Messages

1

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Short Form ans Symbols

« on: Apr 10, 2012, 05:52 pm »

A lot of the ones I use are what loebtmc described above and came from the "Schneider Notation System" ...but only the ones that make sense to me and I can remember off the top of my head: give, take, above, below, stand/sit/lay, and a lot of the body parts are the first ones that come to mind.

I also found I wanted quick symbols for "to" "enter" and "exit," so I invented:

- to (as in Actor x - L of SR bench)
< enter
> exit

I circle all people (a one- or two-letter initial for each) and box/square all furniture/set pieces. BN= bench, CH= chair, BD= bed, X=platform.

You can see the Schneider system here, about 3/4 of the way through the document: http://www.hofstra.edu/pdf/dd_sm-hndbk.pdf

EDIT: page 129, to be precise. CTRL-F is your friend.  - PSMKay

2

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: SHOWS: Little Shop of Horrors - Puppeteers/Training

« on: Jan 09, 2012, 03:58 pm »

I directed a community theatre production a few years back. Because this was small town community theatre, I added an ensemble of three. They, along with the actor who voiced the puppet from a microphone in the booth, were in "Skid Row." They each played one of the three visitors in "The Meek Shall Inherit." One played Skip Snip at the end, and they other two served as puppeteers.

There are usually four puppets: the first one just wilts, if I remember correctly. The second was controlled by Seymour, and I used two different performers for #3 and #4, just because it was SO hot inside the puppets, I didn't want one person inside them for 1.5 hours. The puppeteer who was not controlling the puppet helped set the puppet during the shift, get the other puppeteer safely inside, and help pull actors though the puppet while they were being eaten.

We rented our puppets, and they arrived a few days before tech. We dedicated an evening to puppet rehearsal-- getting the actors used to manipulating it, then adding the voice, then adding the actors who get eaten. It went pretty smoothly. The puppet that required the most rehearsal was actually pupptet #2, because it was controlled by Seymour's arm while he is singing.

3

Employment / Re: to QR or not to QR?

« on: Sep 12, 2011, 10:24 am »

I, too, am in the "I'm pretty darn tech-savvy but have never actually used QR codes" camp. I definitely understand their potential use in some situations, but I keep seeing them in increasingly weird places where it's just not realistic that someone is going to whip out their phone and actually use it. I agree that a resume is one of those places... if someone is looking seriously at your resume, they're probably more likely to just type it in their browser at their desk.

With that said, i do have on on my business card. It directs to a PDF of my resume. I put it there mostly because I was printing a small batch of homemade ones after changing some of my contact info, and the back was just wasted space, so I tried it out. I do think that it MIGHT actually be useful in that sitauation, but almost everyone I've given one to has flipped it over and said "what is this?!"

4

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Calling cues for the spotlight operator

« on: Jul 25, 2011, 04:54 pm »

Are your followspots connected to the dimmers and run by the lighting console? If so, I call something like:

Standby, spots 1 and 2, in a frame 3, to come on Reno, upstage left.
Spots, go.

If they are dimming themselves, it's more like this...
Standby, spots 1 and 2, in a frame 3, to come on Reno, upstage left, on a five count.
Spots-- Go-2-3-4-5. (so they're opening the irises simultaneously as I'm counting).

If it's a show with a lot of cues and I don't have time for that mouthful, then I would give them cue sheets (which I do anyway) and just call "follow 2" instead of telling them who they're on, where the actor is entering, and what frame they're in. I'd still count out fades if they're self-dimmed.

But that's just me.

5

Tools of the Trade / Re: Multiplay Sound Cue Software

« on: Jun 10, 2011, 01:08 pm »

Having used Multiplay a bit, my opnion is that it's a leap above using something like iTunes, but nothing like the full version of Qlab. I go back and forth between Multiplay and the free version of Qlab-- largely depending on whether I have a Mac or a PC. In my experience, Multiplay can be buggy-- which of course comes with the territory when it comes to  freeware. I just always make sure I have plenty of lead time to diagnose any problems.

For freeware, I think it's fantastic. If I have the option of using a more robust (expensive) program, great. But when I walk into a space with an old audio console, a CD player, and a PC running iTunes... Multiplay is a lifesaver.

6

College and Graduate Studies / Re: MFA vs MA

« on: May 10, 2011, 12:53 pm »

Someone with an MA is certainly eligible to teach at a university... as an instructor or lecturer. They can also serve as a staff member (e.g., as the Production Manager for the department). However, they are not eligiblefor tenure track positions. Which means they won't get paid as much as an Assistant Professor/Associate Professor/Professor, and they won't have the job security of a tenure position.

Outside of the academic world, it's not as strict of course. I wouldn't imagine that not having the "F" would disqualify him from much, but having it might put him one step ahead.