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Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Working with a Russian Director
« on: Feb 23, 2009, 04:50 pm »
Sounds like a fun time. I have worked with directors who kind of give the loose blocking, and yes it can be frustrating. Ultimately things to settle into a set pattern. In terms of my blocking notations early on they tend to lean more towards what they are going to instead of specific direction. IE: crosses away, or crosses to table.
In terms of the skipping class and long rehearsals from studying at the Moscow Art Theatre for a summer I saw that rehearsals kind of take precedence over other things, as you are in the school to act. In the situation you describe i feel its more something you need to tlak to the head of your department about. They are the one that should have set out the guidelines with the director of how things work in the university and what the director can and can not demand of the students.
As for the asking for sets, props, and costumes I agree with what somoene else above said. Some places can provide a lot of hat right away and your director might have had that but explaining to her why you cant have all the costumes (ie they arent all built) could solve the problem. The show i just opened the director wanted costumes early on and the designer obviously said it wasnt possible but tlaking it out they were able to work out that ok we just needed the one costume as soon as possible (or at least a functional mock up) since the costume had a transformation onstage that definately needed to be worked in rehearsal.
Final thing to add is that while you never really want to tell a director "No" sometimes it has to happen. However do not just say no, you need to have the reason why you need to say no and you have to be careful of how you phrase it. Most directors i have worked with when you present a valid reason why what they are demanding cant happen they understand and things can move on, often times cause they arent thinking about all the things you are they are just thinking of what they want.
In terms of the skipping class and long rehearsals from studying at the Moscow Art Theatre for a summer I saw that rehearsals kind of take precedence over other things, as you are in the school to act. In the situation you describe i feel its more something you need to tlak to the head of your department about. They are the one that should have set out the guidelines with the director of how things work in the university and what the director can and can not demand of the students.
As for the asking for sets, props, and costumes I agree with what somoene else above said. Some places can provide a lot of hat right away and your director might have had that but explaining to her why you cant have all the costumes (ie they arent all built) could solve the problem. The show i just opened the director wanted costumes early on and the designer obviously said it wasnt possible but tlaking it out they were able to work out that ok we just needed the one costume as soon as possible (or at least a functional mock up) since the costume had a transformation onstage that definately needed to be worked in rehearsal.
Final thing to add is that while you never really want to tell a director "No" sometimes it has to happen. However do not just say no, you need to have the reason why you need to say no and you have to be careful of how you phrase it. Most directors i have worked with when you present a valid reason why what they are demanding cant happen they understand and things can move on, often times cause they arent thinking about all the things you are they are just thinking of what they want.