ASM Calling the Show

[Tynumber5]

I'm helping teach the SM and ASM for our winter production of A Midsummer Nights Dream and recently hit a question I did not know how to answer. Both the Director and the Tech Director want the ASM to call the show because they do not feel that the SM is on top of the show enough to do so. The ASM is unsure of what to do. She would love the opportunity to call the show but know that it is the SM's job to do so and does not know how to respond.

I believe that either person could effectively call the show. The show has been a bit more work than planned for both of them due to a lack of communication from the director. From what I have seen, both the SM and the ASM have been working hard to keep things on track. I'm not sure where the Director got the notion that the SM was not on top of things, but she has passed it on to the Tech Director who agrees.

Has anyone run across this before? Any suggestions on what to do about it?

[loebtmc]

Is this a college production? Are they trying to mimic a real-world experience? And how many shows are there?

As in a "real" production, you might rotate the SM and ASM so they each do each other's jobs for a certain number of shows, which means they both get the chance to work both types of responsibility, and may well resolve this in a fair fashion.

[hbelden]

Are the Director and Tech Director student or staff?  Why does a T.D. have any input as to stage management staffing?  Are there moving wagons or trap doors or flying that the SM would have to call, which makes it a safety issue?

How many performances are there?  Has the tech process begun yet?  Are the lighting designer and sound designer also concerned?  Would cast morale be hurt by making a late change like this?

What can be done to get the SM more practice calling the show?  Could you get board ops in to do dry tech with the SM?

Especially in a college production, I would say that removing an SM from the booth of a show should be equivalent and concurrent with removing them from the theatre program entirely, but that's just me.  That might be completely impossible in your school system.

[nick_tochelli]

Are the Director and Tech Director student or staff?  Why does a T.D. have any input as to stage management staffing?  Are there moving wagons or trap doors or flying that the SM would have to call, which makes it a safety issue?

If they are anything like my theater program, there isn't necessarily a head of the stage management department. My school had the Lighting Professor in charge of Stage Managers. It might just be the way their department is structured.

Back to the question at hand: If you are teaching them, and in your opinion the SM can handle the show, you should just hope that the Director and TD respect your decision and expertise in the craft. If you vouch for the SM and they still want to make the switch...I don't know what to say. They are obviously missing one of the lessons I learned in college: Fail here where it doesn't matter vs. in the real world of theater where it matters more.

[Tynumber5]

This is a college production and we have three performances. Both the Director and Tech Director are faculty. We normally have the SM call the show and the ASM back stage with crew. There is one big set change but other than that it it light and sound cues. Show opens next Thursday and we go into tech on Friday with a Q to Q. I don't think what they are talking about is getting rid of the SM completely from the program but having the ASM run cues and the SM be backstage with crew instead.

The Tech Director is also the head of our Tech department at our school so all decisions run through him. The light designer and board ops do not know about the situation right now (I am the sound designer for the show). I have not been officially told about this, the ASM came to me because she did not know what to do about it and I could not answer the question because I had never run into this before.

We are a small school. We have somewhere around 20 people in the program and we branch out into specialties from there. We have a work study program that allows people not in the program to come in, get trained, and work shows with us.

Yes, we could possibly do a dry tech with the board ops for the SM. That's something that is normally done anyways. Everyone in tech gets together and goes over what needs to happen when and all of that stuff. I'm just not sure what to have the ASM do. Should she step up and call the show or let the SM call it?

[Bwoodbury]

I think that if I were the ASM, I'd ask my advisor if everyone could meet. I think that it shouldn't be up to the asm or the sm and that the faculty shouldn't mutiny the show without getting all sides of the story. I would want to let my stage manager defend themselves against the vague accusations. If the faculty isn't satisfied with the outcome of that conversation, then they will be able to at least make a decision with all the information. Is a meeting with at least the asm and the faculty or the sm and the faculty a possibility?

[BayAreaSM]

I agree with Bwoodbury. A meeting should be called to discuss the concerns of the Director and TD. If I were in this student SM position, I would prefer the meeting be with the TD, Director and myself, not with anyone else. Having the ASM present could only make the situation more awkward for me, and possibly the ASM. After the initial meeting alone, the ASM could be brought in to help discuss solutions. It must already be strange for the SM, since this situation seems to be being discussed with everyone but her.

It is a college production, and students can never learn to call shows properly without having the opportunity. If this is similar to any other college situation, the SM and ASM were chosen for their respective roles by the TD, which assumes that the TD felt those people could handle the SM and ASM roles they were given. And should they decide to swap the positions, it may feel to the original SM that she might as well just leave the theater department. Students have to be given a chance, and if guidance is necessary, then the TD must step up to the plate and assist. Or, if you are the one teaching the SM, then you may need to step in and help get her on the right track.

Personally, I never took SM classes and only learned how to SM by observing others. My sophomore year of college I was given a series of One Acts to SM, and while I was scared, the TD was present during the paper tech (since the LD & SnD were also students) and helped me fully understand what I was doing. The faculty must help take responsibility for these students and help them gain the knowledge they require to do their jobs - instead of tossing them to the side because they feel they are "not on top of things."

But that is only my opinion. And if the ASM and SM are your responsibility (you say you're helping teach them), then you may need to step in and find out exactly what's wrong. Hearsay helped no one. Perhaps you should go into a meeting with the TD and Director to get to the heart of the matter first - and see what can be corrected or assisted before things get ugly and people's feelings get hurt.

[hbelden]

I would love to hear how this situation resolved?

[Tynumber5]

Whoops, sorry about that...

There ended up being a conversation between the SM, ASM and the Director that was completely unplanned after a rehearsal. I was not part of that conversation and all I got afterwards was that the SM stood up for herself, saying that she could and wanted to call the show and the ASM backed her up. The Director thought about it and eventually allowed the SM to call the show. I was not on headset for the actual show so I don't know exactly how she did, but the show itself went great, which I take to mean the SM got everything down for the show. The ASM ended up backstage for the show, which was fine by her as well.