It's funny you should mention this about this time. I am currently stage managing a show that opens up tomorrow (Feb. 22nd). It is a college production and we have a guest director, who happens to be a faculty member's wife. Before this show, I was really excited to work with her. She is a very fun person, from the little time I have spent with her. However, when rehearsals actually got started, things changed drastically. This show seems to have become the the show from Hell. Not only that, but the director has to be the worst director EVER!
On to my point: I am not only a stage manager in our theatre company, but I am also the master carpenter. During the daytime, I am in the scene shop working on a show; at night, I am a stage manager. The way our school works is that during the month of January, many students study abroad and the band and choir do a tour. Well, our props coordinator was in China touring with the band, and the scenic designer was in Peru studying art and architecture. Well, she didn't understand that we were all students and we have other things going on in our lives. Every rehearsal, there were tons of complaints about what wasn't done on the set and how slowly it was coming along. (Remember: I am the master carpenter, thus that is a direct insult to me.) She would change tons of things and expect them to be done by the next rehearsal day, but our theatre company doesn't require shop hours for our theatre majors during the month of January. Also, she did things like write out light cues, which stepped on the toes of the lighting designer. (Before even seeing his design.) A week and a half after costume parade, she decided 2 of the characters' costumes needed to be changed entirely. She even went so far as to disallow her actors from helping out with a paint call because they "needed their sleep." (Even though they had the entire day before off. She goes behind everyone's back and tells them to disregard our notes. (Even the ones that jeopardize an actor's health and the set's well-being.)
Everyone knows this kind of director, the kind that is actually an actor wanting to be a director. Well, the actors generally didn't like her because she is used to working with children and she shows the actors what she wants rather than letting them develop their own characters. Our faculty technical director has tried to explain that we are students and have full-loads of classes. Also, she will just say to change something, but won't say what. I have tried to get her to elaborate, but she doesn't do it.
Yesterday was our first dress rehearsal. She only had 1 note for me on the timing of a cue. Tonight, she yelled at me, after yelling at our technical director for something stupid, because apparently I have been missing the opening couple light cue timings every single time. However, this was the first time I have heard of it. Mainly, I suppose I just had to vent, but has anyone else ever been in a situation like this? Any advice. Thanks.