Author Topic: I fell into Stage Managing... Help!  (Read 2837 times)

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smBethanny

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I fell into Stage Managing... Help!
« on: Jan 07, 2018, 09:13 am »
Hello to you out there in Stage Management Land,

I am 64 years young (I don't feel it) and was initially going to audition for our community theatre play, "Anatomy of Gray" but decided at the last moment not to because I thought I was too busy to be in it.  I did, however, say I'd help and because I thought being the stage manager or assistant to the stage manager, (preferably) would be interesting to learn, I possibly made the mistake of mentioning it to the director when he said he needed non-cast people to help with the play.  I don't know anything about stage managing except what I've seen of the stage manager in two musicals I was in as part of the chorus.

Anyways... long story short, I have accepted the role and am on a sharp learning curve and desperately clambering to learn how to record the blocking of the actors.  This is how I fell upon this site and thank goodness, I did.  It is very good to know that Stage Managers have organized and are sharing information with each other.  I hope I will be able to add to your site by contributing something helpful one day too.

Cheers!
Bethanny
Bethanny

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Re: I fell into Stage Managing... Help!
« Reply #1 on: Jan 07, 2018, 02:58 pm »
Welcome! Though I do have to laugh when you said you were too busy to act, so you're going to stage manage...

This website is still my absolute favorite source for stage management. Poke around and do searches for everything you have a question about. There are whole threads/conversations for just about anything. The big thing I think is to know that you'll be writing a lot of stuff in your script. Copy it single-sided, with wide margins if you can, and before you hole-punch it, think about your plan. I'm right-handed, so I actually put my script on the left side of the binder, and have the entire right-hand side to make all my notes. Usually I'll put a number within the script on the left, then a corresponding number on the right side with the "what" of the blocking. Since it's community theatre, I don't know how much you'll be able to get a groundplan, but that's also helpful to have on the top of every blocking page.

Best of luck,
Erin

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Re: I fell into Stage Managing... Help!
« Reply #2 on: Jan 08, 2018, 08:13 am »
Though I do have to laugh when you said you were too busy to act, so you're going to stage manage...

This was my first thought as well! ;D


Bethany, welcome to the site.  I think you'll find it a great resource for anything and everything you care to learn about stage management.  Feel free to poke around and ask questions!  Good luck!
Get action. Do things; be sane; don’t fritter away your time; create, act, take a place wherever you are and be somebody; get action. -T. Roosevelt

Michelle R. Wood

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Re: I fell into Stage Managing... Help!
« Reply #3 on: Jan 08, 2018, 08:12 pm »
Welcome, and I'm so glad you found this website since you've "fallen" into SM. I tend to use a lot of shorthand when I'm taking initial blocking: writing XSR instead of cross stage right saves time and helps keep your script uncluttered.

Also: if you can, copy a map of the stage (or just draw it out) opposite the script page (preferably on the back of the next page) and use that to draw blocking, with symbols on your script to identify when things happen. IE: write (A) on the line "Hello! Oscar the Poker Player!" then draw blocking on the next page with the letter (A) next to it. I can send you scans of some of my blocking pages if you'd like some samples.

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