Author Topic: MORALE: Alertness  (Read 10600 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

sarahbear42

  • Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 65
  • Gender: Female
    • View Profile
Re: Alertness
« Reply #15 on: Jun 23, 2008, 06:41 pm »
I had a lot of trouble with this when I first got out of college (a whole whopping year ago! lol) and went from a max of 4 performances of a show to a show with 30+ performances. (Hardly 100+, but still can get mind-numbing after the first two weeks or so.) The theater where I work currently has the SM also act as LBO (and occasionally also SBO, which is an interesting console configuration to say the least!) so it doesn't get as boring as it might, but some shows will always make you sleep nomatter what you're doing.

On shows that require more attention, but still have duller moments, I play the waterbottle game. For some reason doing something with my mouth makes me not zone out, so I keep a filled waterbottle on the floor beside my chair, and during the duller moments I take it out and take a sip every time someone misses a line. You can tell how well your actors are doing by how quickly you run to the bathroom at intermission! :D

On shows that are really low-impact (ie, The Importance of Being Earnest, a 3 act show in which I had about 6 sound cues and 8 light cues... not very exciting), I embroider, play Diner Dash on my phone (you get to where you can play it without really looking at it), or make chain mail. (I'm a renfest nut when I can escape the theater for five minutes...)

My ASM for most of the past year used to read, which I did for a while, but I find myself zoning out REALLY easily, so I certainly wouldn't do that if I'm the one calling the show!

BlantonRK

  • Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 52
  • Gender: Male
    • View Profile
  • Current Gig: Glimmerglass Opera
  • Experience: Professional
Re: Alertness
« Reply #16 on: Jul 25, 2008, 12:07 pm »
I've got over 1500 performances of a musical. I would memorize the script and say the lines ahead of the performers. Learn choreography and you and your board op (or "bored op") can entertain yourselves by dancing along. If this is a show where someone else has the responsibility for maintaining the production, try learning a foreign language or books on tape. I preferred that to actually reading so that I could watch the show.

mvmendelson

  • New to Town
  • **
  • Posts: 7
  • Gender: Female
    • View Profile
  • Affiliations: AEA
Re: Alertness
« Reply #17 on: Jul 25, 2008, 01:12 pm »
I just finished my third production of A Midsummer Night's Dream.  I spent this version entertaining my actors as they walked past me by imitating their fellows onstage.  On other shows, I tend to knit simple projects to keep myself occupied.

JDL

  • New to Town
  • **
  • Posts: 48
  • Gender: Male
    • View Profile
Re: Alertness
« Reply #18 on: Jul 26, 2008, 01:01 am »
I usually watch audience reactions. The performance may not change much from show-to-show, but the audiences do! ;D
AlL tHe WoRlD's A sTaGe... AnD i'M oFf BoOk!

LCSM

  • Permanent Resident
  • *****
  • Posts: 249
  • Gender: Female
  • @LuciaCorak
    • View Profile
  • Experience: Professional
Re: Alertness
« Reply #19 on: Jul 27, 2008, 05:12 pm »
If i have a really long section with no cues I'll sometimes do some of my SM work for that night (tidy up my prompt script, write notes to other departments, etc) or some other kind of paperwork. It keeps me interested and alert to the show at the smae time. However, I can only do this for so long before I get sick of sitting still...

 

riotous