1
Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / JOB DESCRIPTION: Transitioning from opera to theatre
« on: Dec 05, 2012, 04:24 am »
Oops - so, I've gone done my life the wrong way by getting into opera before anything else. But now I have a lovely opportunity to work on a non-opera! I'm learning new stuff every single day... like what a mic pack is (I hate to admit that whole condom-and-socks-for-a-sweaty-actor thread went totally over my head). And there are some really weird things - like this whole script business. It's an original work and we write entrances and exits into the script directly as we go, so we don't add it by hand, whereas in an opera I would write all my entrances into the score. Usually I also put tons of post-its and stickers in my score - but in a script, it just doesn't feel very linear and things seem very squished together. Plus, how do you know how long anything takes? I find it hard to resist the desire to write in timing marks throughout the script (I think I may do that anyway). And the rubber chicken? I don't think I will ever work an opera that will use a rubber chicken... If you don't keep a WWW, what paperwork do you do? There are an awful lot of rehearsals, and an awful lot of shows - how do you keep up your stamina? Do you ever do any cuing for the cast/chorus? Sometimes there's silence/dialogue onstage - how loud can one be during that?
I imagine some things are new because I'm new to the world of theater, some things are new because every show is different, every SM team is different, and some things are new because it's not opera - and it can be difficult to figure out which is which. There are several threads about what one needs to know going into opera from straight plays and musicals, but I am wondering if anyone has advice for doing it the other way around: a) has anyone else found themselves in this boat? b) what are the basic essential things that a new-comer should expect when working on straight plays/musicals that are different from opera?
Edit to subject and added topic tag. -Maribeth
I imagine some things are new because I'm new to the world of theater, some things are new because every show is different, every SM team is different, and some things are new because it's not opera - and it can be difficult to figure out which is which. There are several threads about what one needs to know going into opera from straight plays and musicals, but I am wondering if anyone has advice for doing it the other way around: a) has anyone else found themselves in this boat? b) what are the basic essential things that a new-comer should expect when working on straight plays/musicals that are different from opera?
Edit to subject and added topic tag. -Maribeth