Author Topic: Student SM Challenge #16: Designers, make it work!  (Read 4775 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

PSMKay

  • Site Founder
  • Administrator
  • *****
  • Posts: 1357
  • Gender: Female
    • View Profile
    • http://www.smnetwork.org
  • Affiliations: None.
  • Current Gig: SMNetwork *is* my production.
  • Experience: Former SM
Student SM Challenge #16: Designers, make it work!
« on: Dec 19, 2011, 05:47 pm »
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

  • New to Town
  • **
  • Posts: 23
  • Gender: Male
    • View Profile
  • Affiliations: Alpha Psi Omega
  • Current Gig: Company Management Resident - Long Wharf Theatre
  • Experience: College/Graduate
Re: Student SM Challenge #16: Designers, make it work!
« Reply #1 on: Apr 09, 2012, 02:33 pm »
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?



jcarey

  • New to Town
  • **
  • Posts: 48
  • Gender: Male
  • Stage Manager and Lifetime Student
    • View Profile
    • James D Carey on LinkedIn
  • Affiliations: UNCSA, USITT
  • Current Gig: BFA Stage Management, UNCSA
  • Experience: College/Graduate
Re: Student SM Challenge #16: Designers, make it work!
« Reply #2 on: Sep 14, 2012, 05:32 pm »
I think the biggest thing here is communication. In a type of show such as this it is very important to communicate with the Director and Designers what kind of deadlines are in place and when exactly those are. If the shops need 3 weeks to build an elaborate (let's say) costume piece, then the deadline for that idea to be solidified should be 3 or 4 weeks before Tech Week. This system should be clearly established at the first production meeting and enforced throughout the process. Even though one of the biggest jobs of the SM is to best facilitate the Director's vision to the stage through communicating with the designers, it must be made clear to the director that the giant headpiece s/he wants built will take 2 weeks and tech week is in 3 days; unfortunately that idea was brought up too late in the process and either has to be scaled down or done without. Of course, this should be done in the most polite, respectful, and constructive way possible. It can be a delicate balance to not hinder the creative process or hurt feelings.

Once again, communication is key. If it is the director's habit to come up with crazy ideas on the fly the SM should take all of the ideas down (even the absurd ones) and take time either during a break or after rehearsal to discuss the ideas (is this what you really want?) and then immediately report them to the shops/designers in the rehearsal report (with a phone or in-person follow-up the next day) or an immediate phone call (if necessary). These ideas and the progress in the shops can be discussed and debated as a group during production meetings which should be occurring often (in a case like this, hopefully weekly).

Those are my two cents.
"A common mistake people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools."

- Douglas Adams

 

riotous