Get-in Crew

Get-in Crew are responsible for helping to set up all technical aspects of a show in the theatre. This includes assembling the set on stage, rigging all of the lights, setting up the orchestra pit, installing special effects, setting up masking, and finally making sure that the stage is clean and safe to use by the cast for the technical rehearsal, dress rehearsal and opening performance.

All of this work is carried out under instruction from the Techincal Director, although they may delegate this responsibility to any of the other core production team members as appropriate.

Get-in Crew are not expected to have a detailed knowledge of the production's requirements, or come up with safe techniques for achieving particular effects - this should all have been thought about and planned beforehand by the core production team.

Show-specific variations

For most Cambridge shows, get-ins normally start at 9am on a Sunday morning, assuming that the previous show in a venue ends its run on a Saturday night, and continue throughout the whole day.

Get-ins are sometimes staggered, especially on larger complex shows, with crew for partiuclar technical areas being requested at specific times. The most common example of this is where the lighting get-in will start immediately after the previous show ends, and work through Saturday night into the early hours of Sunday morning. This then leaves the stage free for assembling the set at 9am on Sunday morning.

Most shows in Cambridge choose to have a technical rehearsal on the same evening as the get-in (typically Sunday evening). This often leads to time pressure at the get-in, so extra pairs of hands are almost always welcome at any point during a get-in, regardless of how late in the day it is!