Berkeley Rep Blog

Previous entry: Green Day -- live at last
Next entry: Climate control!

Backstage peek at American Idiot

posted by Bert Reptile on Wed, Aug 19, 2009
in Backstage buzz

The American Idiot set is taking shape on the stage of the Roda Theatre, and it's pretty extraordinary. We can't show you the top-secret details just yet, but we can take you into the Roda and show you...

The Roda lobby is crammed full of equipment crates. Seeing as how American Idiot is bursting with music by Green Day, it's probably not surprising to learn that this show features more sound equipment than any other show in the Roda's history.

The Roda stage required extra support to bear the weight of the set, which is quite large.

Depending on the show, the space under the Roda stage doesn't usually house a whole lot of gear. For American Idiot, the space is transformed into something out of NASA -- the amount of equipment down there is staggering.

And though we can't show you the actual stage, Lisa Lázár, one of our scenic artists, is blogging about the creation of the set, which is covered in rock posters, flyers, and related images. Check out her post on the set in its early stages.

Photos by Cheshire Isaacs