Author Topic: SHOWS: A Chorus Line  (Read 9872 times)

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carebear3885q

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SHOWS: A Chorus Line
« on: Dec 22, 2006, 11:04 am »
For The record, teching a Chorus Line was the easiest show I've ever worked on. The only sets that moved were the mirrors that in like 4 parts in the show turn around and become black.. and at the end of the show.. the tape gets taken off the stage and THAT'S IT.
« Last Edit: Jun 09, 2009, 02:26 am by PSMKay »
Carrie

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Re: A Chorus Line
« Reply #1 on: Dec 29, 2006, 08:09 pm »
Haha. Awesome. My director was going to pick that but now were looking at harder shows. :D

liamproche

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Re: A Chorus Line
« Reply #2 on: Feb 02, 2007, 11:33 pm »
A Chorus Line is simple.......technically speaking.  However That is a poor excuse for high schools and community theaters to so commonly produce the piece.  What it lacks in props/set/lighting requirements, it more than makes up for in the fact that to do it correctly requires EXTREMELY talented actors, as well as an amazing choreographer and stage director.  Though from a SM position (after doing Noises Off)........it would be nice to do something like A Chorus Line.

Note from Moderator:  Edited for language
« Last Edit: Feb 03, 2007, 08:25 am by BalletPSM »

Celeste_SM

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Re: A Chorus Line
« Reply #3 on: Feb 06, 2007, 06:28 pm »
Easy backstage, but you need really talented follow-spot operators if you're doing the traditional lighting of the show.

567Go

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Re: A Chorus Line
« Reply #4 on: Mar 02, 2007, 04:32 pm »
Technically the show is very easy.  The lighting is the fun part.  Traditional productions need spot ops that can pick out actors quickly in the dark, but the only really tricky lighting cues are in the Montage.  I loved working on that show!  I did a production that tried to use moving lights and specials instead of the spots for the Montage, but it didn't work as well as expected. 

djemily

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Re: A Chorus Line
« Reply #5 on: Mar 02, 2007, 04:40 pm »
We talked in my lighting studio class about using automated lights as follow lights and how this is usually a "no-no" because dancers (and actors) aren't going to be in the exact same place every night, and to look right, it really needs a live follow spot. I'm glad to hear that this is a fairly easy show, technically speaking. It's the first show of our mainstage season next year :)

birdie4113

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Re: A Chorus Line
« Reply #6 on: Mar 02, 2007, 06:02 pm »
A Chorus Line was actually the first full length show that I SMd.  It was extremely easy.  I remember strike taking 45 minutes. 
Bridget

TheaterTek

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Re: A Chorus Line
« Reply #7 on: Mar 05, 2007, 03:40 pm »
Our strike for Chorus Line last year took 10 hours. We had some really fancy stuf for the finale spent 12K dollars(four thousand over budget) on a bulb drop for the last 90 seconds of the show. Twas great, but made strike take forever....

birdie4113

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Re: A Chorus Line
« Reply #8 on: Mar 05, 2007, 04:23 pm »
We actually had one of those signs drop for the finale too.  Ours, on the other hand, was made of wood and gold glitter.  I don't think my college wanted to spend that much money on actual light bulbs.  The only down side was that there was gold glitter all over the stage.
Bridget

CRVerdusco

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Re: A Chorus Line
« Reply #9 on: Mar 30, 2009, 07:02 pm »
Has anyone worked on the show recently?  I'm working on a production currently and we're looking for a finale drop of any style quick, I normally wouldn't handle searching for it since we have an full production team but we're are all pulling at straws.

Any help would be appreciated.

Any one have thoughts, the Lighting designer thinks that his assistant, who is the board op too, should call the follow spot cues for the show.  I disagree though, especially since I know the board op and she has a tendancy to take cues whenever she feels like it despite what may be happening else where.

kiwitechgirl

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Re: A Chorus Line
« Reply #10 on: Mar 30, 2009, 09:15 pm »
Any one have thoughts, the Lighting designer thinks that his assistant, who is the board op too, should call the follow spot cues for the show.  I disagree though, especially since I know the board op and she has a tendancy to take cues whenever she feels like it despite what may be happening else where.

I dislike lighting ops calling followspot cues; I've worked shows where we've done this and it just turns ugly way too often.  I've done shows where we've had a specific spot caller, completely seperate from the SM, and that has worked pretty well - but nope, I'd be arguing against the lighting op calling spot cues.

KMC

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Re: A Chorus Line
« Reply #11 on: Mar 30, 2009, 09:39 pm »
Any one have thoughts, the Lighting designer thinks that his assistant, who is the board op too, should call the follow spot cues for the show.  I disagree though, especially since I know the board op and she has a tendancy to take cues whenever she feels like it despite what may be happening else where.

My opinion on this is mixed.  If you have a solid board op and experienced spot ops then it can take a lot of headache away from you.  How many spot cues do you have?  How are your spot ops?  How is your board op?
Get action. Do things; be sane; don’t fritter away your time; create, act, take a place wherever you are and be somebody; get action. -T. Roosevelt

EFMcMullen

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Re: A Chorus Line
« Reply #12 on: Mar 31, 2009, 09:30 am »
When I last did ACL, the ALD called the spot cues due to the large number of both light and spot cues. This was also a summer stock setting: 15 hours of tech, 8 performances.  And for the good of the show it was much better to have one person focused on talking the spots through the show.  There were certain moments when I would open the headset channel to the spots to help make something clean - i.e. the spot bounce down the line at the near the top of the show.  Ironically in the end, I could have called both as when spots were heavy, lights were not and visa versa, but I did not have time during tech to verbally "teach" the cues to the ops as well as calling the other cues.

I do wonder however about the light board op calling the spot cues, simply because they should be focused on when you are saying "GO" for the board cues. And what if something goes wrong on the board?  It seems to me if they have time to call the spot cues, you must have time to call the spot cues.  I would agree with kiwitechgirl, if there is a specific spot caller, great, but I would be nervous about the board op doing it.

prizm

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Re: A Chorus Line
« Reply #13 on: Apr 14, 2009, 03:26 pm »
Well ACL for me was a fun show though my director added a lot of mirror moves in the back and we had 20 or so on flys for the song that she danced "into" so that bit took a while. We also had several follow spots. On that note I was always trained to call spots then I went into IA houses where spots took their own cues or there was a spot caller. I have settled on calling spots in and out and let them refer to their cue sheets for size color and who. though I keep those nots in my book should there be a sub.