Backstage At The Beach

Welcome!

This page is designed to help guide you through the backstage crew process here at CSULB as well as keep everyone in the loop on what's happening in and around the Theatre Arts Department.

CURRENT CREW OPPORTUNITIES & SIGN UPS!!! Click here!

For those who need to fill out a Fall 2024 activity unit form - please follow the link here:  https://forms.gle/9sYLm3a4VuQN6jkm9

Important Dates for Fall Mainstage Productions (Full schedules are posted on the callboard):

FRANTIC/TEMPEST:
Rehearsals: January 13th - February 7th (Before School Begins)
Tech/Dress: February 10th - February 12th
Preview Performance: Thursday, February 13th
Performances: February 14th - 15th & February 19th - 21st ALSO Encore performances in NYC - Must be available 3/31 - 4/6 in order to be cast in show.

YOGA PLAY:
Rehearsals: January 21st - February 20th
Tech: February 21st - February 22nd & February 24th - 25th
Preview Performances: February 26th - 27th  
Performances: February 28th - March 1st & March 4th - 8th

Red Bike
Rehearsals: February 10th - March 13th
Tech: March 14th - 15th & March 17th - 18th 
Preview Performance: March 19th - 20th 
Performances: March 21st - 22nd & March 25th - March 29th

ALICE IN SLASHERLAND
Rehearsals: March 10th - April 17th (Dark 3/29-4/6)
Tech: April 18th - 19th & April 21st - 22nd
Preview Performances: April 23rd - 24th  
Performances: April 25th - 26th & April 29th - May 3rd

There are 2 types of Activity Units that Theatre Arts students can enroll in - cast units and crew units.

Cast Units:

• If cast in a Mainstage or Theatre Threshold production, students will enroll in THEA 110 A/B, 210 A/B, 310 A/B, 410 A/B

Crew Units:

• All Theatre Arts students need 4 crew activity units to graduate.   Each crew unit = 60 hours minimum participation time
• Students enrolled in THEA 142, 146, 148 & 271 have a required corequisite starting in Fall 2024 and those students will need to enroll in a corresponding crew:
  • THEA 142 - Scenic Crews
  • THEA 146 - Costume Crews
  • THEA 148 - Lighting/Sound/Video Crews
  • THEA 271 - SM Teams for both mainstage & Thresholds
    • Scenic, costumes & lighting students also have the option of serving their hours in the shops with approval of the instructor 
• Theatre Threshold will have a few running crew slots open for their season as well.  With Theatre Threshold having a much shorter tech/performance schedule, students will need to crew 2 productions in order to fulfill the 1 unit. 
• Clarity of what roles earn units:
  • Mainstage Crew = 1 unit each
  • Mainstage Assistant Director = 1 unit (could be more dependent on the hours worked)
  • Mainstage Designer = 1 unit + Enrollment in 454A/B/C
  • Mainstage Assistant Designer = 1 unit + Enrollment in 454A/B/C
  • Mainstage PA = 1-2 units
  • Mainstage ASM = 1-2 units
  • Mainstage SM = 2-3 units
  • Mainstage Hang & Focus Crew = 1 unit
  • Theatre Threshold Director = 1 unit
  • Theatre Threshold Playwright = 1 unit (if actively participating in the rehearsal process)
  • Theatre Threshold SM/ASM = 1 unit
  • Theatre Threshold Designer/Coordinator = 1 unit for working on 2 productions (MUST SIGN UP FOR 2)
  • Theatre Threshold Crew = 1 unit for working on 2 productions (MUST SIGN UP FOR 2)
  • (Threshold Assistant Directors and Assistant Designers do not receive activity unit credit on Threshold productions)

Crew Sign Ups:

• All crew unit signups will be run through Ashley for both Mainstage & Theatre Threshold.  All crews are first come first serve.  Sign ups all take place online a week before classes begin.

Crew sign-ups will be available on Monday, August 12th at 12:00pm

Basic Crewing Information for here at CSULB

Being a part of a crew on one of the productions here at CSULB is a huge learning experience.  You'll learn basic skills in your area as well as how to support your peers on the stage from behind the curtain as a team!  Below is information to help answer your questions, feel free to contact a member of the production team if you have further questions.

1)  Sign-up sheets are located electronically through Sign Up Genius. Links will be available on the crew opportunities page.

2)  Next, you must enroll in an Activity Unit from the list of Theatre Arts classes.  Activity Unit classes are listed as 140, 240, 340, 440.  Our backstage crews should enroll in a _40 course, we try and keep the cast members in the _10A/B courses.  Once you have officially enrolled in the activity unit course, please proceed to the next step.

3)  Once you sign up for a specific crew and you have officially enrolled in an Activity Unit course, you will need to fill out the activity form.  Click the button at the top of this section to take you there.

4)  From here, your contact information will be added to the show's contact sheet and a stage manager will contact you before you are called in for the production's Crew Watch.  You can find the performance calendar for each show on the Current Season page of this website as a reference in case of work conflicts.

Please note - you will be graded on your performance as a crew member for our productions.  Breakdown of credit earned, and specifics will be provided once officially enrolled in the activity unit.