What is Tech-Week?

Have you ever bumped into a sad-looking Thespian and inquired, "Are you doing okay?"
To which they reply, "I'm just not really alive right now. It's tech week for the show I'm in."
That's when you give them an encouraging pat on the back (not too hard, because they're very fragile) and wonder to yourself, "What is this new torture device that is crushing the souls of thespians all around the world?"

EMU Theatre is here to answer that question! The cast & crew of The 39 Steps will be undergoing the "tech process" Sunday-Thursday (May 27-31) to get the show ready by FRIDAY, JUNE 1ST!


EMU production stage manager, Emily-Ann Jugowicz says, "Actors get weeks of rehearsal to put everything together for a production. Tech week is the one week we get to figure out all of the technical elements: set, lighting, costumes, etc."


When you sit down in a comfy theatre seat and smoke comes up from the ground and the lights begin to swirl and music fills the air, there is surely someone over a headset cueing all of the other technicians to make it seem like you're viewing magic. This is another major part of tech week. Breaking down every sight, sound, entrance, exit, and costume piece to make it look seamless and professional.


Jugowicz says, "It's a lot going on at once. Usually, the actors are really familiar with the script but the crew has never seen the show before. The actors can get angry and sometimes the directors want to work out actor blocking when we should be focusing on tech. Meanwhile, the crews are on headset in stand-by wanting and waiting to move on."


So if you're ever wondering why your theatre friend is looking down in the dumps, assume it's tech week and they're dealing with the drama within the drama.


And don't forget about The 39 Steps opening June 1st! This show is very "tech-heavy". Lots of quick changes and lighting tricks and illusions. Come see what they pull off at tech week!

Get Tickets Here!

The History of Sponberg Theatre

Ken Stevens, Director of "The 39 Steps" , was the head of the 1980's campaign to build the Sponberg Theatre from the ground up and has produced countless performances within the space since.  All it took was a little bit of hard-work, some celebrity power, and one helicopter...

1970's

• Dr. Harold E. Sponberg is President of EMU and heads the initiative to create scholarships for the arts.
• EMU Forensics Team wins National Championship ('73, '75, '76, '77, '78, '79).
• Ken Stevens and his pal, Bob McElya, joked about putting a bubble over the outdoor performance space to create a Garden Theatre. 

1980-1983

• John Porter becomes President of EMU and sends out a call for proposals for capital campaigns at EMU.
• Ken writes proposal for Sponberg Theatre - a 200 seat facility that could be used to extend EMU Theatre programming, hold national Forensics competitions, and other campus events.
• A firm in Chicago deems Sponberg Theatre as the campaign that is most likely to succeed.
• The Department Head of the Communication and Theatre Arts Department, Dennis Beagen, backs the project along with Porter.
• Ken is asked to head the campaign.
• Ken seeks to secure the project with large donors before taking the project public.
• Enough funds are secured to make the campaign public.
• Carol Channing agrees to announce the campaign to the public ONLY if she can be flown to EMU by helicopter.
• Ken meets Carol on COBO Roof, takes a helicopter to EMU, and lands where our current Student Center is located.
• Carol announces the campaign and buys the first two chairs of Sponberg Theatre.

1984

• Enough funds are raised to break ground.
• Ground is broken.

2012

• On June 1st, Ken Stevens will present The 39 Steps in the Sponberg Theatre.
• Ken talks about his love for the space, "It's open, the size is right, and there is a sense of intimacy. You can do a range of productions. As a director, it is always a challenge to find a way to do a show in an unorthodox setting

Past productions that have taken place in Sponberg: 

Into the Woods, Brecht on Brecht, Little Me, Dead Man's Cell Phone, and many many more.

Click Here for Tickets to The 39 Steps!

TELL US ABOUT YOUR FAVORITE MEMORY IN THE SPONBERG THEATRE BY LEAVING A COMMENT BELOW!

Hitchcock for Fun!

Movies like Psycho and Dial 'M' For Murder tend to cause vindictive grimaces, however, the stage-parody of Hitchcock's The 39 Steps is said to be one of Broadway's funniest productions. The 39 Steps will open on June 1 at EMU Theatre so we thought we'd give you some Fun Facts about Hitchcock to show you Hitchcock can be pleasant! 

• Alfred Hitchcock cast his daughter Patricia in the part of Caroline, Janet Leigh's co-worker in Psycho.
• Alfred Hitchcock was honored with a U. S. Postage stamp in 1998. 
• When Hitchcock was filming The 39 Steps he handcuffed the lead actor and actress Madeleine Carroll and Robert Donat and pretended to lose the key.
• Hitchcock never won an Academy Award for Best Director.
• Sir Anthony Hopkins is set to play Hitchcock in a new biographical drama about the life of one of the most influential film artists of all time. (Release date has yet to be announced.)

Hopkins as Hitchcock

So don't miss The 39 Steps at EMU Theatre! Director, Ken Stevens, has not handcuffed his actors (yet) but it's sure going to be a good time. Four actors playing 150+ characters. Hitchcock would be proud.

PURCHASE TIX!

A Brief History of Cross-Dressing

Michael Williams in
EMU Theatre's production of "Pinocchio"

Hercules and Athena did it. So does Bugs Bunny. Tootsie was nominated for Academy Awards. And some of EMU Theatre's fellows will be delving into some cross-dressing in Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps. Drag and cross-dressing is hardly a "fad". Check out some of the earliest and most interesting forms of cross-dressing.

• Women did not typically act in ancient Greek and Roman theatre, therefore men and boys typically played female roles until the 17th Century. 
• Many women would cross-dress during the Civil War to join the military, because women were not permitted to join the armed forces.
• It has been suggested the earliest Olympic games were performed in the nude to ensure the opponents were not women trying to pass as male athletes.
• The play, M. Butterfly is based off the true-story of 20 year-long affair between the male opera singer, Shi-Pei-Pu and Bernard Boursicot, an attache in the French Foreign Service. Boursicot claimed to have no idea Shi-Pei-Pu was a man. To be fair, Shi-Pei-Pu went as far as faking the birth of their son. The affair ended after Shi-Pei-Pu revealed his secret. Boursicot "came out" shortly after.

Thanks for reading! Have you ever dressed in drag? What's your favorite historical cross-dresser? Comment and let us know! And don't miss The 39 Steps!