WORKING ON THE NAVIGATOR OF THE SEAS – PART 1

​Ahoy there!
 
I just returned from a cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Navigator of the Seas!
 
The Navigator of the Seas has two main venues, the main theatre, called the Royal Theatre, and Studio B, which is an ice skating rink!  On this trip the Royal Theatre had two revue-type shows; “Showgirl!” and “Ballroom Fever”.  Both of which were very enjoyable, well performed, and technically state-of-the-art, but certainly the lack of a full-length musical production was felt!  Studio B’s ice show was called “iSkate” – again professionally done, but essentially also a revue type show - performed on ice skates! 

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The sets for the two theatre shows were impressive, and clearly needed stage crew to cue and move (some done on floor tracks), while the set pieces in the ice show were primarily moved around by the performers themselves as a part of their choreography.
 
You may recall, if you read my posts about the Norwegian Bliss, that the stage manager there, Abby, had about 250 light cues alone for “Jersey Boys”. If you missed it, check out all the posts about working on the Bliss at https://www.cruisetechies.com/cruisetechies-blog/category/norwegian-bliss.  But a musical revue such as this was more like concert lighting, and Danilo said that there are over 400 cues in the 45-minute show!  Obviously that’s far too many for a stage manager to even speak out loud, so they are all timed with the music.
 
When I asked about the show loading in after it was designed and teched on land – usually done in large warehouses owned by the cruise line – the Royal Theatre sound tech shared that he had liberty to adjust the sound cues as needed.  Obviously sound lending itself to that more than lighting.
 
For more about the technicians, their work and lifestyles working on board a cruise ship, check back for next week’s blog post – out on next Friday!
 
 
If you’re curious about jobs in theatres on cruise ships, check out the Starboard Spotlight monthly newsletter, and visit the Blog archives. 
 
If you’re serious about working on a cruise ship, consider at DISCOVERY CRUISE, where you will get a chance to visit a ship’s theatres and venues in person, and learn about the lifestyle and career choice of a ship’s theatre technician!
 
PLEASE CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN HELP A TECH THEATRE STUDENT SET SAIL TOWARDS A REWARDING CAREER!  As little as $10 helps a boat load!
 
Please Like and Comment – I’d love to hear about your experiences too!