This concert was a joint venture with a youth chorus, so we had 50 kids added into the mix. By and large it was all good except for some (mostly) good natured turf wars. At the rehearsal we decided the kids would get the big dressing room and the green room, leaving 2 smaller dressing rooms for the Orchestra. When reality settled, the kids had all the dressing rooms and one of the orchestra members complained that the kids had those and the green room while the orchestra only had backstage so was there any way I could even things up. I went to the conductor of the choir and asked for one of dressing rooms. Her response was "The orchestra gets the whole stage AND a dressing room? I'm just kidding, honey, give them the green room."
The real fun came during the concert. They had two students who had won an award with the orchestra as soloists. One of them was a pretty, terribly nervous, teen who wore a beautiful strapless dress with a train. One of my jobs was to carry out her music stand. I didn't know the soloists came out with the conductor, so I had her follow me out and she stopped so I was trapped between her and the stand. I tapped her on the shoulder to indicate I was going to be passing on the right and boldly started backstage. I stepped on her train with one foot and caught the toe of my other foot under the train.
Luckily - very, very, very luckily - I neither tore her train nor pulled her dress off. I did come very close to falling though. All of the choir kids and chaperons who were sitting in the balcony and the orchestra members were convinced I almost fell right off the stage. Thankfully the concert master, a tough lady, was right there. She grabbed my arm without even getting out of her chair and didn't let go until I had both feet on the ground and assured her I was okay.
Let's hear it for the violinists.
