Author Topic: RUNNING: Fight Call  (Read 4205 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

ReyYaySM

  • Permanent Resident
  • *****
  • Posts: 360
  • Gender: Female
    • View Profile
  • Affiliations: AEA
  • Current Gig: Freelance
  • Experience: Professional
RUNNING: Fight Call
« on: Nov 19, 2008, 09:32 am »
When working on a show with fights and you have a two show day, do you hold a fight call before both performances or only before the first performance of the day?  I have always made it a practice to do a fight call before both shows, but I have had a few actors question the need for two fight calls on my current production.  Due to the nature of the fight (it involves the full company and includes flying), I will be holding a fight call before each performance on two performance days and the producer supports this decision.  I was just curious as to what other SMs do.  
« Last Edit: Jun 09, 2009, 02:45 am by PSMKay »

RuthNY

  • BTDT Editors
  • *****
  • Posts: 511
  • Gender: Female
    • View Profile
  • Affiliations: AEA Eastern Region Stage Manager Councilor
  • Current Gig: ALABASTER
  • Experience: Professional
Re: Fight Call
« Reply #1 on: Nov 19, 2008, 09:40 am »
I have always let the second fight call on a two-show day, be a decision made by the Fight Captain in conjunction with the actors who are part of the call. If any ONE of them wants to do it, it happens! Usually this applies only to a fight with very few actors and no swords or weapons. (And I must say, that this only applies when I have a great Fight Captain, with tons of past experience, whom the actors and I trust implicitly!) Larger fights and all weapon-play fights are done prior to every performance. Period. 
"Be fair with others, but then keep after them until they're fair with you."
--Alan Alda

Jessie_K

  • Superstar!
  • *****
  • Posts: 528
  • Gender: Female
    • View Profile
    • International Stage Manager of Mystery
  • Affiliations: AEA, AGMA, SMA (on leave)
  • Current Gig: Queen of the Night
  • Experience: Professional
Re: Fight Call
« Reply #2 on: Nov 19, 2008, 10:25 am »
Agreed. 

MatthewShiner

  • Forum Moderators
  • *****
  • Posts: 2478
  • Gender: Male
    • View Profile
  • Affiliations: AEA, SMA
  • Current Gig: Freelance Stage Manager; Faculty for UMKC
  • Experience: Professional
Re: Fight Call
« Reply #3 on: Nov 19, 2008, 10:28 am »
I agree with Ruth.

My thing is that fight call, since it comes out of the Actor's time (fight calls can infringe on breaks, etc), it's up to the Fight Captain to make the decision based on the cast.  (So usually before the first show is down, I have my ASM check in with the fight captain so I can announce fight call or no fight call with my post-show announcements.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

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.

geoffsm

  • Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 68
  • Gender: Male
  • If we could read minds, we wouldn't need headsets.
    • View Profile
  • Affiliations: SMA (Associate), SAFD (Actor-Combatant)
  • Experience: College/Graduate
Re: Fight Call
« Reply #4 on: Nov 19, 2008, 08:26 pm »
I have always let the second fight call on a two-show day, be a decision made by the Fight Captain in conjunction with the actors who are part of the call. If any ONE of them wants to do it, it happens! Usually this applies only to a fight with very few actors and no swords or weapons. (And I must say, that this only applies when I have a great Fight Captain, with tons of past experience, whom the actors and I trust implicitly!) Larger fights and all weapon-play fights are done prior to every performance. Period. 

Exactly.  Well said.

maximillionx

  • Permanent Resident
  • *****
  • Posts: 270
  • Gender: Male
    • View Profile
  • Experience: Professional
Re: Fight Call
« Reply #5 on: Nov 19, 2008, 08:31 pm »
Agreed. And as an individual who has served as a fight captain before, fight captains prefer to make the call themselves.  If the captain feels that the fight suffered in the first show, they very well might do two calls that day. The same is true if a fight went well, they might give the actors a break. Knowing actor's I have worked with before and fighting before, I always do a warm up before every show anyway with my weapons/choreography/etc...