CARISSA MARSH
A&E Editor
For nearly 25 years, David Barber has been making it look easy for Pepperdine audiences. As the technical production manager for the Center for the Arts, Barber has the unique task of performing unnoticed while most people in the entertainment business are shouting for attention. But this is the world of backstage, where all glitzy associations of show business must be left at the scene shop door.
“Some find that it’s not glamorous,” Barber said of working backstage. “We spend as much time with a broom and a mop.”
When Barber came to Pepperdine in the fall of 1982, Smothers Theatre was just two years old, but it had already gone through five stage managers, Barber said. But he had the real-world experience needed to take the reigns of the young stage and help make it a successful venue.
Barber holds a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from Boston University and received his master’s from the UCLA. Before coming to Pepperdine, Barber had done numerous freelance design projects for other theater companies and even spent seven years at the prestigious Music Center and worked three shows on Broadway.
Barber was raised in Long Island, N.Y., and before coming to California for graduate school had never been farther west than Ohio. Though it took some getting used to, Barber said he now loves living in California and just visits New York. But even on vacation, Barber’s passion for theater makes him unable to stay away from the stage.
“When I’m on vacation I’ll go to the theater every night,” he said. “You have to go to the theater to keep up with what the trends are.”
Barber flexes his knowledge of trends in his position at the Center for the Arts by seamlessly coordinating all the backstage needs for Smothers and Raitt Recital Hall, except for what the theater department does, which is a part of the students’ course credit. Just one of Barber’s many projects each year is designing the lights for the fall musical.
Cathy Thomas-Grant, associate professor of theater and chair of the Fine Arts Division, has worked with Barber on designing lighting for a number of these musicals.
“All of those technical elements that David works with— it takes an artistic vision, a practical knowledge of how things work and creating in the moment,” she said.
According to Barber, more than 300 events grace the two stages throughout the year, which keep his office desk piled with paperwork. Since Pepperdine draws an eclectic mix of performers, Barber must be ready to deal with any situation that may arise before, during or after the show.
“We have a very active subscription service,” Barber said, referring to the companies and local groups that rent the theater. “Their needs as professionals are very specific.”
However, running the stages is not a one-man-show. Barber hires about 20 to 30 student workers to help out as well as gain experience in stage management. He and his crew sets up and tears down every show that comes through the Center for the Arts, which definitely makes for an interesting work schedule and intense hours.
“The work is constantly changing. It makes for some odd hours,” said Barber, who sometimes works seven or eight days in a row.
On a typical day, Barber will go shopping in the morning for supplies and put together crew assignments before students come in for work.
Jason Dino, a senior technical theater major, is a student worker on Barber’s crew.
“He has a very structured way of doing things and it gives us a sense of how important it is to keep a tight show and to stay on top of things and doing things right the first time,” Dino said.
The rest of Barber’s day is consumed with doing things like prep work for future shows, general maintenance and loading in a show if there is one that day. He said it is these long hours that are the most difficult part of working backstage.
“Sometimes the hours are really long and there will be periods where you’re going at a furious pace and you don’t have much time to catch a breath,” he said.
However, the key to working backstage, he explained, is making the show look effortless.
“We work very hard to make it look simple,” said Barber, who said the average person sitting in the audience should not realize how much work went into the show, or when there is a mistake.
He said the reward for all his effort comes in working together as a team with his students.
“If you can survive the hours, it can be great fun,” Barber laughed.
Besides training student workers, Barber also teaches stage management and lighting design classes. Though some theater majors resent having to take the class because they do not see how it matters to them, Barber said he is glad it is required.
“If actors know what stage managers do when they leave [Pepperdine], they have a better understanding of how a show is put together,” he said. “It tells them a lot of what they will deal with as professionals.”
Barber said he incorporates his professional background into his classes by sharing his experiences from working high-caliber shows in professional theater. He said using his past experiences is “better than teaching out of a book.”
“He has done a lot in his career and he likes to tell us of those experiences,” Dino said. “We get to hear a lot of real-life, real-world stories.”
Thomas-Grant said David really believes in passing on his knowledge as well as the traditions, work ethic and passion of live performance.
“A lot of the students who have studied with David or worked with him are working professionally,” she said. “So that says something about what he teaches and the skills he passes on to students.”
Barber said one of his favorite parts of working with students is seeing them develop and succeed.
“For a small theater department, we’ve sent quite a few people out into professional tech theater,” he said. “I think that’s what makes me feel the best. When you see students shining, it’s better than doing something wonderful yourself.”
Not a surprising statement for a behind-the-scenes guy who doesn’t mind going “unnoticed.”
03-22-2007