Author Topic: MORALE: Tech week  (Read 8170 times)

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Melugin

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MORALE: Tech week
« on: Mar 19, 2006, 11:54 pm »
I am entering a certain week we all know about... One simple question: if everyone is frusterated (high school theatre) about the show and hate the director, then how do you keep everyone from killing each other during TECH WEEK?

-liz
« Last Edit: Jun 08, 2009, 11:33 pm by PSMKay »
If All the World's a Stage, i want to operate the Trap Door!

hotcocoa

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TECH WEEK
« Reply #1 on: Mar 20, 2006, 12:04 am »
You breathe. And don't take things personal.

hilary25

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« Reply #2 on: Mar 20, 2006, 01:01 am »
im assuming your director is also a teacher in your school and the advisor for the drama club. in that case, you have to be extra careful as to how you all conduct yourselves regarding your feelings towards this person. moreso than in any other theatrical capacity, you have to just sit back and let it happen; if you dont like how they are doing their job, hold your tongue and let it go. lashing out at each other could get you in trouble with higher powers like principals.

you just have to focus on all of the hard work you guys have already put into it and keep giving 110%. if you dont, then you are also at fault for anything that goes wrong or isnt done to quality. some things are out of our hands and the best thing to do is to do your job the best you can and know that in the end, itll all work itself out.

i myself have been working on the most frustrating show i have ever done before. all during tech week, the designers/prodcuers kept adding more and more set props which forced me to re assign all scene changes etc. i thought for sure we wouldnt be able to perfect them by the time we opened and have them done in a reasonable time. there was nothng i could do though; it was out of my hands how many times they wanted to use a different couch or how many times the plants needed to switch. i just went with it, tried to adjust and by opening night we did it and pretty darn fast. i worked my hardest to make it work and luckily it did, but even if it hadnt, i still gave it my best and thats all i could do.

MatthewShiner

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TECH WEEK
« Reply #3 on: Mar 20, 2006, 01:14 am »
hide all guns and sharp objects.

If they have no weapons, they shouldn't kill each other.
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Anything posted here as in my own personal opinion, and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of my employer - whomever they be at a given moment in time.

Mac Calder

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« Reply #4 on: Mar 20, 2006, 01:32 am »
I know it sounds a bit 'wanky', but calming down actors is often dead easy - lead them in some relaxation exercises. I find calming the crew a lot harder. Personally, I use caffine. It is a well known fact that tired people are (in general) pains in the rear end. As long as you keep a tight reign on everything and manage to keep the arguing to a minimum you should be okay.

loebtmc

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TECH WEEK
« Reply #5 on: Mar 20, 2006, 03:21 am »
(and did you note the featured book on the SM network home page...? <g>)

Melugin

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« Reply #6 on: Mar 22, 2006, 03:44 am »
Quote
hide all guns and sharp objects.

If they have no weapons, they shouldn't kill each other.


 :lol:  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:  very funny.

these are mostly techies i'm dealing with... they can find any thing and use it as a weapon... jk :P  :wink:  :lol:

no, it's just that when the director enters the room, the tension rises ten fold. i don't know how to break the ice between everybody. all hate her.


Quote
I find calming the crew a lot harder. Personally, I use caffine


yes, but then they expect it every night or else it seems like they plan to be a b****.  very good suggestion. very good  indeed...  :D


thanks guys!!! thanks so much.
If All the World's a Stage, i want to operate the Trap Door!

Mac Calder

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« Reply #7 on: Mar 22, 2006, 07:19 am »
ensuring a steady flow of caffine for crew is simple. As a stage manager, I assume you have at least rudimentry instant coffee making skills? That is the first way.

The second way:

Buy a slab of softdrink - I work in AUD, so adjust accordingly - at the moment, I can get 30 cans of coke for $14.95 (on special) that is under 50c a can. I place these cans of drink within the fridge at the venue (I have never known a venue not to have a fridge) and I ask for $1 a can - just a round number any way. Something that covers the cost of the cans, and a little bit extra. Current vending machines in Australia charge about $2 a can of drink, by charging half that, we double their potential caffine intake and some people who would not be willing to make the $2 sacrifice for caffine may decide that it is damn cheap for the convenience and buy big.

Non theatre related, but in my year 12 (last year of school) we wanted a way to make lots of money by the end of the year so that our end of year bash would be completely covered by our raised funds - we were having a booze up the day before, and then going to a caberet restaraunt that night.  From the first day of school, we sold cans of coke like that to people within our year level, and through an underground network of brothers and sisters of year 12's (the school council had baned the sale of coke from the canteen that year). We covered the booze up and caberet, and had money to spare, in a school of 500 students. We bought the cans for 50c each, and sold for $1. We had about 200 regulars, and as such raised about 8 grand through that venture alone. So it may just give you a few extra cents to go towards the afterparty ;-)

ESM_John

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Re: TECH WEEK
« Reply #8 on: Jun 18, 2006, 10:15 pm »
Being a High School Techie/SM, i know how it goes. There is soooo much drama in theatre. I know that sounds stupid but besides acting, people are wrapped up in (besides each other) the drama of either a scene they keep  messing up, an actor they hate, tired of late rehearsals, dnt feel like listening to the guy ASMing his first show, etc. ;) 

Usually, a nice "talk" from the director/advisor does the trick on opening, or in tech. Its almost a staple now, 1) Show 2)Drama 3) Speech 4) Sucess!

Good Luck!

BalletPSM

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Re: TECH WEEK
« Reply #9 on: Jun 18, 2006, 11:14 pm »
"A well-fed crew is a happy crew"

likewise for the cast.

Food.  That's always my answer.  Make sure they are well fed.  In high school, you might be able to get the parent boosters to sponsor pizza night for everyone on what you think will be the worst night of tech.

Or maybe its just because I get really cranky when I'm hungry and so I figure everyone else does too.  =)

Stage managing is getting to do everything your mom told you not to do - read in the dark, sit too close to the TV, and play with the light switches!

erin

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Re: TECH WEEK
« Reply #10 on: Jul 03, 2006, 03:56 am »
hide all guns and sharp objects.

If they have no weapons, they shouldn't kill each other.

Rubbish.  Any prop can become a weapon.  You can't exactly hide every pen and pencil in the building.  Plus, someone's bound to have a multitool backstage and anyone could go postal and take out most of the chorus before you could get it away.

Find a way to make everyone laugh.   You'll never be able to change everyone's mind and make them like each other, but if you can get them laughing (as a group, not at anyone's expense) things tend to mellow out fast.

 

riotous