Onstage > Students and Novice Stage Managers

Student SM Challenge #16: Designers, make it work!

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PSMKay:
Student SM Challenges are designed as mental exercises for our younger and novice members of the industry. Pros are welcome to think through the challenges but we request that they hold back from commenting for the first couple of weeks and allow the new guys to figure them out on their own.

Your challenge is based on another story from my personal experiences:

You are working on a collaborative piece with a very loose script - basically plot points - and an experimental first time director. The piece will be happening in a black box with infinitely reconfigurable seating.  The piece is evolving continuously through the rehearsal process.  Every actor is likely to be playing several different roles as the storyline evolves.  You have a 6 week rehearsal process.

To establish a baseline of your director's level of technical awareness, at the 2nd rehearsal, she states "OK here I want the light to come down to about 2 feet above the actress's head, and then stop completely before it reaches her."  After a brief discussion of the laws of physics she still insists that this must be achieved in order to maintain her artistic concept.  To paraphrase the esteemed Mr. Gunn, she's sure that the designers can make it work.

Given this scenario, tell me:

1. How do you structure your rehearsal process and set deadlines to make sure everyone has the info they need within a reasonable time frame? Think about things like the audience seating arrangement, prop and lighting requests, locking in the script and getting the actors "off book", and settling on who's playing which characters so that the costume department can properly dress the cast.

2. How do you establish a communication system with the design team to handle this type of director without damaging the production, the team spirit, or the designers' own concepts?

TheSingingSM:
Alright...let me see if I can take a swing at this.

1. Since we've had two rehearsals already, I'd say schedule some Director/Stage Manager meetings with the director and talk about the show. In the conversations, see if I can ask enough questions that would allow him or her to cement these plot points into something more tangible. Preferably into an actual script so that the designers, the actors and myself have something to work with. And if cast exploration is required, I'd get as much solid info about the story in those meetings and ask him if he'd like to spend maybe a week doing cast exploration to further solidify (well, if not a solid...then a jelly) his/her concept. If this is acceptable, take the notes from the exploratory rehearsals and assist the director (if needed or wanted) into making a script. The next week or two could be structured into blocking rehearsals with the following two weeks as diagnostic run then work notes until the last half week where we would tech it.

That's for rehearsal process and locking the script which I think leads to some of the other questions. If I can get the director to just talk his or her head off about their vision, ask them the right questions and let him or her reach their own conclusions; then that might be a way to go about it. Subtlety isn't my strongest attribute, not going to lie. And I'd have to be VERY careful about not saying something that would seem as if I'm critiquing the director's process (God, help me if I do...).

As for #2, I'd have to dig into the information and sort out what each designer needs to know and get that to them. I may have to be the information filter more so than normal because this director doesn't seem to like to be told "That can't happen" (that's the Production Manager's or General Manager's job...right? If not, then definately the board of directors); so instead of saying words like "No" or "They won't be able to do this"...I'd see if I can find alternatives with the designers and try to pitch them in a way to make them sound better than the original idea?

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