SM Software

[J]

I think we've left out two thoughts in general to the idea of using computer software for all SM duties....

1. There are still many theatre companies, artistic directors and directors who do not take well to having computers constantly being used in rehearsal rooms.  While I am all for using computers when necessary, I think it can be very distracting to be CONSTANTLY on the computer.  It pulls the SM out of the rehearsal and the SM is more likely to miss things.  As one artistic director said to me--"I REFUSE to allow technology to take over my rehearsal rooms."

2. Is it really the most efficient, effective, productive, and intelligent way to stage manage a show? Or can it be distracting, tempt stage managers to be "over-productive", and force us to run the risk of losing information if computers fail?

I've used a program called LINE NOTES (from ThankYou5) for taking line notes, and while I find it very useful in some occassions, I've also found that it does take me longer to note a line mistake. First I have to be sure I'm scrolled to the right place in the script, then I have to click and highlight, then I have to right-click and select the type of note. Then a box pops up where I put in the mistake, etc. etc. etc.  Not to mention that every once in a while, the computer would lock up, or the pop-up box would take longer than usual to open...Using a pencil and the script, I circle the missed line, scribble down some code for what happened, and move on.  It's much quicker, and I feel much more a part of the rehearsal. 

*Almost* every company I work for allows computers to be in the rehearsal room, but they ALL frown on constant use of them (by constant, I mean using it for everything and working from it only, without a pencil and paper in hand). Now mind you, these are not small companies. Some are large regional theatres and some are mid-sized theatres within cities.  The problems with constant use are obvious: the clicking of the keyboard, the inevitable desire to keep everything always up to date, the guilty desire of checking your email constantly, the possibility of failure, the (usually wrong) perception that the SM is not focused on the task at hand.  I love my computer...I bought it for my work....but I don't think I should have all my paperwork on it and only on it.  A paper script and a notebook are much safer and smarter choices in my opinion.

What happens when the power goes out in the middle of a rehearsal and you haven't saved in the past 30 minutes because you've been too busy taking note after note?  Will you remember every single thing you put down in that time?  If using paper and pencil, all is well once the power returns.   What happens when the computer locks up or fails? They ALL do at some point or another!  How will you get through the rest of your rehearsal without the information you needed?

As far as calling a show from a computer screen, I just don't understand it.  Many have said that they call from a screen and keep there book there in case of emergency. Well, I can't think of one instance where calling from a paper prompt book would fail you. I can think of MANY where calling from a computer screen would...so why take the risk? Why not put your script in on a computer, then PRINT it!   If you're calling from a computer with the paper book as a back up, I trust that you're following along in the paper book as well (in case of emergency)...so aren't you really just creating MORE work for yourself?

As stage managers, it's our job to be efficient, productive, smart, and to always be thinking ahead, solving problems that haven't yet unfolded.  Paper and pencil in the rehearsal room, with a supplemental use of computers is great. I think, however, that using computers as the only method of documentation and note taking does not show our efficiency, but our lack of ability to think ahead and think wisely. It's convenient, it's fun, and it feels cool, yes, but it's distracting to ourselves and others, and will lead to many more problems than the paper method.

Please know that I'm not trying to insinuate that computers don't have any place in rehearsal. Mine is always open, with the rehearsal report, props list, schedule, Scene/Character breakdown, digital script (if one exists), props preset, etc. etc. and when it's useful and necessary, I work from them, but I ALWAYS have a paper and pencil in front of me. If there's not time, or it's going to be distracting to write the note that was just given directly on the report, I put it down on paper, AND, even if I put it on the actual report, I jot a note about it down on paper, in case the computer fails.

In conclusion, I urge us all as intelligent and effective stage managers to consider all the reasons we want SM software that can do it all. Is it because we think our jobs will be performed better or is it because we know our span of days will be shorter if we don't have to do some paperwork when the day is done? 

Of course we'll always type everything we do, of course we'll always keep using technology to make our work (our final products, that is) look more professional and legible, and of course we'll always be able to find computer gadgets that DO make the process better for us and for the production in general, but at some point, we need to use our superior (I think) intelligence and decide when enough is enough.

Paper and pencil have been around for many many years without seeing extinction. I think it's for a reason.

[Scott]

I think we've left out two thoughts in general to the idea of using computer software for all SM duties....

...Paper and pencil have been around for many many years without seeing extinction. I think it's for a reason.

Brilliant post from top to bottom.

[Sarah]

Or can it be distracting, [and] tempt stage managers to be "over-productive"

This is what concerns me most, when it comes to software/hardware that is intended to make the SM's job easier or more efficient or "does it all." It's part of a concept which I was trying to flesh out in this, this and this thread.

I think many SMs are, by nature, driven to be over-productive. As I refine my personal process, I strive to find the balance between a job well-done and the metaphysical wrapping paper[work] that documents and supports said job well-done.

Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

[LisaEllis]

Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

Here here!

I was starting to think I'm already old-fashioned.

--mod note: fixed quotes

[Rhynn]

I've created an Access database application that I use to keep track of my cues and actor information.  I now do my set designs in Google Sketchup--which allows me to do my blocking in 3D on the projector--my actors love it.  I can even copy and paste a screen shot of the blocking into my script.

One thing that does everything--you need a stage manager to do that.  We can't be replaced by technology.

[ChaCha]

Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

Bravo!

--Edit: Fixed quote - Mac

[MeganTrigg]

I've used a program called LINE NOTES (from ThankYou5) for taking line notes, and while I find it very useful in some occassions, I've also found that it does take me longer to note a line mistake.

I've used LineNotes as well, and I think it's a program that would work really well if you have an ideal sort of set up. With an external mouse connected to my laptop, I found that I could scroll along and be on book on the laptop, with only an occasional click-type-enter sort of combo to take a line note (click to highlight, type in a one or two word phrase that's just enough to let the actor know what happened, and then enter to submit and keep going). Now, admittedly, I type fast (90wpm when last clocked), so that helps a lot. But still, as long as you're following along (and I could do this while tracking blocking in my hard copy script as well - just press pg down whenever I turned the page), you're never racing to keep up. Admittedly, I'm not using it now, which says that there was a problem between how the program worked and how I work.  I think that program is a good start, but it's not quite ready yet.
The main things that made me stop using it were the lack of typed scripts (typing them myself was getting tiring), and the dependence on MS Word -- I had 2003 on the first laptop I used it on, then had to transfer to a second laptop that only had 2000. I found I missed a lot of the features I was regularly using, which got frustrated. And then when I just switched laptops again in December, it went all wonky with the registration code thingies and it's just not worth the hassle to get it re-approved on the new laptop.

What happens when the power goes out in the middle of a rehearsal and you haven't saved in the past 30 minutes because you've been too busy taking note after note?

You don't let that happen. If you have time to take a note, you have time to save that note. You learn that after every single note, before you lift your fingers off those keys, you press Ctrl+S. Every time you press enter, you follow it with ctrl+s. If you haven't touched your computer in a moment or two and you've got a spare second, you reach over and press ctrl+s. And if you do it every single time, it becomes habit. That's not just for stage management -- it's something that ought to be basic computer skills. Sure, sometimes you'll lose power when you haven't saved. But sometimes, someone will knock over a bottle of soda all over your book. But you take preventative measures -- you don't leave open containers of liquid next to your book, and you don't leave your work unsaved. Same principle.

What happens when the computer locks up or fails? They ALL do at some point or another!  How will you get through the rest of your rehearsal without the information you needed?

You use the backup paper copy that was printed out yesterday (or maybe printed the day before and has pencil markings to note slight changes). Or, you make do without. Sure, that part sucks, but sometimes we really don't need *all* the information we've got at our fingertips. As long as you've got the essentials in hard-copy backups, you're fine. The technology doesn't eliminate the paper -- it augments it. So instead of having a thousand pages of paper hanging around, you can pare it down to the essential most-needed things -- script, run sheets, scene breakdowns, etc. And everything else is just a few clicks away, and not crowding out the more important stuff.

As stage managers, it's our job to be efficient, productive, smart, and to always be thinking ahead, solving problems that haven't yet unfolded.  Paper and pencil in the rehearsal room, with a supplemental use of computers is great. I think, however, that using computers as the only method of documentation and note taking does not show our efficiency, but our lack of ability to think ahead and think wisely.

I agree. But, I don't think we should be as wary of relying on computers as I think you're suggesting. I think it's a bad idea to only have one copy of anything -- at this point in time, it's just as foolish, in my opinion, to only have hard copies as it is to only have electronic copies. If I've got electronic copies of all my paperwork, then if something, heaven forbid, happens to my book, I can just print off a new one. That's what back-ups are all about. I also have little flash drives (thumb drives, usb keys, whatever you like to call them). At the beginning of the day & end of the day, I back up all my paperwork onto one of those. And when I get home, that information gets copied onto the desktop computer. So if something does (heaven forbid) happen to my laptop, I've still got my documents. And I've still got a hard copy.

I think once the technology gets good enough, it will replace the paper & pencil method. But we're not there yet. Where we are now is that fun middle ground, where we get to play with the cool new toys and see how they make things better. But if you go leaping off into that realm of what's-next too soon, yeah, you run a lot of risks. No, we're not there yet. But don't be afraid of the new technology and the new methods. Just think of it as another set of tools to help us work better -- faster, cleaner, and with more security.

[Bwoodbury]

I had a director that decided he did not like me because he thought I was messing around on my computer when really I was working. The next show I stage managed, I started using the computer only when absolutely necessary. During breaks I would copy notes from paper to typed report and check my email. That way I cut out the huge pile of notes I was trying to avoid at the end of the night and make sure I got any pressing information, but didn't get caught up in the little things that could wait.

I think that the most important thing about staying off the computer in rehearsal is giving off the impression of being engaged. We all know we can multitask, but it makes the other people in the room feel more taken care of if there's not a physical screen between you. The more I can cut out moments like fumbling to put my computer down, the more I can streamline the process.