Messages

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Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / REHEARSALS/RUNNING: 2 Shows in Repertoire

« on: Apr 30, 2011, 05:58 pm »

I have stage managed many shows, but this summer I have the opportunity to stage manage 2 shows in Repertoire for the first time. It is in an academic setting and we will be performing "Antigone" & "Bad Dates" for 3 weeks, each show performing every other night.

I was wondering if there is any advice specific to this type of production other than keeping to show bibles and just doubling what you would do for one show. Some of the cast members overlap and we are planning to share the same set and light plot as much as possible. Any advice?

Edit to subject line-Rebbe

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Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: ESCRIPTS Archive June 09-Dec. 10

« on: May 19, 2010, 07:55 pm »

I'm looking for an electronic script of Les Liaisons Dangerouses my email is madison.obrien@gmail.com

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Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: ESCRIPTS Archive June 09-Dec. 10

« on: Jan 26, 2010, 08:17 pm »

I need an electronic copy of My Children, My Africa If you could e-mail it to me at obrien.madi@gmail.com it would be greatly appreciated.

THanks
MD

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The Green Room / Re: Best reason from an actor for being late

« on: Jan 15, 2010, 10:59 am »

I've also been an actors one phone call from jail. But my most interesting one was during a run of Christmas carol where we had one of my actors go missing. We were told he was hospitalized for intoxication by his boyfriend that had been trying to get him out of the theater for weeks.  He was a main character and we had to replace him for several weeks of the run while not hearing from him.  towards the end we almost filed a missing persons report, but he miracloulsy showed up for the last performance and performed with no explanation that i know of. 

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Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Shadowing in NYC

« on: Jan 07, 2010, 02:13 pm »

So I would need to become a memeber in order to be a part of the Operations Observations?

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Students and Novice Stage Managers / Shadowing in NYC

« on: Jan 05, 2010, 04:40 pm »

I am planning a trip to NYC this March and have already planned on seeing several broadway shows.  I remeber from one of my theatre conferences that there was a program where you went to a show and got to shadow the stage manager of that broadway show.  How do I do this?  I went to Stage Manager's Association website and found their educational committee but couldn't find anything helpful and they aren't responding to my e-mails. Any help?

Thanks!
mad dog

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Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: ESCRIPTS Archive June 09-Dec. 10

« on: Sep 18, 2009, 06:27 pm »

I'm looking for an electronic copy of A Midsummer Nights Dream by WIlliam Shakespeare. E-mail to obrien.madi@gmail.com

Thanks!!
Madi

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Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: How to make someone's pants fall down on cue?

« on: May 26, 2009, 03:24 pm »

I recently did Pajama Game, we did oversize pants, without any zipper or elastic and they would only stay on if they were held.  so when he let go they dropped another thing is you could put weights in the top of the pants so they fall, but you need to worry about the sound when they dropped on stage. Looking back i wish I would've tried the weights.

it was touch and go for most shows, but the actor was really good at making them fall or acting like they did after he pulled them down, is pretty much just trial and error.

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Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / PEOPLE: A Rude Costumer

« on: Mar 24, 2009, 10:22 am »

Ok so I am currently working my second show with a costumer at community theatre. The first show she was wonderful didn't have any problems.  But now I'm doing Pajama Game with her again and she has been extremely rude to everyone including me.

For one, she showed up to final dance review and requested that the choregraphy be changed becuase they couldn't do the dances in the choregraphy planned.  And expected the actors to jumps in character shoes that is just not safe in.

Second,  she hasn't been flexible with one specific costume.  One of my actors goes directly form one scene to another with a dance number in between with several lifts over her partners head, the costume provided always flashed everyone.  We requested that we have a different costume, no they gave us a slip. so we tried that but it looks tacky and now we have a bad costume contrast, but we decided we could live with it.

Well the slip broke, so when i put it in the report she sent me an e-mail that said we were in charges of minor repairs (i always have been not a problem) and the any major repairs were obviously a result of carelessness and that the actors would have to pay for it.  
I replied by saying I would fix the costume and that just "FYI" the costume was broken by following her choregraphy (I put this in the e-mail so she could know the extent of the damage & also to imply that the actress should not have to pay for it since ti wasn't her fault)
She replied that she is a professional and should be treated with respect and that she knows she is rightly accusing the actress, cause she knows when its carelessness.
Of course I sent the suck up e-mail i wasn't wanting to be disrecpectful and apologized even though she has been extremely rude and has helped us at all

My poor actress just wants a costume that doesn't flash anyone and looks good,so I'm not sure how to bring this up to my director since it is clearly an issue. and also how to deal with her for the remainder of the run since this will be our first of many costume changes.

Sorry for the venting.
Thanks for any help!!
M

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Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: How to explain what we do...

« on: Mar 23, 2009, 01:50 pm »

I forwarded you a ppt presentation I used for my board presentation in Dallas.  (Sorry, it was too large to post here.)

If anyone else would like to see it, let me know, I can e-mail to you.

i would like the presentation i too am always having trouble describing my job obrien.madi@gmail.com

11

Tools of the Trade / Technical Theatre Publications

« on: Mar 18, 2009, 10:45 am »

Does anyone know of any helpful magazines for stage managers or anyone involved in technical theatre?  or even just an interesting and informative theatrical magazine?

Thanks
Maddog

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Students and Novice Stage Managers / Writing down Choregraphy??

« on: Feb 23, 2009, 12:10 pm »

Are Stage Managers expected to write down dance choregraphy?  I've written down blocking but have always depended on my actors to memorize their dances and if someone is needed to fill in they are expected to teach it to them if the choregrapher is not available. 
I'm in community theatre, so i write down blocking and everything but no one has said for me to write down choregrapy so during dance rehearsal I sit and do homework and take notes where necessary. 
I don't know what i'm suppose to do?

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Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Creating a Calling Script

« on: Feb 23, 2009, 12:01 pm »

This is so helpful! So many great ideas. 

Do you usually use your blocking script or do you use a clean script for calling cues?

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Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: SO MUCH PAPERWORK

« on: Jan 29, 2009, 11:56 am »

I have a master binder, that is with me at all times in and out of the theatre litterally if i'm in the grocery store its in the cart lol. I keep all my paperwork in here seperated with tabs like.

Cast Contacts
Notes
Sound
Lights
Costumes
Props
Reports
Scripts

Sometimes these change depending on the show and what i need specifically as for emails, i create multiple folders like Late/Absent (for when people email me and tell me they will be late/absent), or Production Meeting, or with the show name for just general stuff.  And especially if I have a topic that corresponds a lot of emails then i create a folder for it.

~Mad Dog~

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Tools of the Trade / Re: Useful iPhone apps?

« on: Jan 14, 2009, 04:30 pm »

iHandy level is a free application, there is a whole tool bag Surface level, ihandy carpenter, Protractor, Plumb Bob, Ruler. could be helpful if you work in a shop and are building set pieces. I also like Loopt, if my cast memebers have an iphone and are on Loopt it allows em to see where they are, very helpful if they are running late.  Kindof stalkerish, but you can hide your location if you want.