Bash--A Pipeline Players' Production

This quarter I stage managed a show for the very first time. I am the treasurer for the Pipeline Players Theater Ensemble here at UCI and we really needed someone to stage manage our first production for the year, Neil LaBute's Bash, so I agreed to try it out. Overall, it was really challenging but also a very fun experience. The performances went really well and we got really good feedback from our audience members.

At the start of the production process, the Bash team's biggest concern was transforming Studio 4 into a jazz lounge, our setting for the show, with a budget of... $100. That wasn't a whole lot of money, but we made it work. To set the mood of a jazz lounge, we had a pianist and a singer, a bar, and special seating at tables. We decided that the majority of our budget was to be spent on lights--that is, household lamps. We scored 3 lamps from IKEA for about $60, used lamps we had in our own apartments, and set up Christmas lights to create the lounge atmosphere. Personally, I think we were extremely resourceful in our lighting and the lighting made such a HUGE difference in transforming Studio 4. It really surprised me how much we could do using 3 standing lamps, 2 desk lamps, and some Christmas lights. I'm really proud of what Pipeline accomplished in this production and now knowing that we can put on these really amazing productions with a limited budget is great for the rest of our 2009-2010 season.