WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO PUT ON A SHOW ON A SHIP

In this post we’ll be going behind the scenes of “Jersey Boys” on board the Norwegian Bliss, and looking at how a show moves from land to ship.
(Photo credit – NCL Image Assets, available to Travel Partners)
 
First, as with any show there are the rehearsal and tech periods. As you can imagine, these cannot possibly take place on the ships – there is nowhere on a ship where there would be enough space and time to rehearse.  Nor is there anywhere to build sets and costumes, or the opportunity to hang a new light plot, or set up the sound and a/v systems needed, and so on. So, this is all done ‘shoreside’ ahead of time.
 
In the case of Norwegian Cruise Lines the show is rehearsed and built at their Creative Studios facility in Tampa, Florida.  Following is a thumbnail timeline of how a show ends up in a theatre on a ship…

---

First the show is rehearsed in the warehouses at Creative Studios.  Abby – the PSM we met in the previous blog posts – started at Creative Studios several months before the show moved to the Norwegian Bliss. She was responsible for taping out the space EXACTLY (or as close to possible) as it will be on the stage in the ship’s theatre, along with help from her ASMs. When the set is ready, it’s also set up within the same confines as the ship’s theatre.  Once the cast arrived – more on her responsibilities there in the upcoming Stage Management post – she was with them throughout the rehearsal process.
 
Sometimes it’s the Install Production Stage Manager (IPSM) who does all of this and is also typically on board for the first week of “install”, which is essentially what us land lubbers think of as ‘tech week’. Sometimes it’s the PSM who is already on board who helps with this. Sometimes IPSMs are shoreside for a month or so, come on board to help with the install for about two weeks, and then go back to shoreside to start working on another production. In Abby’s case, she then stayed with the show once onboard.
 
There are also Production Assistants in Tampa who do five-to-six-month contracts on land.  It’s their job to work with all of the different ship productions that come through Tampa. One PA from the Studios is now working on the Norwegian Bliss as an SM.  Abby recommends if you want to get a job on a cruise ship, one option is to start applying for the shoreside jobs, because from there, there may be the opportunity to move with the production to the ship as she did.  It’s a great stepping stone to working on a ship, but if you want a job where you stay shoreside there are a lot of positions available too.  At the end of this blog I’ll give you a link to what sorts of positions are available.
 
So how does the production get from a warehouse on land to a theatre in a ship?  The casts flies to the ship, and the show is installed with the creative team.  Then begins the tech week (sometimes the ‘tech week’ can take two weeks). At that point the ship-based PSM begins to learn the show from the land-based IPSM (although sometimes they can be one and the same, as in Abby’s case).  There are also adjustments that need to be made to the set and blocking and so on.  Sometimes things may change based on unanticipated height restrictions, or the cast needs to get use to the automation – no longer are the larger set pieces pushed around by people and if you’re in the way when an automated set piece moves you’re in trouble. There may also be other variances, entrance times and locations, and so on.  Then there’s also the question of getting the cast and crew used to the rocking of the ship!
 
Typically the PSM who was already on board with the previous show may still be there for a couple of weeks. So they focus on the old cast, while the incoming PSM focuses on the new cast.  While the install is being done the incumbent PSM may focus on guest entertainers, while the new set and cast are being instated. Once the tech week is over, the old PSM leaves and the new PSM fully takes over the operations, and the new show opens.
 
TIP:  If you go to http://nclhcreativestudios.com/techjoblistings_2024.html you can see a listing of all of the positions currently available for tech crew and management with NCL.
 
 
NEXT WEEK’S BLISS-FUL TOPIC:    Venues on the ship – the difference between a lounge technician and a theatre technician
 
Curious about working on a cruise ship?  Check out the Master Class
 
Serious about working on a cruise ship?  Check out the Discovery Cruise
 
Don’t forget to check out the Slop Chest for your must-have cruise related apparel, etc! 
https://www.cruisetechies.com/slopchest.html
​