Author Topic: Student SM Challenge #9: 30 minutes to save the world  (Read 4938 times)

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PSMKay

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A fellow student SM has been stricken with meningitis and rushed to the hospital.  You, were planning on attending the show tonight, but instead you have been chosen with half an hour until curtain to step in and call the show.  For simplicity's sake here, let's say that the SM's roomie has thankfully delivered her prompt book to the theatre and that the show is called from a booth with plain view of the whole stage.

This is a straight play with a cast of 8.  There are 7 quick changes, 300 instruments in the air, 97 light cues on a computerized board, 2 follow spots, no pyro, no wireless mics on the actors, some floor and suspended area mics, and all the sound cues are pre-recorded.  There are prop tables in both wings and a third by the dressing rooms.  You have a crew of 3 volunteer student stagehands plus a student ASM on deck, an LBO and an SBO.  (The ASM is too loaded with deck track to put them in the booth, but he/she has preset the props already.) It is the 3rd show of the run - a Saturday night show with a full house.

Please explain what steps you would take to best prepare yourself and the company for this night of rollicking good times.  What do you check? What do you leave to fate?  What do you take the time to review beforehand?  How can you be sure that you understand the SM's notations?

As a reminder to our pro SMs out there: The Student Challenges are primarily for students.  Let's keep our horror stories out of this, and leave this to the students and novices for at least the first page of this thread! Thanks!
« Last Edit: Nov 13, 2009, 12:19 am by PSMKay »

Thespi620

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Re: Student SM Challenge #9: 30 minutes to save the world
« Reply #1 on: Nov 13, 2009, 12:53 am »
This has actually seemed like a real possibility to me recently, with my best friend's show seeming mildly cursed...knock on wood.

Assuming all pre-show dimmer/speaker/level checks have already happened, here's my plan:
I would sit down with the ASM, run crew, and the prompt book and ask where the tricky sequences are--I'm assuming this is an ASM who has been at rehearsals throughout, if not I'd ask LBO/SBO for their input. I would also ask if there was anything else I had to be aware of-how would I be notified when quick changes were done, are there any cue lines that are typically botched, quiet sound Qs, etc. and I would make note of any and all of them.

If there were complicated sequences I would practice calling them out loud-not actually running lights or sound, I'm assuming the house is open and wouldn't want to risk giving anything away. I would also clarify my calling style with the board operators and modify it as needed so as to minimize confusing discrepancies.   
If dimmer/speaker checks had not happened, I would run those first-but as discreetly as possible if house is open. 

Any time I had left I would use to walk through and check everything backstage to make sure all was set and to make sure the actors didn't need anything from me.  From there, I'd check in with the house manager, take a few deep breaths, and call Q1.
[The SM is] a very gifted, slightly eccentric master mechanic [keeping] a cantankerous, highly complex machine running at top efficiency by talking to it, soothing it, & lovingly fixing whatever is broken. 
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BLee

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Re: Student SM Challenge #9: 30 minutes to save the world
« Reply #2 on: Nov 13, 2009, 12:40 pm »
Step 1: Deep breath.
Step 2: Skim through prompt book. Make note of what the different cues look like and how they are marked in the script. Jot notes of questions I have dealing with calling the show.
Step 3: Check in with ASM. Is there anything specific I should be aware of? Ask any of the questions I had dealing with the prompt script.
Step 4: Quickly meet the crew and ask if there is anything they needed of me during the performance. Ask them how the other SM gave them cues. For example, are they used to hearing Light Cue #...go or just hearing #...go. I would request of them for the night to make sure to keep communicating with me. I would ask for verbal standbys and completions for the night.
Step 5: Set up the area I am calling from. Look at the stage and know the scenery. Meet the cast members and figure out which character(s) they play.
Step 6: Re-check in with the ASM before calling places.

The nice thing about my college that I plan to take into the professional world with me is a Pre-show checklist that has all the times that certain events should happen by (like props checked in, light checks completed, etc). If I had to walk into a situation like this I would be extremely grateful just to have a timetable of who to check in with and when. Anything that could assure me that everyone knows what their doing is helpful and would build my confidence.
XX. The only valid excuse for missing one's cue is death.
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alexandra_hsie

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Re: Student SM Challenge #9: 30 minutes to save the world
« Reply #3 on: Mar 08, 2010, 09:53 pm »
Looking at the challenge from a different angle, could the ASM call the show while I run backstage or simply become another crew member that makes sure everything gets done safely? My reasoning is that the ASM has sat in all the rehearsals and knows the show well, and is accustomed to the original stage manager's style. Not only that, but the ASM has just been through tech and is intimately acquainted with the show. The ASM would also know the actors' habits and blocking, such as how long an actor's pause will be inbetween lines and when they're going to cross to the other side of the stage.

In this scenario, since the props have already been preset I would introduce myself to the cast and crew. I would then go over the run sheets that the ASM would hand-off and notate both what the ASM does during the show and particularly difficult areas. I would be asked to get a quick tour of the theatre (if I don't know it already, assuming I go to the same college), mentally taking down where the green room, dressing rooms, and booth are. Double-check the safety kits as well as know what is in them. I would then re-check the props to familiarize myself with the stage and the show. In addition, I would carefully go over the QC and request whether the Wardrobe Supervisor (if there is one) could be on deck that night. If not, then I would ask the crew members who do the wardrobe changes to give me a quick talk-through of what happens and how long exactly each QC has.

However, in the situation put down by PSMKay, I agree with Thespi and BLee methods, and would add introductions and updates to the cast, crew, house management, and teachers/supervisors (whoever is overseeing the show - the latter can be done through phone or email if necessary). I understand that in certain situations it is more difficult to replace the ASM with a new person than it is for them to call the show, especially if the ASM has an extremely busy run sheet.

Being patient means giving up the illusion that you can control the world.

 

riotous