ABSTRACT
Backstage areas are there to provide accommodation and support services for those whose work is focused on the stage. But who those people are, what their work involves, and what accommodation they require, varies not just with the setting and cast numbers of individual productions but also with the changing requirements of the production process. The kind of work undertaken can include strenuous manual handling; rigging sophisticated electronic equipment; carpentry and welding. Some of those involved will need to prepare documents such as running lists or cue-sheets, others may be working with potentially dangerous chemicals or with expensive musical instruments; singers and dancers will need to warm up vocally or physically. At one moment there may be no more than a couple
of painters alone in the theatre putting the finishing touches to the scenery while a few hours later there could be two hundred people – technicians, stage management, musicians and performers – all contributing to the performance.
