Author Topic: RUNNING: Script or Running paperwork?  (Read 4382 times)

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SMeustace

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RUNNING: Script or Running paperwork?
« on: Aug 09, 2015, 05:03 am »
As an ASM what do you prefer to work off for tech & performances? Do you have your script with deck/prop moves, cues, costume changes etc. written in your script or run sheets? What do you have backstage once the curtain goes up?

If you were teaching one or two people to ASM who will run the deck while you call the show, would you encourage them to work one way rather than the other? Why? Do you have them mark their scripts in a certain way during the rehearsal period?

Edited to add topic tag- Maribeth


« Last Edit: Aug 21, 2015, 05:35 pm by Maribeth »
"On the first day the lord said....Light cue 1, GO! Then there was light".

Beatr79

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Re: Script or Running paperwork?
« Reply #1 on: Aug 09, 2015, 06:21 am »
I work a lot as an ASM.  Once I get into the final phase in the rehearsal hall (think designer run-throughs), I usually abandon my script in favor of run sheets.  A script is too burdensome once I'm trying to run the deck and truthfully, isn't all too helpful.  A lot of transitions, QCs and tech elements that I manage as an ASM happen in the blank parts of the script, between dialogue / scenes, so why continue to use that document as the primary reference point?

In tech, I keep a copy of every department's run sheet, plus the entrance-exit chart, for easy reference of "what's next."  For my own runsheet, I just print a copy of the running order with lots of space for each scene / transition, so I can quickly jot in my track as we tech.

Once we're in previews / open, I'll convert that handwritten run sheet into a more formal, "pretty" runsheet that can easily be handed off to another SM if necessary.

megf

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Re: Script or Running paperwork?
« Reply #2 on: Aug 09, 2015, 07:43 am »
My preference is similar to Beatr79. Once I have the "shape" of the run sheets, I use that and a simple running order for final run throughs and tech. I've got big, messy handwriting when I write fast, so I usually create lots of extra lines for notes, and condense the final document after inputting all the stuff learned in tech and the first week or so of the run.

I keep timings in my script, and they tend to be very detailed - every entrance, exit, prop movement, underscore, offstage singing, scene... you get the idea. Even if my start-of-tech run sheet doesn't contain every time stamp, I try to keep my script backstage for reference. Especially when a major change crops up, having a concrete idea of how much time is available between A and B is great.

iamchristuffin

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Re: Script or Running paperwork?
« Reply #3 on: Aug 09, 2015, 09:47 am »
If I'm cueing others for anything to happen onstage - entrances, set changes, etc.- then I'll keep my score/script on me as well as a running sheet. This is for two reasons. Firstly, it means I can be 100% sure where we are, how long until the cue, and what else is happening around me. Secondly, it allows the performers I'm sending on to check their lines, look at some notes, ask me for some blocking. Most of it is in my head, but I don't like being asked something and not being able to check if I'm not clear.

This is especially true with Supernumeraries. They can often change from one performance to the next, and so they have lots of questions!

C

Elizabeth Allers

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Re: Script or Running paperwork?
« Reply #4 on: Aug 10, 2015, 10:43 am »
I will always have my script handy backstage regardless of what I am using to run the show.  As well as I may know the show, if an actor goes off his lines or anything disrupts the flow, it helps to have a script to be able to quickly catch up to where we are.

That being said, I usually run off a run sheet if I am backstage.  I feel better without having my nose in a book, and it's usually easier to post a run sheet for quick references while doing QC, scene changes, etc.  I can also format a run sheet however is most helpful - for example, I did a show with a huge amount of props to set/change throughout the show, so my run sheet was formatted in a way that made it easy for me to remember which props I was taking on and offstage at any given time.

The only time I have truly run a show off a script was when I was doing a one-man show.  It was challenging to follow where we were based solely on what was happening onstage, since the whole thing was the actor talking.  I had to follow the script closely in order to know where we were.

SMGrant

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Re: Script or Running paperwork?
« Reply #5 on: Aug 10, 2015, 05:32 pm »
Whenever I am running the deck I always use run sheets. There might be a script in the wings and sometimes there is not, it usually depends on how the actors are doing with lines, whether it's a play or a large musical and simply the amount of wing space. Usually when I'm running deck for a large musical I find that there is simply not room for me to have my script backstage. I've also found that using just run sheets when backstage is not a problem when you really know your show as you should as an SM (PSM or ASM). In addition to my run sheets I usually have detailed cue sheets with me. It's convenient for me as I can easily fold them into a square and put them in my pocket when I need to hands-on deal with an issue.

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Re: Script or Running paperwork?
« Reply #6 on: Aug 10, 2015, 07:43 pm »
My deck tracks were too crazy to be able to carry anything around. I'd carry a mini pocket sized copy of my track while we were pre-opening but once the track was locked I'd stash it somewhere and go on memory. Probably not the best method, as it meant that documentation was skipped on small mid-run changes.

 

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