Messages

1

Stage Management: Other / Re: A Quick Terminology Question for You Ballet Experts

« on: Feb 08, 2007, 11:02 pm »

English panto  :^)

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Stage Management: Other / Re: A Quick Terminology Question for You Ballet Experts

« on: Feb 07, 2007, 03:38 pm »

Thanks for your responses everyone.  It's helped me sort it out.

No, not a paper or essay, BalletPSM---gosh, it's been a quarter century since I last graced the hallowed halls!  I'm just in new territory trying to figure out the terminology so I don't sound like a glaring idiot.  :^)  I've heard a couple of different words from different sources, but didn't know which one to choose.  It is ballet specifically, so "corps" is what I'll go with.

Thanks, all!

Hmmm...wonder what new words I'll need to learn at my next gig---my first pantomime.


 

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Stage Management: Other / A Quick Terminology Question for You Ballet Experts

« on: Feb 06, 2007, 12:54 am »

Which is correct? 

1. She danced across the stage, joining the chorus at stage left.

OR

2. She danced across the stage, joining the ensemble at stage left.

or is there a word other than "chorus" or "ensemble" that would be more appropriate?

Thanks in advance.

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Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: To Capitalize or not capitalize...

« on: Nov 17, 2006, 04:45 pm »

Anyway, looking back to grammar lessons...  If you are refering to the title, it should be capitalized, as in "I was hired as Production Stage Manager..." (like it would be "I served as Director of Operations/President of the United States", etc).  If you are refering to the job function - "I am a stage manager" - it is a general position and it should not be capitalized. 
Can't think of a situation stage management would be capitalized except the title of a class, ie. Stage Management 101.

I agree with nmno.  It's that proper vs. common noun thing...  Grandpa Joe vs. grandpa

So whether or not to capitalize it in your letter depends on how you use it....could be either way depending on what you're saying.  I can think of letters that would include both or just one.

Another instance when one should capitalize 'stage management' is when it's the section title or category title of a list of things (in the same way you would capitalize the chapter title in a book)

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Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Stage Manager's Job During Performances

« on: Nov 06, 2006, 12:44 pm »

Hurray!  Glad to hear things worked out to your satisfaction, musicalssm. 

Kudos to you.  In this world of egos and temperament and territories and fiefdoms, it can be a real challenge to cut through it all to change "things that have always been".  Way to go.

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Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Website for the show

« on: Nov 04, 2006, 10:45 pm »

In my question, I mentioned that I was going to be having a password option.

Well, no...   What you said was "Minus the whole password issue,..." which I took to mean you weren't going to bother with it.  That's why I expressed the concerns I did.  I'm glad I was preaching to the choir.  Carry on.

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Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Stage Manager's Job During Performances

« on: Nov 04, 2006, 06:30 pm »

...each of which puts on a major production each year (3 are blockbluster musicals

LOL!  "Blockbluster"...  a little Freudian slip there, methinks.  Can you tell I've worked on a few of them???   (Actually, in all fairness, I've been really impressed with the calibre of each of them)

8

College and Graduate Studies / Re: Little help please...

« on: Nov 04, 2006, 06:20 pm »

any recommendations for canadienne colleges or universities?

Given your spelling of "Canadienne" (as opposed to "Canadian") am I correct in assuming you're looking for an ecole francais?

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Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Website for the show

« on: Nov 04, 2006, 06:12 pm »

We ran into privacy issues with one of the groups I worked with.  There were a few cast members who didn't want their schedules posted publicly on the website.  Reasons were varied, but one woman had been (was still?) dealing with a stalker, so having her rehearsal schedule available on the Internet to the great wide world (and ergo, her stalker) posed a threat to her.  Others who had distinctive names voiced concerns that posting their schedules would make them vulnerable to house burglars who would know when they were leaving the house empty to be at rehearsal.  We eventually had our webmaster create a password protected area to the website to limit access to those who needed to know.  Everything's been fine since then. 

Before putting first/last names & schedules on the same website, I urge you to talk to your actors and make sure they're ok with that.  If passwording that part of the website isn't too much trouble, I'd recommend going that route.

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Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Stage Manager's Job During Performances

« on: Nov 04, 2006, 05:57 pm »

They are not used to having any ASMs at all and some of the actors (who are also Board members) do not see the necessity of an SM in community theatre at all.  It is collaborative art and doesn't need that kind of structure.

This just blows me away.  I live in a theatre-rich town---no resident professional theatre groups in our smallish suburb, but the university theatre department puts on a full season every year (Shakespeare to contemporary), there are no fewer than four youth theatre groups each of which puts on a major production each year (3 are blockbluster musicals), and we have a youth opera company, a resident community theatre group (putting on a full season of everything from revue & farce to serious drama), and two high schools that mount ambitious shows each year.  *ALL* of them use a stage manager.  All.  Heck, even the barbershoppers hire an SM for their annual show!  I am flabberghasted that a community theatre group would put on a show without an SM.  I can't even imagine how it would work without one.  [shaking head] 

You sound like you're going about educating your group in a diplomatic, careful way, musicalssm.  Good approach, and I think one which might just result in success. Best wishes to you.

11

SMNetwork Archives / Re: Drinks, Teas...

« on: Nov 01, 2006, 01:15 pm »

Re: cake icing food colouring

Oooo, that stuff is wicked for staining.  I had a teen who liked to bake go through a goth phase for a few years, and my countertops *still* bear the scars o'black.  Have you had any problem with staining in the theatre, either when you're mixing or if it gets spilled onstage?

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SMNetwork Archives / Re: Emergency Forms

« on: Oct 16, 2006, 11:58 am »

Do you know the reason why the other form needs to be notarized?

That's just what I was wondering, Centaura.  Around here, kids require these same kinds of forms for all other extracurricular activities, too---e.g. team sports, Scouts, dance, you-name-it, as well as for school files, and an abbreviated version for excursions and field trips.  ALL of these forms contain *relevant* health info.  Any adult who heads a sports team, Scout troop, dance class etc  MUST KNOW if one of the kids has diabetes, hemophilia, is subject to epileptic seizures, or deathly allergic to some commonly found substance.  If not, the child could be at risk if something were to happen during practice/meetings/classes regarding the condition.  ALL of these forms are signed by a parent or guardian, but NONE of them is notarized.  That seems a little legally overzealous to me.  Is requiring notarization typical elsewhere?

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Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Actor Calls

« on: Oct 07, 2006, 06:44 pm »

you could probably call whatever times you want in relation to any other time ("Ladies and Gentlemen of the XXX company, this is your 2 hour and 5 minute call, 2 hours and 5 minutes until the show closes" is probably not a very useful call though).

Chuckle, chuckle.  Oh, how I'd love to, though.


"O mischief, thou art swift
  To enter in the thoughts...
                        ---Shakespeare

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Stage Management: Other / Re: Sming for Dance

« on: Oct 04, 2006, 04:38 pm »

"Merde" is used in the same sense as "Break a leg" when one is dealing with dancers; when you would ordinarily (outside of the theatre and our insane superstitions) say "good luck," you'd instead say "merde" to wish dancers luck in their performance.

Holy Cadiddlehopper, Batman, you're kidding!

I use "break a leg" all the time, but have *never* heard "merde" used that way.  Guess that shows how many dancing gigs I've done (or not!), eh? 

I'm gobsmacked.  Thanks for the education.

Ew.  Don't know that I could ever use it... 

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Stage Management: Other / Re: Sming for Dance

« on: Oct 04, 2006, 02:44 pm »

Thank you, Balrina! i enjoyed speaking with all of the students afterwards- Merde!

Um... the English translation of "merde"  is sh*t.  Just wondering, Balletdork, did you really mean that, or had you intended to type "merci", which translates into "thank you"?