Messages

1

Tools of the Trade / Re: 1/4" Glow dots

« on: Oct 17, 2011, 12:30 pm »

Similar to the wax paper idea, I own a sticker book for glow dots, strips and all sorts of spikes. Also saves time during the bump-in when I can just stick an X or L instead of having to cut and arrange it.

Another thing I used to do was to cut my glow tape roll into 1y x 1/4" strips. Then I would lift up the backing before cutting them into squares. Faster than peeling individual pieces!

2

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: VENUES: Shakespeare Outdoors

« on: Dec 10, 2010, 11:34 am »

I'm not sure of your local conditions, but from my experience..

- prepare tarps for single-pull use at your exposed props tables and/or quick-change costume racks in case of sudden changes in weather
- beware insects getting into costumes!
- providing an ice-box with ice would be most welcome (both for cool drinks and treatment of injuries)
- prepare large quantities of rags or mops to dry performance areas before the show in case of precedent bad weather
- prevention of heat stroke especially during tech rehearsals

3

Tools of the Trade / Re: latest toys...

« on: Oct 09, 2009, 11:05 pm »

I have not yet found a particular pencil that I enjoy - standard #2s require far too much physical sharpening, and mechanicals break, so I use too much lead. 

Have you tried mechanicals with thicker lead? maybe 0.9mm...

or lead holders (like what they use for drafting). They can be used with or without sharpening the lead (well, theoretically) and it's about the same diameter (2.0mm) as a standard #2.

4

SMNetwork Archives / Re: Multitaskers are "Lousy at Everything"

« on: Sep 04, 2009, 05:07 am »

I'd love to know exactly what sort of multitasking tasks they had the subjects doing, and if the proportion of technical vs. human interaction tasks affected performance?

Same here! Also whether it matters if tasks were familiar or completely new.. Like for eg. I couldn't be on book and track blocking at the same time when I first learnt to being on book.. If things have become "habit" it would make sense that they don't take up all our brain-space, leaving us with energy to do other things (proficiently) at the same time.

5

Tools of the Trade / Re: Creating unnumbered pages in a numbered script - Help!

« on: Jun 28, 2009, 12:41 am »

Are your act/scene headings in the header or footer? If they are you could try unchecking the 'Link to previous' box (or something similar). I think you can use section breaks if you do that... that's what I did the last time.

6

SMNetwork Archives / Re: Multi-tool advice?

« on: Aug 12, 2008, 08:21 am »

This must seem rather blasphemous then, but I've lived with my $5 multi-tool for three to four years. The thing I love about it is that it has a little LED torch! Pliers, screwdriver, knife, bottle opener. I complement it with a mini-screwdriver for smaller things. Only one problem: the plier's cutter can't deal with fishing hooks. But then again, pliers that can do so without being damaged are rare!

That said, I won't mind getting a Leatherman! xD

7

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: THE PILLOWMAN- Some special effects help?

« on: Jul 09, 2008, 09:38 am »

I recently got to see and learn a Pillowman show.. and they used solid fuel, cardboard and lighter fluid. Oh and the bin was lined with little pebbles (I assume it was to stop it from burning the stage floor..?). About midway through that section Ariel, who was standing near the trash bin, added more lighter fluid and it flared up again; the effect looked quite good from the audience!

As far as I know, no horrendous accidents! Hope this helps..

8

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Student Stage Manager's Challenge #3: SMs Everywhere

« on: Apr 27, 2008, 03:35 am »

To expand on Srlaupan's point about sports:

I'm not sure about international soccer and things, but for netball (which I play), the team manager takes care of the mountains of admin work regarding touring, competitions, venue bookings, equipment, etc.

Have been in some situations where I have been under a team manager and I think of the way she does things in a very SM-y way..

9

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Help! SMing peers

« on: Apr 27, 2008, 03:22 am »

Thanks for the advice!  Since my "semi-breakdown" I've come up with a list of expectations for my group mates:

1.Punctuality:
  a.Always be punctual. Inform group members 15 minutes before the meeting if you expect to be late.
    i.If meetings are in the morning and you have a tendency to oversleep, please arrange for someone to wake you up.

2.Commitment:
  a.Commit to a meeting once you have been informed.
    i.If possible, reschedule other commitments agreed to prior to the notice. Otherwise, inform the group within the day.
    ii.If an emergency crops up, it is your responsibility to inform all group members as soon as possible, AND reschedule the meeting, for a date within three (3) days.
  b.Try not to take on too many commitments, especially those extending into June.
    i.Expect to schedule your time around TSD instead of the other way around.

3.Work attitude:
  a.Follow up on action plans discussed during meetings and emails, or disseminated via sms, promptly.
  b.Take initiative as appropriate, and inform group members of your progress.

4.Communications:
  a.Minutes for a meeting are to be sent out a maximum of two days (48 hours) after the meeting ends, if one or more members are not present.
  b.Reply to all sms reminders and emails to acknowledge that you have received them.

I ran them by my teacher and he agreed that they were valid. I'm going to disseminate them soon.

After that, (when half the group was late), he was very firm with them, and set down some concrete rules (NOT threats! ). I was trying kinda hard not to grin too widely 

Now to hope for some improvements!

10

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Help! SMing peers

« on: Apr 20, 2008, 08:59 am »

Hi everyone!

I'm currently studying theatre as a subject in (the equivalent of) high school. For our exams, we have to put up a group presentation, and for my group, I've kind of imformally taken up the SM role. The problem I have is that I'm not very sure how to handle my peers sometimes, especially regarding issues such as commitment, punctuality and staying focused during rehearsals... What started out really fun has turned into a chore.

I've worked professionally as an ASM before and on other school productions as an SM and I don't think my expectations are unreasonable... I've never had this problem before...

What I've tried to do is:
1) Remind everyone about meetings and rehearsals almost obsessively. I've been trying to communicate a lot more, becuase I know it's my weakness...
2) Keep records of all rehearsals, including the times that they were scheduled for and the actual time they started.
3) There was also a period when I decided (quite silly of me!), to slack off and let them decide what they wanted to do, because I was afraid that I was being too much of a control freak; rehearsals ended up going nowhere even deep into our "tech week". Rehearsal actually managed to start about 5 hours late, once.
4) My teacher (also my director) has also given everyone a talk about punctuality and things, but they continue to force me to cancel rehearsals a few hours prior...

What else I'm thinking about doing:
1) Do a "sports-team" pep-talk (Holding this off because I'm a little afraid of how "artspeople" will take it).
2) Start meetings on time no matter what (though this would result in me talking to myself sometimes).
3) Be more authoritarian and firm about commitment; force people to reschedule other commitments for rehearsals.
4) Get my teacher to step in and regulate more firmly (last resort).

Any suggestions about how to go about this? Is my action plan viable?

(Heh this has turned into a semi-rant.  Apologies...)

-Silei.