Back Stage Roles Part 3 of 3: Sound

Sound is an important parts of musicals, not so much in straight plays, but definitely in musicals.

Sound designers and operators have three basic types of mics, shotgun, stage mics, and body mics.

Shotgun mics are usually placed along the front or side of the stage and used to help pick up the chorus, special care must be taken as for the actors not to step on them. The operator must also be careful to kill the mic if a large dance number or stomping takes place.

Stage mics, despite the name, are rarely used in musical theater. Stage mics are your standard microphone that you'd find on a stand during any concert. You don't see these much because they require the actor to get very close to it and break the fourth wall. Very few shows use these and they are almost all in character (If you really wanted you could use one in Bye Bye Birdie because Conrad is a rock star) but  Rent uses them quite readily in the original Broadway show, the carolers sing into one, and in the song Life Support by Gordon (Roger on the other hand uses a body mic).

Body mics are the heart and soul of theatrical sound. They allow the actor to sing over the music for solos and can aid in lines if you want them to. They consist of the parts, the mic, the wire, and box. The box is usually put into the pocket or waistband of an actors pants. In the event of that being difficult or impossible (The actor is wearing a dress, no pants, or "skimpy" clothing) It will sometimes be tucked into a bra if it is an actress (9 times outta 10 that's the case) or sometimes taped to the lower back. The wire is usually run up through clothing and secured with special mic tape. The mic itself is usually hidden just above the ear and is flesh toned.