Messages

1

The Green Room / Re: Milestone - 40 years of Stern's "Stage Management"

« on: Nov 17, 2015, 10:04 am »

Quickie update - received word from Lawrence yesterday that the 11th edition of "Stage Management" has been approved by the new publishers. The new edition will be in color, and SMNetwork will be mentioned in the websites section again.

any idea when it will be released to the  public?

2

Tools of the Trade / Re: Freeware Graphics program suggestions

« on: Sep 06, 2008, 04:27 pm »

If it doesn't have to be EXACT props, you can use google sketch up. Learning to use layers and the slideshow function is very easy.

SketchUp

  i love this program.  it works on mac and PC.    also on sketchup pro (paid version) you can import .DWG file from Set Designer if they save to that specific file format. you can open up in Sketchup.

3

Tools of the Trade / Re: Scheduling and Calendar Applications

« on: Sep 06, 2008, 04:25 pm »

Wow, thank you! This is very helpful!!

 i started to use the google sync for my dell vista...


seem only to pull one calendar... i got about 8 different calendar...  i hope that will change soon...

4

Tools of the Trade / Re: Scheduling and Calendar Applications

« on: Sep 05, 2008, 07:43 am »

theres a software called Spanning sync   its for MAc user who has Ical and use Google Calander.... its a nice program.



http://spanningsync.com/

Does anyone know if there is a similar program for PC users? Now that my stupid Dell has been fixed, I can't justify the expense of getting a MAC.

 i couldnt find one that works on PC. myself i use PC at home.  Mac  laptop at work.   

but yeah. Google is a brilliant company, hopefully soon theywill do something like spanningsync for non-mac users.






after doing some googling...


http://www.google.com/support/calendar/bin/answer.py?answer=98563
by google themself.




http://calendarswamp.blogspot.com/2008/04/which-outlookgoogle-calendar-sync-is.html
this site list few softwares that does syncing from google cal to outlook or whatever program you use.

5

Students and Novice Stage Managers / SM handbook for GU Theatre arts department (WA, DC)

« on: Aug 06, 2008, 11:46 am »

Hello Everyone.

Just moved from Seattle to DC to work at Gallaudet University as Shop foreman and Resident Stage Manager for their productions. They have given me a task, which is to create a Stage Manager Handbook, for future Student Stage Manager and outside Contract Stage Manager.
    I have created up to 14 pages so far. But I feel that lot of things are missing.  So here’s the question to Students and Pros in Smnetwork.

If you have electronic copy of your Stage Manager handbook that you are willing to sent to me via EMAIL ( please do not attach to your post in the forums, it will be too large)

Jacob.fisher@gallaudet.edu

Other things is… the Scope of work for every position that is in the Theatre Arts Department that I work at, I do not want Full Description of the each position but a summary of each.  I would like your opinion on the Scope of work, as I have few from the Faculty and Staff themselves.

Production Manager (Staff)

Technical Director (Staff)

Shop Foreman (Staff)

Stage Manager (Student/ Contractor)

Assistant Stage Manager/s (Student)

Director (anyone)

Costume Designer (Contractor)

Costume Assistant’s (Student)

Light Designer (Contractor or Staff)

Master Electrician (Contractor)

Electrician Assistant/s (Students)

Shop Construction Crew (Student Worker/ Lab Students)

Run Crew (Student Worker/ Lab Students)

Props Crew (Student Worker/ Lab Students)

Wardrobe Crew (Student Worker/ Lab Students)

Make-up Crew (Student Worker/ Lab Students)



Or any advice from the Students and Pros for any future Stage Managers that will be entering my Department in the futures.  ( I only have 3… want more… )  (Smiles)

also taking some of your ideas on books in other forums, and other stuff too.

Thanks in Advance!

Jacob Fisher
Gallaudet University Theatre Arts Department
Shop Foreman/ Resident Stage Manager
TheatreArts.Gallaudet.edu


Jacob.Fisher@Gallaudet.edu

6

Tools of the Trade / Re: Scheduling and Calendar Applications

« on: Jul 23, 2008, 05:22 pm »

theres a software called Spanning sync   its for MAc user who has Ical and use Google Calander.... its a nice program.



http://spanningsync.com/
from the webite...
Between multiple Macs. Share calendars with your coworkers, family, and friends. And while you're at it, connect Google Calendar to your iPhone, iPod, and other devices.

What if you could combine Google Calendar's powerful sharing features, Gmail integration, and notifications with iCal's beautiful interface and offline operation? Now you can.

With Spanning Sync, your iCal calendars are kept in sync with Google Calendar, which means you can use the best features of both to manage your schedule.

Supports Google Apps for Your Domain
Spanning Sync offers full support for Google Apps for Your Domain. So whether your organization is a one-person company or a 40,000-person university, your enterprise calendars are seamlessly connected to your Macs.



for me  the Google Cal is kind arkward for me to use but i rather to use ical.  with Spanning sync.   any change i make in Ical are uploaded to a Calender in GoogleCal.  and other people who has access to my GoogleCal Sharing, will see the change i made and if they make any changes to their Googlecal, i will see the change in my ical, thanks to Spanning Sync.

7

Tools of the Trade / Re: What software do you use?

« on: Jul 23, 2008, 05:02 pm »

 my self i use MAC when i am at work (macbook)

Word
Excel
Ical
Spanning Sync (syncing software to share/import/export info two ways from Ical and Google Cal)
Imail(hooedup to my Gmail, work email, hotmail, and few other email i rarely use)
Itunes( if the Director wants a tempo or something right away, i got gazillion of sound effects/musics on my 500GB External Harddrive)
Vectorworks (within next 2 weeks, the Department is getting 10user CD from the VWorks)
Google Sketchup(quick Drawing apps, if you dont to buy a 600-2,000 dollar program it can read saved file made by Vectorworks (DMG), http://sketchup.google.com/ )

if any wireless then the following applies:
Firefox(research)
Itunes (tempo musics)


 i think thats it.... so far

8

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Preshow (turn off your cellphone) announcements

« on: Jan 11, 2008, 04:09 pm »

for a visual-gestural production we had our preshow announcement in Gesture, two person.  one person will be signing oddly-offlandish langauge. and the other person is the "interpreter" repeating in universal langauge (gesutre)

works really well.  gets both cell/pager (deaf, Sidekicks/blackberries) off or on silent. also includes remaining calm during fire, no talking/signing/guesturing during the show as it is distracting for the Deaf actors.

give you a example of our production... click on it and it will take you to the video.

9

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: SM Olympics?

« on: Sep 10, 2007, 03:32 pm »

communication issues with international or  DEAF.... hehehe   must resolve within certain amount of time and understand the point... 

rule... no writing/typing... thats all   <snickers>

10

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Character Breakdown?

« on: Jul 19, 2006, 11:37 am »

woot!  took me most of the night to do it.   however its done.   erm.... not really.  need to polish up  but once i am done ill upload it  to show my format i use in excel 

11

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Character Breakdown?

« on: Jul 18, 2006, 03:09 pm »

Wow - they are doing a rewrite....

the breakdown is the same no matter what language you are using - take the script and, page by page, character by character, write down who appears where, who enters and who exits and where from (if I were on my own computer, I'd send you a sample) -

for example, for what you are discussing, I do two charts, one focusing on the scene breakdown and the other on character.

(I think across rather than down, reverse if you think opposite)

CHARACTER: an excel or word chart with categories across and down. Across the top of the page, each column is one character. Down the L side the columns separate into
act:scene   /   page   /  who enters or exits on a page by page basis (I use X for enter and (x) for exit). If you need this and if you have room, you can also add area, as in XUL or (x)DR or etc

SCENE: excel or word, depending on which you are more comfortable with
going DOWN, list the act:scene and page, and then ACROSS the columns state: who is in the scene (actors who enter late on separate lines below); songs (in a musical); where it is located (the church, the bedroom, etc); the general story of the scene; props (and depending on the play, sometimes I add in info from the prop list, such as who handles it, or brings it in, or what side of the stage it travels from and to); and any notes (gags and tricks, notes to yourself abt tricky overlap cues, etc). Where possible I include the entr/exit locations on this one too -

yes there is dup info, but you never know where you will catch the oddest mistakes and this acts as a crosscheck (Romeo can't come from SR into the tomb cuz yesterday you told him to run off SR to Friar Lawrence's house... that kind of thing)

does this make sense?

yes, thanks, plus i do everything in excel.  except the script which is done on word.   your statement above makes sense. looks like i better get on it... due thursday.... 

12

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Paperwork: Character Breakdown?

« on: Jul 18, 2006, 01:15 am »

might be a newb question.... <hides>...

anyhoo.... is it the same to  the actor/scene breakdown in the uploaded forum? if not.  can someone explain the conpect of the character breakdown....

the play i am working on is "the Crucible", however we are not doing the whole play. just act 3.  and only erm.... 1 scene... how do i extacly do a character breakdown (or actor/scene breakdown)?

the PSM is bugging me to get it done.... 


heres the first 10 pages of the script i have uploaded to give you all a taste of the type of script am working on. 
this is the American Sign LAngauge theatre Script.  the BOLD lettering is the Sign Language Gloss, and the "normal Lettering" is the English verison of the Crucible Script.

13

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: The Ultimate Decision

« on: Jul 07, 2006, 01:54 pm »

:-)   I like Sharing Histroies of how we all started.


for me it started in Gallaudet University in Washington, DC.

Freshman year. the Theatre Dept was  in dire need of a ASM, somehow the TD there knows me from a contact in my home state (Washington). asked me to ASM, i was like uh... sure...  before that point  i have been acting since 1993, Deaf Kids Drama Festival, summer production, community theatre etc etc.  from that point on  he gave me the Stage Management handbook, he said "read it, live it, breath it and USE IT!" from there my first production at the universtiy was ASM 2nd to 5th production i was the SM then the last production...  PSM for the school year.  well you can see i got hooked in to it.  the feel of being in control of the entire run from the first audition to the closing performance that is what got me hooked in to Stage Managing.   

 after being SM and ASM in that university.  i went back to my home state, and started to work for a program in Seattle Children's Theatre, Deaf Youth Drama Program, since 2002, been the SM for that program's Festival and summer production.  low pay, but i dont care,  every time i SM a summer production for them,  i always get a intern from other dept in Seattle Children's theatre... you can image the fun i had....   

14

Tools of the Trade / Re: how essential is a kit?

« on: Jul 07, 2006, 01:44 pm »

 i agree with VSM.  better safe than sorry.

 i have two kit with me all the time. 

full kit belongs in the car ( in case, i SM for local, community theatre, and/or Volunteer)

smaller scale kit that i can fit in my backpack, along with my laptop,well... actually my backpack is the kit  ( i use that for if i work for a Major Theatre company like now, Seattle Children's theatre)