What was the best show you've ever worked on and why?

[radiancehazer07]

The best show I have ever worked on was Metamorphoses by Mary Zimmerman at a high school because the director went to the hospital during the entire tech week so the play was very student led and a huge growing experience, although extremely stressful and terrifying.

 

[RonHebbard]

The best show I have ever worked on was Metamorphoses by Mary Zimmerman at a high school because the director went to the hospital during the entire tech week so the play was very student led and a huge growing experience, although extremely stressful and terrifying.

@radiancehazer07 Most artistically satisfying, most financially rewarding, most memorable and favorite program credit are all different queries with decidedly differing replies: Among the productions I personally found most satisfying was an amateur production of 'Amadeus' which I recorded, lit and operated sound for in Burlington, then in the Western Ontario Drama League competitive festival in London, Ontario and then in Owen Sound, Ontario for the competitive Theatre Ontario Festival. Most financially rewarding were a great many productions with Stratford, Ontario's Stratford Shakespearean Festival. Most treasured program credit is hands down my first Broadway credit as one of two assistant electricians touring into Broadway's Shubert Theatre with a British Canadian co-pro of 'Buddy Holly The Musical'. Narrow your query and I'll narrow my reply.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard

 

[Ancient Engineer]

A little black-box I worked at in Grove City, Ohio did "Tomfoolery" and it was one of those magical productions where, for no readily apparent reason, everything was really wonderful.

We ended up doing stuff that everyone said was impossible. It made money and everyone had a great time.

My giant periodic table of the elements is still floating around somewhere.... LOL

 

[garyvp]

Frankenstein - Most elaborate technical show I have ever done in community theater - Jacob's ladders, Tesla coil, bubble columns, real CO2 fog, (all built by me) and a wall encrusted with vintage high voltage switchgear, meters and insulators from a turn of the century power plant, donated by ConEd. We also had great sound effects and lighting. This is not a big theater and no fly or big wings, yet we had to go from a blank stage (cemetery) to the castle to a full lab with no untimely set changes. The lab was packed into an 8x8x4 ft cube which unfolded to a 16' lab. Great fun.

 

[radiancehazer07]

Frankenstein - Most elaborate technical show I have ever done in community theater - Jacob's ladders, Tesla coil, bubble columns, real CO2 fog, (all built by me) and a wall encrusted with vintage high voltage switchgear, meters and insulators from a turn of the century power plant, donated by ConEd. We also had great sound effects and lighting. This is not a big theater and no fly or big wings, yet we had to go from a blank stage (cemetery) to the castle to a full lab with no untimely set changes. The lab was packed into an 8x8x4 ft cube which unfolded to a 16' lab. Great fun.

That sounds like such an amazing feat!

 

[What Rigger?]

Amadeus as an undergrad PSM at Cal State Long Beach, early 90's. I wasn't sure we, as a department, could pull it off. Turns out we blew the doors off the joint for 5 or 6 nights to the point the LA Times called me on closing night asking if we could extend for a day so they could come review it. The whole experience was a clinic in excellence from all departments- I just had to tune into my script long enough to say "go" at the right time. The rest of the time I was awe struck. Nothing has lit me up from start to finish like that.

Lots of good memories from a too short time on EFX at MGM in Vegas. You never forget your first truly big show.

 

[ruinexplorer]

In school, it was Sound of Music, just because the audience applauded when the curtain opened to the blank set (actors had not yet made their entrance), so I knew the applause was for our hard work. Second place would be Scapino, just because we finished the set two weeks ahead of schedule, so the scenic designer started having us build more fun props and effects (like a fish launcher).

Professionally, it would probably be my current show (name withheld), since I have been here for over 11 years. It is a big part of my life.

 

[Ravenbar]

I'm going to say "Urinetown" Madrid Waddington HS production of 2013

I'd graduated college with a tech theatre degree in 2008 and hadn't done anything since. My sister was in a show her senior year of HS and as I was laid off for the winter, volunteered to help with the lighting. Ended up doing 90% of the lighting as the director was also the lighting guy and welcomed the help.

Reason I say it was my best is that I had plenty of time to see rehearsals as I was there 3 or more days a week for 6 weeks before the show, and that it got me back involved. That has lead to 7 years of me doing the lighting for their spring musical, 2 years with that director and just finished the 5th show with the new director. I'm slowly teaching the new director how everything lighting related works, as she's also the tech person for the rest of the school year.

Biggest challenge regarding their shows is that everything is in their heads as far as the set design goes, and final blocking isn't set until tech week. Blocking changes were even made for closing night. I've taken to to writing cues for she show, while also having a robust set of submasters programmed for contingencies.

 

[EdSavoie]

Perhaps i'm biased from the event being so recent, but for me i'd have to peg "Best show I've worked on" as the production of Next to Normal we closed only a few short weeks ago.

I'm not necessarily, shall we say, completely foreign to shedding a few tears at the end of a good show, but their performance of the second act absolutely destroyed me on three separate runs of the show. The intensity of the raw emotion being portrayed on stage could be felt throughout the house.

I've never been so proud and satisfied to have worked on a show, yet so emotionally drained by it at the same time.