Furay's SM credits include The Redheaded Man at FringeNYC 2008; Ice Theatre of New York; Stars, Stripes and Skates; and the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis.

(Full disclosure, I have personally had the privilege of working with Carrie before, but thought that readers might benefit by learning about the grueling work of an SM who knows what she's doing. Remember actors: although you rock, its not all about you)

Take it away Carrie...

What are your tasks for the productionThe Footage?

I generally arrive at The Flea at least two hours before curtain to run through the show once or twice before the Bats (the Flea's resident acting company) arrives.  There's sort of a lengthy process to even start up the four computers it takes to run the show.  Once they start up, I do various checks (dimmer check, sound check, video check) before running the show a few times.  Once the Bats arrive, they will get into costume and do their Bat duties.  It's just me and the Bats running the show, so they do everything from presetting the props to running the concession stand.  At half hour, we'll have one cast member tearing tickets while another sweeps the house.  I really think these extra responsibilities create a sense of ownership for the cast, that the success of the show depends on all of us.  The Footage itself takes a bit of focus as I'm running audio, video and lighting.  I have two video monitors, one audio, and one lighting, as well as a dimmer switchbox that needs to be flipped several times during the show.  I'm just thrilled they opted out of spotlights.

 

Are you an octopus?

Only 1/8th on my mom's side. 

Is this the most challenging show you've ever worked on? What gets you through?

In some respects, this has been a very challenging show.  Without a doubt, the most challenging part about it has been adapting to the somewhat major revisions the show has gone through towards the end of the process.  However, the director, playwright and assistant director have all been very supportive and understanding of how tricky a proposition this can be.  The Bats, too, have been remarkable in their ability to roll with the punches.  The Footage has been blessed with a delightful group of people, from the Bats to the designers to the staff at The Flea.   So although there were challenges, it hasn't felt difficult simply because we were having fun.  98% of the time.

Tell the story about the cruise ship that set fire while you were on the job.

I was on a cruise ship that caught on fire.  It was actually after a very long, sort of bad day for the Production Team-I was Senior Production Manager.  We were all relaxing in the bar after this rough night when at least one of the shows stopped altogether and another was just truly awful.  Anyway apparently someone threw a cigarette overboard and it blew back into the ship, spreading from balcony to balcony and getting into the interior of the ship as well.  My cabin was on Deck 11, right near the fire.  Luckily my room escaped damage but apparently it was used as some sort of command center, which was dreadful because it was horrifically messy and I had to face all the senior officers knowing that they knew I am in fact a mess.  So we spent a week in the Bahamas patching up the damaged part of the ship, then sort of limped across the Atlantic with a big piece of duct tape on the side of the ship.  We then spent six weeks repairing the ship in Bremerhaven, Germany  (to be honest with you, I did a whole lot more drinking than repairing).  So really, no matter how bad a show can go, it really can be a lot worse.

 

---Halley Bondy

Photo: The Footage at the Flea Theater.  41 White Street, Manhattan. Oct. 23-Nov. 30, $20. www.theflea.org