Author Topic: PROFESSIONALISM: Director and Stage Manager at the same time???  (Read 3854 times)

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SM19

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I'm currently the SM for our local theatre show. It's all volunteer and I also want to write. Usually, the board says that if you write, you're directing. Problem is, i'm the stage manager and they want me to stick with that position too. So...has anyone ever written, directed and stage managed before...all at the same time? I have two years to get this script/prompt book up and running (the show runs in february so i'd need it ready for Feb 2011). Anyone think that's possible? I'm planning to present the script, prompt book (totally completed) with all my ideas inside, as well as all the other stuff like list of props, set design...etc. Any suggestions??? Thanks :)
« Last Edit: Jun 09, 2009, 02:38 am by PSMKay »
Second Place in a Stage Managers Competition = Half of an Award Winning Stage Manager! :P

PSMKay

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Re: Director and Stage Manager at the same time???
« Reply #1 on: Feb 01, 2009, 11:37 pm »
IMHO (big big IMHO here) this is not a good idea for several reasons.

First of all, it is extremely difficult to see the big picture while you are also focusing on the details.  While writer/director is an OK, albeit risky combination, adding SM to that soup is going to give you too many hats to wear and too many sides of the puzzle to focus on at once.  What happens when your actors go off book while you're in the middle of character interpretation?  What happens when you're on your feet tracing a scene and come up with nine or ten new prop needs?  What happens when the lighting designer wants to add six cues in tech while you're up on stage adjusting staging to accomodate for new scenery?  Best to split the jobs if possible.

Secondly, you say that for a new work you are planning on handing in a completed prompt book two years in advance.  While this is admirable, I am curious as to how this feat will be accomplished without a full design team and cast already in place.  In every show I've worked on, cues and quick changes and actor "bits" and frequently even script cuts were not final until bows at opening night.

Thirdly I think you are underestimating the demands and decisions required when directing a show.  Actors will not just blandly take whatever blocking, line readings and motivations you give them - it's a give and take and if the acting is to feel organic (again, IMHO) they need to find their own route to making your words sound legitimate when placed in their mouths.  Even if you put hundreds of stage directions into the script, the demands of the performance space or the physical abilities of the actor or the general orneriness of their personality will cause those stage directions to be ignored. 

An infinite number of Hamlets will have an infinite number of run-times even though the words are always the same. 

Theatre is a dynamic and collaborative art.  Even one-man shows have multiple people contributing to the final product - designers bring their own ideas, production budgets alter the scale of the vision, major disasters happen that render entire scenes unusable.  The beauty of the art is the end effect (also dynamic) produced by all of these minds and hands coming together to interpret the work of the playwright.  If you lock everything to one person's vision what you have is a movie performed by robots.  As much as the SM's love for order makes us want to lock a show as soon as we possibly can - ideally at first read through if possible - we have to accept that shows must grow and change until the very last possible minute, otherwise there is no point in doing live theatre.

SM19

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Re: Director and Stage Manager at the same time???
« Reply #2 on: Feb 02, 2009, 01:36 am »
What I meant by a completed prompt book was as complete as possible. Yes, I understand there will be changes made everywhere and that will always happen in this production since this is a very lax production team. I already know who the production team is as they've been doing it for the past 30 years lol and have already guaranteed me that, unless one of them dies, they will still be there. if they aren't, then there will be adjustments. I also understand that it will be a big job to do all three at the same time as I am already stage managing two productions in two seperate places but I think i have enough experience in SMing a show to know what to do. I'm also planning to have one person on my crew 'be in charge' while i'm directing (such as an ASM to speak). Their tasks will all be layed out in advance adn they will just have to look at the schedule. Amendments wil lbe made if something happens. I also will nto be directing alone as I will also have someone else co-writting/co-directing with me possibly. I dont know if I mentioned that :S

You gave me what I was looking for, another persons perspective. Thank you so much. It gave me a chancec to think about this a little bit more with some of the problems that might come along. So again, thank you! :)
Second Place in a Stage Managers Competition = Half of an Award Winning Stage Manager! :P

Amie

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Re: Director and Stage Manager at the same time???
« Reply #3 on: Feb 02, 2009, 02:02 am »
Here are my 2 cents on this:

You sound very prepared and determined (as well as very motivated). Those are excellent attributes.  Very admirable.  Go for it, if you want!

But keep in mind: many things are easier said than done, and this won't be easy no matter how much you plan ahead.  Even the best laid plans don't manifest the way we want them too.

I am the co-founder of a local non-profit theatre company here in town (a friend and directing graduate from Columbia College in Chicago and I produced a production with our high school alumni from a span of graduating classes. We later registered as a state of Michigan non-profit organization and have produced shows and cabarets since).  We functioned: director, stage managers, marketing, set design, producers. The only money we had was what was donated from our former high school's drama club for the rights to a show we were producing. We later paid the fee back and made a small profit.  Everything else was either donations or we raised the money on our own.

We made it work, but we hit every obstacle you could imagine! Before, during and after production.

Additionally, I've also directed at the high school level for a school that really didn't have funding or support.  Therefore, other tasks fell on our shoulders as well... play selection, set building, fundraising, directing, SMing...(or training the SM student).

And again, obstacles.

We overcame them.  I learned A LOT from these experiences, but it's also easy to burn out.

Just know that advice comes from a good and experienced place. 

Whatever you choose to do, BEST OF LUCK TO YOU!!!! 

:)
« Last Edit: Feb 02, 2009, 02:04 am by A.Baj »
~ Amie ~

“This whole creation is essentially subjective, and the dream is the theater where the dreamer is at once: scene, actor, prompter, stage manager, author, audience, and critic.”

SM19

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Re: Director and Stage Manager at the same time???
« Reply #4 on: Feb 02, 2009, 02:31 am »
Thanks very much for the well wishes :) Much appreciated. And yes, you're very much right on the fact that even if I plan far in advance it wont be easy...but I hope that what I do will make it a little easier on the work load when the time comes.

You've both given me a lot of things to think about and have made this decision a lot easier for me. Thank you so much!
Second Place in a Stage Managers Competition = Half of an Award Winning Stage Manager! :P

 

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