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Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / PROMPT BOOK: Blocking question: non-dance, movement based

« on: Jul 15, 2008, 10:20 am »

The show I'm working on right now has a section that is largely movement-based with narration, but it's not dance. However, it is effectively a choreographed piece in terms of its physical intricacy and specificity. I've been taking the blocking down as if it is a straight piece, but with three actors doing three different things at all time, I need a more efficient and accurate way to describe what the ensemble is creating.

Does anyone with experience in this kind of work have any tips that might be helpful? Would learning dance notation be useful, or does that rely on certain "steps" that we're probably not using? There is a chance that the show will be performed again some time after it closes in August, so accuracy is doubly essential.

Thanks!

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Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / REHEARSALS: Timing question

« on: Jul 07, 2008, 02:43 pm »

I'm stepping in as a stage manager on a show, and we're about to begin rehearsals. I haven't actually worked as an SM since I was in college, and even then -- though I always enjoyed it -- not very much. So forgive me if this is an obvious question:

I'm getting my paperwork ready, and as I make my timing chart, I was wondering -- when do you find it helpful to begin timing scenes? Do you try to get a sense of the running time even in the earliest rehearsals, or do you wait until the director starts running through the scene? If you do run thru a particular scene more than once in a rehearsal, so you time every run, or write down an average? Any other thoughts?

Thanks!