Author Topic: SMASH - the TV series  (Read 26000 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

babens

  • Permanent Resident
  • *****
  • Posts: 320
  • Gender: Male
    • View Profile
  • Affiliations: AEA/AGMA/SMA
  • Experience: Professional
Re: SMASH - the TV series
« Reply #15 on: May 02, 2012, 11:49 am »
As I said to a set designer yesterday, now we know how cops, lawyers, and doctors must feel when watching things like NYPD Blue, any court room procedural, and Grey's Anatomy.  ;)

Baz

  • New to Town
  • **
  • Posts: 42
  • Gender: Male
    • View Profile
  • Affiliations: CAEA, BAEA, ACTRA
  • Experience: Professional
Re: SMASH - the TV series
« Reply #16 on: May 02, 2012, 12:27 pm »
I'd agree babens, except that those professions are not (generally) seen by the public to be a band of curiosities, riff-raff and ne'er-do-wells who don't 'really' work and only live for their own self-gratification.

There may be bad cops, lawyers and doctors portrayed with a raft of personal foibles, but at least its because they have a stressful 'real' job as far as viewers are concerned.

And really, you know we just get together the week before Opening to mount a production, right?
« Last Edit: May 04, 2012, 08:19 am by Baz »
SM'ing since God was a child.

BARussell

  • SM Expert
  • ****
  • Posts: 193
  • Gender: Male
    • View Profile
  • Current Gig: Assistant to the Producers at Goodspeed Musicals
  • Experience: Professional
Re: SMASH - the TV series
« Reply #17 on: May 05, 2012, 09:48 am »
I'd agree babens, except that those professions are not (generally) seen by the public to be a band of curiosities, riff-raff and ne'er-do-wells who don't 'really' work and only live for their own self-gratification.

Agreed, general audiences know that being a doctor, lawyer, or police officer in real life is not that fun, especially when they see the cops that have to guard grocery stores or doctors at Patient First, but they really have no idea how our job works outside of what they see in this show, honestly this is also not good for younger people who are thinking about going into theatre either, I remember how I "thought" everything was going to be as I got older and boy was I wrong but this show just reestablishes all of those ideas.
"We don't negotiate with weirdos!"

stagebear

  • SM Expert
  • ****
  • Posts: 113
    • View Profile
  • Affiliations: AEA
Re: SMASH - the TV series
« Reply #18 on: May 05, 2012, 12:12 pm »
Since when did being in tech mean that the rest of your life stopped and decisions were based on it?

Thespi620

  • Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 99
  • Gender: Female
    • View Profile
  • Experience: Professional
Re: SMASH - the TV series
« Reply #19 on: May 08, 2012, 10:42 am »
Hey look! She called a cue this week!
[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. 
-J. Michael Gillette

planetmike

  • SM Expert
  • ****
  • Posts: 197
  • Gender: Male
  • @planetmike
    • View Profile
    • Michael Clark, Stage Manager
  • Experience: Community Theatre
Re: SMASH - the TV series
« Reply #20 on: May 08, 2012, 02:07 pm »
But note that it is the director who tells the actors "Places!" And the stage manager calls the show from backstage.

Baz

  • New to Town
  • **
  • Posts: 42
  • Gender: Male
    • View Profile
  • Affiliations: CAEA, BAEA, ACTRA
  • Experience: Professional
Re: SMASH - the TV series
« Reply #21 on: May 08, 2012, 03:44 pm »
Well planetmike, being something of a traditionalist (and older than I care to think about), I have no real problem with the SM calling the show from backstage. And heck, with the technology available these days in the way of monitors, infrared cameras and the like, its a whole lot easier than in 'ye olden dayes'.

I 'get' the value of the SM seeing / calling the show from the front (albeit often in sealed room as far from the stage as humanly possible), but I often miss the connectivity of being on the deck.

(And jeez, if I think about it, I even recall the British terminology PS and OPS - though thankfully, I never had to use it)

But I digress...
« Last Edit: May 08, 2012, 08:50 pm by Baz »
SM'ing since God was a child.

MatthewShiner

  • Forum Moderators
  • *****
  • Posts: 2478
  • Gender: Male
    • View Profile
  • Affiliations: AEA, SMA
  • Current Gig: Freelance Stage Manager; Faculty for UMKC
  • Experience: Professional
Re: SMASH - the TV series
« Reply #22 on: May 08, 2012, 08:34 pm »
Almost every NY commercial show and touring show call from backstage.  You are monitored out the wazoo - my last musical I have six monitors.  The SM would rotate our to note from the front of the house - - - real estate is valuable in NYC theaters, most theaters don't have booth.

Although you don't get the same view, you gain a lot from being backstage.




 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Anything posted here as in my own personal opinion, and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of my employer - whomever they be at a given moment in time.

BayAreaSM

  • Permanent Resident
  • *****
  • Posts: 410
  • Gender: Female
    • View Profile
    • Bay Area SM
  • Affiliations: AEA
  • Current Gig: VP, Operations in AV Events
  • Experience: Professional
Re: SMASH - the TV series
« Reply #23 on: May 08, 2012, 10:53 pm »
Just tossing my 2 cents in here as well - I always call Ballet from backstage. I've only called from out front once and I absolutely hated it. (I had to call from the front as there was no room for my console due to the number of wagon set pieces.) When I go work in "regular" theater and call from the back of the house (or in the middle of the balcony in one really weird theater) I feel totally detached from the actors. As long as I have my stage monitor, maestro monitor and cue lights, I'm a happy camper backstage.

babens

  • Permanent Resident
  • *****
  • Posts: 320
  • Gender: Male
    • View Profile
  • Affiliations: AEA/AGMA/SMA
  • Experience: Professional
Re: SMASH - the TV series
« Reply #24 on: May 09, 2012, 01:57 am »
If I remember correctly, Wicked is the only musical currently running on Broadway where the SM is calling from the house and not from backstage.

Every opera I've ever worked on has been called from backstage.

I personally love being backstage to call the show.

planetmike

  • SM Expert
  • ****
  • Posts: 197
  • Gender: Male
  • @planetmike
    • View Profile
    • Michael Clark, Stage Manager
  • Experience: Community Theatre
Re: SMASH - the TV series
« Reply #25 on: May 09, 2012, 06:55 pm »
Cool, I learned something about NY theatre from Smash! I didn't know about the prevalence of back stage calling there.

Baz

  • New to Town
  • **
  • Posts: 42
  • Gender: Male
    • View Profile
  • Affiliations: CAEA, BAEA, ACTRA
  • Experience: Professional
Re: SMASH - the TV series
« Reply #26 on: May 16, 2012, 08:13 pm »
Well, it took until the season finale, but it seems the writers finally let the SM string entire sentences together while communicating face-to-face with the artistic team and while directing performers and actions onstage.

Doubtless all this newfound power will, next season, make her the murder target of 'Ellis' as he lurks  - Phantom of the Opera-like - in the New York theatre they transfer to.

Or the writers could take the time to learn what it is a SM does and how a real production is mounted, though, as is often the case, no one would believe it.

;)
« Last Edit: May 16, 2012, 08:43 pm by Baz »
SM'ing since God was a child.

missliz

  • Superstar!
  • *****
  • Posts: 569
  • Gender: Female
    • View Profile
    • Personal Site
  • Affiliations: AEA
  • Experience: Professional
Re: SMASH - the TV series
« Reply #27 on: May 17, 2012, 01:31 am »
She even called an Equity break! Though they held one actor to go through her costume quickchange on her break...so...
I personally would like to bring a tortoise onto the stage, turn it into a racehorse, then into a hat, a song, a dragon and a fountain of water. One can dare anything in the theatre and it is the place where one dares the least. -Ionesco

iamchristuffin

  • Permanent Resident
  • *****
  • Posts: 270
    • View Profile
    • www.christuffin.co.uk
  • Affiliations: UK SMA, UK Equity
  • Experience: Professional
Re: SMASH - the TV series
« Reply #28 on: May 17, 2012, 05:54 am »
I 'get' the value of the SM seeing / calling the show from the front (albeit often in sealed room as far from the stage as humanly possible), but I often miss the connectivity of being on the deck.

(And jeez, if I think about it, I even recall the British terminology PS and OPS - though thankfully, I never had to use it)

But I digress...

PS and OP (as far as I've found) are really only used in large-scale opera/dance houses over here.

Just tossing my 2 cents in here as well - I always call Ballet from backstage. I've only called from out front once and I absolutely hated it. (I had to call from the front as there was no room for my console due to the number of wagon set pieces.) When I go work in "regular" theater and call from the back of the house (or in the middle of the balcony in one really weird theater) I feel totally detached from the actors. As long as I have my stage monitor, maestro monitor and cue lights, I'm a happy camper backstage.

I'm currently calling from out front for a play in the round.....and I'm really not a fan! I want to talk to my SM, but she's doing cues, and wireless comms are sadly not an option at this venue!

MatthewShiner

  • Forum Moderators
  • *****
  • Posts: 2478
  • Gender: Male
    • View Profile
  • Affiliations: AEA, SMA
  • Current Gig: Freelance Stage Manager; Faculty for UMKC
  • Experience: Professional
Re: SMASH - the TV series
« Reply #29 on: May 17, 2012, 09:18 am »
I am pretty sure they all know what a stage manager does, and things like a copyist (who was NOWHERE to be see when writing new music).

It's just that stage management doesn't make thrilling T.V.

"On Tonight's Smash, a dry tech to end all dry techs . . . what will happen when the bedroom set stops moving upstage in a nail biting 15 seconds of terror."

I think the drama of the people is vastly more interesting.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Anything posted here as in my own personal opinion, and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of my employer - whomever they be at a given moment in time.

 

riotous