Author Topic: REHEARSALS: Sweeney Todd Rehearsal Dilemma  (Read 5975 times)

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KatyTru

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REHEARSALS: Sweeney Todd Rehearsal Dilemma
« on: Sep 08, 2014, 08:38 pm »
I am dealing with a frustrated director and a frustrated set designer/technical director. We are doing Sweeney Todd and the entire set rotates much like the original. The problem is that my director can't keep an idea in his head. I have the set taped down but that isn't enough for him because he has trouble picturing where the stairs are. I have the drawings for him of the different positions and all but he's only now using them despite my constant offering to show them to him.

What I'm really asking is if anyone has ideas how I can make my tape "rotate" so that he can see where these staircases are.

Edited to add topic tag. - Maribeth
« Last Edit: Sep 09, 2014, 06:24 pm by Maribeth »
What is time even?

LSteckman

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Re: Sweeney Todd Rehearsal Dilemma
« Reply #1 on: Sep 08, 2014, 08:52 pm »
Could you get a piece of carpet/canvas/etc from the scene shop and tape the stairs onto it? You will have to be mindful of slipperiness, but it's worked well for me in the past.

KatyTru

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Re: Sweeney Todd Rehearsal Dilemma
« Reply #2 on: Sep 08, 2014, 09:14 pm »
I will talk to the TD and see if he has something tomorrow. The floor we are rehearsing on is wooden so it would be slippery. The director was the one who wanted it to rotate funny enough. Originally it was just going to be stationary.
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PSMKay

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Re: Sweeney Todd Rehearsal Dilemma
« Reply #3 on: Sep 08, 2014, 09:18 pm »
Move your rehearsal table depending on which scene you're doing.

KatyTru

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Re: Sweeney Todd Rehearsal Dilemma
« Reply #4 on: Sep 08, 2014, 09:23 pm »
what do you mean by rehearsal table?
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lsears

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Re: Sweeney Todd Rehearsal Dilemma
« Reply #5 on: Sep 08, 2014, 10:36 pm »
rehearsal table - where you and the director sit to watch rehearsal.  So instead of the set moving in a transition the director would walk to the part of the set that was going to face downstage for the next scene.  Basically, you rotate around the stationary rehearsal set up.

KatyTru

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Re: Sweeney Todd Rehearsal Dilemma
« Reply #6 on: Sep 08, 2014, 11:24 pm »
Oh I see. Our rehearsal venue is smaller then our actual venue and the set that is taped down is huge so really the only room is in front.
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Maribeth

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Re: Sweeney Todd Rehearsal Dilemma
« Reply #7 on: Sep 09, 2014, 12:14 am »
Is there a scenic model? If so, can you keep it at the table and turn the model pieces when the scenery would move?

If there's not a model, can you make a little paper revolve to keep at the table and do the same thing? I would make a copy of the groundplan, cut the revolve out, and spin it to reflect the orientation of the stage. (I've made a sort of pinwheel like this before.)

KatyTru

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Re: Sweeney Todd Rehearsal Dilemma
« Reply #8 on: Sep 09, 2014, 03:55 pm »
Later that night he asked to see the ground plans that i have with all 4 positions relative to the front of the stage. (despite my constant telling him that I have them) He said he was going to make a box for himself and put what is on each side last night towards the end of rehearsal. But next time I will just make sure there is enough room for us to move around the tape instead of dealing with the director stressing out.
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Maribeth

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Re: Sweeney Todd Rehearsal Dilemma
« Reply #9 on: Sep 09, 2014, 06:23 pm »
Sometimes you don't have the option of taping out the full set in your rehearsal space- there isn't always enough space. There are a couple strategies that you can use to keep things straight in rehearsal with a set piece like a revolve:
  • tape out the revolve, and move around it (as previously suggested)
  • canvas or floor cloth
  • taping out the different orientations in different colors (can be visually confusing)
  • keeping a model or other visual aid at the table
  • putting something as a "stand-in" for whatever your looking at- If the director wants to know where the staircase is at any given point in time, can you put a music stand onstage where the stairs would be, and move it around as needed, so that he always has a visual reference?
Small rehearsal spaces force you to be extra creative with the room set up/tape out. :)

MatthewShiner

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Re: REHEARSALS: Sweeney Todd Rehearsal Dilemma
« Reply #10 on: Sep 09, 2014, 11:47 pm »
and there is always the old standard - get the set piece in the hall - but would be difficult with the space I feel.
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ScooterSM

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Re: REHEARSALS: Sweeney Todd Rehearsal Dilemma
« Reply #11 on: Sep 10, 2014, 05:03 pm »
Having recently done two different shows with revolves, both in smaller rehearsal spaces/moving between spaces, we found that taping the piece out on muslin and then taping the muslin to the floor with gaff (easy to rotate as needed) seemed to work pretty well.
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