Theatrical figures such as Elphaba in “Wicked,” Billy Elliot, and Mary Poppins have all sailed high above the heads of Broadway audiences; but what happens when it’s the scenery that needs to be lifted or “flown”? One of the key people behind that real-life magic is someone known as a “flyperson,” “fly operator,” or “flyman”—or if you peruse the program for the Alicia Keys musical “Hell’s Kitchen,” you will see a “flyma’am,” indicating that more and more women are being seen in crucial crew positions on Broadway and on tours all across America. (Huzzah!) So, what exactly does this role entail?
Shawn Watson is happy to explain; he’s a flyman and carpenter on the first national tour of “Company,” the gender-swapped revival of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s Tony Award–winning classic. “I am the point person for five departments who all need things from the fly rail [the row of pins/cleats used for attaching the lines of scenery to a rail to be flown],” he says. “I am playing a balancing act to make sure everyone gets what they need in a safe and timely fashion, without overwhelming the flymen and weight loaders on the rail. Each venue is different, so I am trying to take into account the amount of deck space we all have to maneuver around each other.”
“I am the point person for five departments who all need things from the fly rail [the row of pins/cleats used for attaching the lines of scenery to a rail to be flown]. —Shawn Watson”
How does one become a flyperson?
A flyperson is not often a position you can train for in most theater schools thanks to its similarity to carpentry (all shows have a Head Carpenter, who serves as a crew captain, particularly during the crucial load-in and load-out portions of a production when scenery is put up and then torn down). There are, however, certain skills required to be successful in the job.
- An ability to grasp math and physics is a big help. There are a lot of moving parts and understanding how and why they should be moved a certain way will be incredibly helpful.
- Comfort with heights, as you might be hovering over performers several feet in the air at any given moment.
- Physical strength is key when you’re lifting, pulling, and working with large pieces of scenery.
- A collaborative work style, because you need to be able to interact with many people and stay focused, calm, and connected.
“Company” has its fair share of moving parts. “There are a lot of heavy pieces that are either moving on the ground or overhead, so you want to make sure that no one gets hit by any of these elements as they move,” Watson says. “During load in/out, I work with our automation carpenter, swing technician, and 14 locals to install or dismantle all the scenic elements for the show. And during that time, I am also working with audio, electrics, and props to get their elements in/out of the air.”
As with most crew jobs, the lines are very clearly drawn as to who is responsible for what. “I am not allowed to pull the ropes to move scenery, for example,” says Watson. “My locals do the physical work, and I’m there to tell them which pieces move on which cue lights and make sure that they are moving everything in the right direction as it happens.” In the event of an injury or illness, a flyperson has the crew equivalent to an understudy. “We have a swing technician who has learned multiple tracks across all departments,” Watson says, “to help with coverage in those events and [who] runs each of the tracks regularly.”
From Cast to Concessions: An Overview of Jobs in the Theater IndustryBeing a flyperson requires a cool head and great problem-solving. One of the hurdles on a tour is working with a new local crew every time you enter a new city. “Are they a veteran crew that don’t need a lot of detail or explanation?” Watson always asks himself. “Are they a green crew that need a lot of direction and constant observation? Has it been a two-show day with a load-out at 11 p.m. and people are already tired and don’t want to be here? How do I keep people motivated and doing things correctly so that the scenery does not get damaged because they are just trying to shove things out the door as fast as possible? Considering all these things makes the mental game the most taxing.”
It’s definitely a position in the “work hard, play hard” canon, but Watson likes to go on hikes and dance to EDM to create a balance. It also helps that he is an accomplished trapeze artist, which he cites as a notable adjacency to his current position. “It is a great workout and way to let off some steam if I’m having an off day. There isn’t a rig in every city, but when I do have access to one, I tend to spend a couple of days there while in town.”
Shawn Watson has worked on shows such as “Ain’t Too Proud—The Life and Times of the Temptations,” “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,” and “Something Rotten!”