VET entertainment – Hamilton Australia

Creative and educational resource developed by The Arts Unit in partnership with the Michael Cassel Group

Year 11 and 12 VET entertainment

The following interviews, videos, articles and activities are aimed at supporting senior VET entertainment students in the following areas:

  • stage management

  • working as a professional in the industry

  • audio

  • lighting

  • staging and props.

Stage management

Jess Lawes is the stage manager of the HAMILTON Australia production.

Watch the interview with Jess as she discusses how she approaches working as the stage manager of HAMILTON Australia.

Jess also shares her experiences in the industry and some tips for students interested in working in this area.

Student activities

  • Discuss the elements of a legacy style show and what is specifically involved for the production team in this type of production.

  • Outline the stage manager's various tasks in each stage of production, including rehearsals, bump in, technical rehearsals, production and post-production.

  • Communication is a vital skill for a stage manager. Discuss the elements of effective communication and why it is essential to have strong communication skills when working as a stage manager.

  • Discuss how the stage manager works with the creative team and with each department involved in the production team of a musical theatre production to ensure a consistent show each night.

  • What could go ‘wrong’ during a production, and what strategies could be used to ‘cover’ so the audience is unaware.

  • Explore the challenges presented to a stage manager when working on a sung-through musical and valuable skills to overcome these challenges.

  • What skills will you develop by gaining lots of experience on various styles of shows and in many departments of a production if you are developing a career in the technical areas of the entertainment industry?

Audio

Watch the following video as Adam Savage explores the sound mixing of HAMILTON.

Adam Savage Explores the Sound Mixing of Hamilton!

Duration: 11:25

Student activities

  • Discuss audio signal management strategies using multiple microphones within a musical theatre performance.

  • Explore the different characteristics an auditorium can have and the adjustments that can be made within sound mixing for the space.

  • Identify the various challenges presented to audio technicians when mixing sound for a musical theatre performance.

  • Explore the different ways audio documentation can be effectively presented and used.

  • Research the different audio effects and how they are used in a musical theatre production. For example, the delay effect is used with the character of Burr in HAMILTON.

  • Discuss the technological advances of audio mixing desks and specific features of digital consoles. If you have one, use a digital console to demonstrate the various features and how they are used. Allow students to experiment with the desk and its features.

  • Read the article 'Hamilton Sound Design with Nevin Steinberg' and discuss the sound design approach to the performance in the Sydney Lyric Theatre.

Watch the following video as Adam Savage discusses making custom microphones for HAMILTON.

Making the Custom Microphones for Hamilton!

Duration: 16:38

Student activities

  • Discuss why microphones are customised for individual performers and the various ways they can be modified.

  • Discuss whether a second microphone might always be fitted to an actor in a musical theatre performance – for example, the characters of Hamilton and Burr in HAMILTON.

  • Research the different positions microphones can be placed on an actor and the advantages and disadvantages of each position.

  • Identify various issues or damage that can occur with microphones during a performance and discuss the strategies to overcome each.

Alexander Hamilton, dressed in a tan waistcoat, confidently standing centre stage in a spotlight, with Aaron Burr staring intently at him from behind his left shoulder. The ensemble cast is spread evenly around the stage, standing with their heads looking down at the floor.
Photo: Daniel Boyd

Staging

Watch the following 2 videos as Adam Savage examines the various props and wigs used in HAMILTON throughout the show.

1. Adam Savage Examines the Props of Hamilton!

Duration: 11:50

2. Adam Savage Goes Backstage at Hamilton!

Duration: 12:25

Terminology

  • Props (properties) – a portable item used on stage by a performer that is not classified as part of the set or costumes

  • Props table – a table located offstage where props are set up ready for use during a performance, often managed by an assistant stage manager or stagehand

  • Props inventory – a detailed list of props required for a production, including their location and condition before and after use in the production (often prepared by a deputy stage manager or properties manager)

Student activities

  • Discuss why some musical theatre shows have stock props they supply to all shows worldwide.

  • Research and discuss the various products used to create different props for actors to use and any 'tricks of the trade' used on specific HAMILTON props, for example, the wine glasses.

  • Identify safety considerations when working with props during the construction or performance process. Specifically, consider the use of fire and the burning of paper on stage in HAMILTON.

  • Discuss what is meant by 'hit the mark' when it comes to using props on stage in a musical theatre performance.

  • What are some issues surrounding the storage of props in a theatre during a production, and what are different ways this could be addressed?

  • Why is extensive research required when designing and constructing some props important?

  • Identify various reasons why props could get damaged or need repair and discuss different methods that can be used to repair any damage to specific props.

  • Discuss the various techniques that props and/or small set pieces can be moved on and off stage, either by actors, stage crew or mechanics.

  • Discuss why wigs are allocated to each actor and how these are individually made and used in HAMILTON.

  • Examine the different ways a wig can be damaged throughout a production and research how the repair of specific damage can be undertaken.

John Laurens, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson and Hercules Mulligan standing confidently, with Alexander Hamilton pointing upwards with his left arm. The ensemble cast stand behind them, facing the back of the stage with their arms up at 45 degrees.
Photo: Daniel Boyd
Alexander Hamilton standing at the centre of the raised platform behind the HAMILTON Australia cast all standing in a straight line across the stage in 18th-century period costumes.
Photo: Daniel Boyd
Thomas Jefferson, Hercules Mulligan and John Laurens around a table in conversation.
Photo: Daniel Boyd

Explore the following video and 2 articles on the set design of HAMILTON with set designer David Korins.

Video: Building Broadway: HAMILTON Set Designer David Korins

Duration: 03:10
HAMILTON Australia cast dressed in military uniforms evenly spread across the stage and set, singing as an ensemble.
Photo: Daniel Boyd

Lighting

Watch the HAMILTON Australia – Yorktown video and discuss the lighting in the video and each of the 3 images from the HAMILTON Australia production.

Identify the different lighting effects and the moods created on the stage and the specific lighting equipment or techniques used to create them.

Video: HAMILTON Australia – Yorktown

Duration: 00:57

Image 1

King George III standing on stage with multiple red spotlights forming a circle around him and blue lines of light in the centre.

Image 2

Eliza Hamilton sitting on a bench, holding a letter, with a lit lantern next to her and soft blue patterned lights on the stage floor, during the song ‘Burn’.
Photo: Daniel Boyd

Image 3

Ensemble cast dressed in blue and red military uniforms, each holding a gun in a defiant stance. Each soldier is individually standing in round, white overhead spotlights.

Watch the Hamilton Design Discussion, with Howell Binkley and Team Lighting video, as they discuss the lighting design for the original production.

Video: Hamilton Design Discussion, with Howell Binkley and Team Lighting

Duration: 01:46:15

Discuss the specific features of a lighting plot, as well as its purpose and function in the pre-production process, with reference to the HAMILTON lighting plot.

HAMILTON lighting plot – long text description

The Hamilton lighting plot is a diagram that shows an overhead view of the lighting rig over the top of the stage plan (which includes the set design, including the revolve).

There are 4 lighting bars spread over the stage space and 3 lighting bars in front of the proscenium in the auditorium. On the 7 lighting bars, there are images of the 4 different types of lights used in the lighting design, including their individual channel numbers for patching and then operation. All the lights are digital LED moving lights – they are all placed in the same direction as their movement and focus will be controlled through the lighting desk by the lighting operator.

The first upstage lighting bar (7E) has 6 of the same lights evenly placed across the bar. The second upstage lighting bar (6E) has a total of 11 lights comprised of 2 different types alternately placed across the bar. The centre stage lighting bar (4E) also has a total of 11 lights comprised of 2 different types alternately placed across the bar. The downstage lighting bar (2E) also has 11 lights comprised of 2 different types alternately placed across the bar, with an additional 2 lights on either end of the bar. The front of house lighting bar (AT), closest to the stage, has a total of 13 lights, comprised of 3 different types of lights placed across it. There are also 2 additional pairs of lights, one pair stage left and the other stage right, on wall rigging positions. The second lighting bar in the auditorium (FT) has 5 of the same lights evenly placed across the bar. The furthest lighting bar from the stage in the auditorium (BR) has 2 pairs of the same lights, one pair on the extreme stage left of the bar and the other on the right.

There are 12 footlights placed around the front of the stage apron to provide soft uplighting, with up to 38 more footlights placed around the edges of the stage to provide more uplighting on the set.

LED strip lighting has also been used in the design across the back of the stage and side entrances to the stage to provide general wash lighting. There are 12 sets of strip lighting, with 9 placed in 2 rows across the back of the stage, 2 stage left and one stage right.

The lighting plot diagram also includes a legend to specify the type of lights and is colour-coded for identification. The 5 different gobos used are recorded on the left of the plot, as well as the 4 different wash effects used with the digital moving lights.

Third-party content attributions

  • HAMILTON header image, including logo, reproduced and communicated with permission

  • HAMILTON footer image, reproduced and communicated with permission

  • HAMILTON Australia photos 1-6, Sydney Lyric, photographer: Daniel Boud, reproduced and communicated with permission

  • King George III, screenshot from EPK video, reproduced and communicated with permission

  • Soldiers in white spotlights, screenshot from EPK video, reproduced and communicated with permission