 Every large cruise ship has a main theatre (stay tuned for the next post) and several smaller venues. The Tuscan Lounge is such a venue. Small venues like the Tuscan Lounge are primarily used for musical groups, comedy acts, smaller game shows, bingo, and so on.
Again, despite its small stage size and even though the events are simpler than a full stage show, and therefore easier to run, it also has state-of-the-art lighting and sound equipment. So as a technician, you must still know how to run the more sophisticated equipment. Next post: Teatro Rosso Please Like and Comment – I’d love to hear if you’ve had any experiences with theatres and venues on cruise ships (as a technician or audience member)! Want to learn more? Check out the Starboard Spotlight monthly newsletter.
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 One of the primary performance venues on any cruise ship – other than the main theatre – is the Lido Deck.
In Italian, “lido” means “beach”. Its roots are from the word “litus”, which means shore or seaside. Later the word “lido” came to also mean outdoor pools. So, the “Lido Deck” is the deck on a ship where the main pool is located. (Thus endeth your English lesson for the day.). And often times, there is also an outdoor stage and movie screen at one end of the pool. Consider it the amphitheater of the cruise ship. The Firenze was no different. This was the stage where a multitude of events took place, including ice carving, towel folding demonstrations, some game shows, the silent disco, movies, and so on. All of which require sound, and lighting (mostly during the darker hours). I never could find where the control boards were, but…  Ahoy there!
I’ve just disembarked from a cruise on the Carnival Firenze. I have lots to share in the upcoming posts, but I wasn’t able to chat with any of the technicians aboard as – disappointingly - Carnival doesn’t allow that. (For that reason Carnival is not one of the cruise lines I recommend taking a Discovery Cruise on!). But, I can at least take you of a tour of some of the venues aboard the ship in the upcoming posts. Let’s start in the Limelight Lounge. Above is a photo of a theatre tech I was able to chat with briefly. I’m afraid I didn’t get his name – and I would have loved to be able to chat with him more, but I caught him just before the show started - but he very kindly agreed to pose for this photo! The Limelight Lounge is primarily used for comedy shows and other smaller events. Nonetheless, it does have a state-of-the art lighting and sound system. I’m not sure what the sound board was, but being a lighting designer I had to check out the lightboard (of course!) which was a grandMA (didn’t catch which model). Despite being a small venue the lighting instruments were all LEDs and several movers. If you’re interested in working in a theatre on a cruise ship and are wondering what experience you need…  Ahoy there! I’m heading out to Mexico on the Carnival Firenze in a couple of days! I’m looking forward to bringing you a boatload of blog posts about the theatres and the venues on board! I’ll be leaving snowy 20degF weather and arriving to sunny20+degC – how crazy is that! But, as bad timing would have it, my laptop suddenly refused to charge a couple of days ago. I took it in, and, of course, it’s going to take several days to repair, and won’t be back before I leave. Luckily I have my Emergency Backup Laptop (if I can get Chester, my land-lubber cat, to let me use it!). But, I’m only able to access my email and websites - all of my documents (including my intended blog post for today) are held hostage. (I know, I know, back-up, back-up. Lesson learned!) Here’s a random tip for you solo travelers… if you’re not traveling on Norwegian Cruise Lines, which has an awesome program for solo travelers...and you’re having to pay the Single Supplement most cruise lines demand…  HAPPY NEW YEAR! Is this the year you get your first job working in a theatre on a cruise ship?!
You’ve done your Discovery Cruise, you connected with some theatre techs on board the ship, you’ve decided this is the life and career for you. What’s next?! Now it’s time to decide which cruise line you want to work for, and find out what positions they have available. Here’s a boat load of job boards for some of the more major cruise lines - all in one place, so you don’t have to spend your time searching. |
NO MORE SEARCHING
Your ONE-STOP PORT for information about working in theatres on cruise ships. Here you will find interviews with on board techies, links to cruise techie YouTubers, and useful information about working on cruises. Categories
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WANT TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT WORKING ON A CRUISE SHIP? Check out a Discovery Cruise! Teachers can go on Discovery Cruises, too! Click here LETS BE SHIP MATES!
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