Putting on my AEA Stage Manager's Hat for a minute

Last Monday there was an accident involving the main stuntman and aerialist for Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark. Christopher Tierney was performing one of the less aggressive stunts in the show when some thing happened to the harness that was holding him and he fell 30 feet into the pit below. He managed to land without any injury to his spine or his neck; however he does have a series of broken ribs and some internal bleeding from the fall. The show stopped and the audience was asked to leave as the paramedics arrived. We have video of the accident from an audience member who was illegally shooting the show with some sort of camera. It is pretty horrific to watch.

Having seen the show, I know at what point this happened and that Mr. Tierney was not suppose to go over the edge but, with the wire attached to him, hang further out than is humanly possible. I know this trick well since I have stage-managed a couple of shows that we used this same gag. I am sure over time we will find out what happened and what went wrong. As it is, new redundancies have been added to the show’s wire-work to all the safety measures that had seemed to take care of the potential danger up until this accident. And it was an accident. I do wish Mr. Tierney a swift and painless recovery but I also know that is doggone hard to do with cracked ribs.

This show seems plagued by accidents to the performers. During the rehearsal period when they were just starting with the flying, one actor broke both wrists on a bad landing. There have been other bumps and bruises and one broken ankle. Since it went into previews there have been two incidents that have injured actors. One actress received a concussion after something (rope) fell from a catwalk and hit her in the head backstage and now Mr. Tierney’s fall is added to the mix.

This show is breaking new ground as to what can be done in theater. I have seen Cirque do things like it in the Grand Chapiteau(Big Top)but not to the scale that this is being done. In fact I am betting that Cirque is taking a hard look at what they are doing at Spider-man to see if they can use it in one of their shows. In breaking new ground, you learn of new hazards and pit falls where they didn’t exist before.

I can remember when we did some of the gags for the first time for The Invisible Man. No one got seriously injured but we did have some bumps and bruises along the way. And we reworked how things were done to keep both the cast and crew and, most important, the audience safe during these stunts.

If they can bring the show up to both OSHA and Equity standards, then the show should go on. And, between all unions and the feds, it has been inspected and given the go ahead to continue previews, which it did last night. This show is under a microscope and everything is being given a check and a double check. The actors are willing to continue to play their parts. The director and the designers want to make this show work. The union shop has signed off for the safety of their members. These are trained professionals who have said that this show meets their safety requirements. They want to make this a success for everyone.

I say let them do it. Let others see what I have seen and been thrilled by. Let others know the images so memorable for their strange and haunting beauty. This show could set the bar for what we will see in the future in theater and of what is possible to do in front of a live audience.

I give my sympathies and best wishes for those who have been injured during the span of this production. My sympathies and best wishes are also with the stage managers on the production and the Equity Deputy as well. Y’all are doing a great job with some really big obstacles to getting to Opening Night. And I hope that you make it to that glorious day when the show is set and the book is finished and that the naysayers will have to eat their words without any ketchup.

I am grateful that problems are being fixed rather than ignored as the show goes forward.