Skye’s the Limit

Published August 9, 2024

Skye’s the Limit

When sitting in the Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts watching a ballet, orchestra concert, or a Broadway production, I often take for granted the important behind-the-scene operations that make the show appear seamless. At an A.V.A. Ballet Theatre performance, it’s the stage manager, Eric Skye, who acts as a liaison between artistic director Alexander Van Alstyne, lighting and sound director Don Smith, and Pioneer technical director Italo Crocco.

Filer image element — *Peter Pan Flying Crew*

In every show, there are a myriad of things that need to happen at precise moments. The curtain must go out or come in when the orchestra hits a certain note, backdrops are required to be in place with the change of a scene, spotlights must highlight a particular dancer, props need to be tracked so they are in the right location for a dancer to carry when entering the stage – each is critical to the flow of the performance.

Skye needs to be aware of all of the elements of a show - from the wardrobe department to the stagehands on the fly-rail. The details Skye has to consider can seem trivial, but it makes a big difference to the artistic staff and how everything is interpreted by the audience.

For Skye, the process of stage managing a ballet begins months in advance. First, he meets with Van Alstyne who outlines his vision for the performance. Understanding the general concept of the ballet, Skye then consults with the technical director to ensure that all of the desires of the artistic director can be interpreted while meeting the physical constraints of the stage.

Once everyone is satisfied that they can produce the ballet as envisioned, Skye sets up timelines so that each person involved in the production knows exactly what they are required to do at a particular moment.

By contract, the Reno Philharmonic Orchestra and the stagehands work a specified amount of time, and it is important that a rehearsal not go over the allocated period. Skye manages the time so that both Van Alstyne and the conductor (in most instances Laura Jackson) are satisfied with the results.

Skye rehearses with the technical crew the cues of the performance. There is a cue for the house lights, a cue for the orchestra to tune and then to play, a cue for the stage lights, a cue for the performers to be in place, a cue for sets to move, and a cue for the proper backdrop to be in or out. Productions involving additional technical needs such as dancers flying above the stage in specifically designed harnesses require even more complicated cues. You get the picture, though – there’s a cue for every aspect of the show.

Skye wears a headset and is in constant communication with the lighting and sound director, technical director, and stagehands. During a performance, he directs all of the activities from the stage manager’s console. At the console are two monitors: “maestro vision” showing the conductor of the orchestra and “opera vision” showing the stage. The controls at the console allow him to coordinate the cues. As an example, there is a cue light in the orchestra pit that is lit before a performance. Skye turns off the light when the orchestra is to begin playing. On the fly-rails there are blue and red lights that instruct the stagehands when and which backdrop to move in and out of a scene, or snow to fall, or a dancer to fly. Again, the lights are controlled by Skye with the lights lit meaning standby and off meaning go.

Throughout this process, safety of the crew and performers is Skye’s number one concern. Said, Skye, “The last thing I would ever want is to have a heavy curtain drop down and conk a dancer on the head.”

Skye says he loves interacting with the dancers from A.V.A. Ballet Theatre. “Dancers are very aware of where they are on a stage and it is a pleasure working with them.”

Skye began working in the entertainment industry at the age of 13 at his father’s recording studio in California. He moved to Reno after high school to attend college and began working for the Pioneer Center as a technical director. He worked at the Pioneer for five years and then moved to Ely, Nevada where he started a radio station.

Moving back to Reno, Skye joined IATSE 363, the local stagehand’s union, and in 2019 became the stage manager for the Reno Phil. That same year, he became the stage manager for A.V.A. Ballet Theatre. His first ballet production was Peter Pan, a show that can best be described as a stage manager’s biggest nightmare – with five dancers flying and numerous complicated set changes.

Skye just finished working on A.V.A. Ballet Theatre’s Vortex, the Ballet That Rocks and is looking forward to Alice in Wonderland in September 2024 at the Pioneer Center with the Reno Phil.

I’m always astounded by how many people it takes to produce a full-scale ballet. Without talent like Eric Skye, it couldn’t happen.

Steve Trounday is a board member at A.V.A. Ballet Theatre, the resident ballet company of the Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts. Their next production is “Alice in Wonderland” September 21^st and 22^nd. Laura Jackson will be conducting the Reno Phil.