Messages

106

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: RUNNING: Wardrobe Runsheet

« on: Aug 17, 2015, 04:20 pm »

Each deck member has their own track only. Replacement crew don't get put in rehearsals. You need to be able to just give them their path without any other extraneous stuff. Each post-opening track should be able to fit in a pocket.

107

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Script or Running paperwork?

« on: Aug 10, 2015, 07:43 pm »

My deck tracks were too crazy to be able to carry anything around. I'd carry a mini pocket sized copy of my track while we were pre-opening but once the track was locked I'd stash it somewhere and go on memory. Probably not the best method, as it meant that documentation was skipped on small mid-run changes.

108

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: 'Wicked' Internships

« on: Aug 05, 2015, 05:57 pm »

Hi! We've discussed this before. See here: http://smnetwork.org/forum/students-and-novice-stage-managers/broadway-internship/

Edit: Based on what I'm seeing in articles about previous SM Interns for Wicked, it's a networking/recommendation thing like any other job. Both of the articles below mention how the internship was obtained, although bear in mind that the public story and the actual story often diverge.

http://www.bgsu.edu/news/2013/12/wicked-internship-puts-december-grad-devon-king-behind-the-curtain.html
http://ung.edu/news/articles/2014/01/theater-student-works-as-intern-in-nyc.php

109

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: RUNNING: Wardrobe Runsheet

« on: Aug 02, 2015, 04:27 pm »

Both. The master stays in the prompt book, but in many cases it can be as long as the script itself, or longer. Individual tracks get printed for deck crew to carry with them. During tech the tracks have plenty of space for notes. Once open, the tracks are collected back, the notes transferred to the master, and all individual tracks reprinted in ultra compact, cheat sheet versions.

110

The Green Room / Re: ARTICLE: 21-year-old stage manager killed in fireworks explosion Texas

« on: Aug 02, 2015, 12:02 am »

I don't see her or the PSM on the SMNetwork member list, but I do see a couple of people who have listed "TEXAS! A Musical Drama" as a current gig in their profiles anywhere from 2-5 years ago. It appears that most of these SMs are college undergrads or recently graduated.

The ASM was the one who was caught in the pyro explosion during preshow check. She was a junior at U. of Alabama.

Found the PSM's LinkedIn page, she graduated in May from High Point in NC. This is her 2nd summer working this gig.

Not to knock the younger members of the community, but I remember my level of experience when I was doing stock in college. They've got a cast of 60+ people, plus horses and fireworks-display level pyro, in an outdoor environment SMed by a team led by 20-23 year olds. This has been the case for at least the 5 years based on our user base. The show itself has been running for 50 years. I hate to say it but I can't believe this is the first incident.

111

Introductions / Re: First Time SM, Hello World!

« on: Jul 31, 2015, 10:05 pm »

Welcome!

Advice #1: Read through everything we've got here. You can probably skip the "Hardline" board since you're not dealing with union members, but everything else is of value for you.

Advice #2: Paperwork is great, but your main challenges will be scheduling and personality wrangling. Practice scheduling and working around conflicts. Think up a list of 10 friends or family members whose schedules you know well. Try and assemble a good schedule that would get all of them into the same place 3-4 times a week for 2 months.

As for personality wrangling, it just comes with practice. We have a lot of scenarios posted around here, but also consider all of the assorted crises that you and your friends have been through in the past few years, and problems that have arisen backstage. How would you deal with them from a stage manager's position?

Advice #3: Learn what French scenes are and use them to track your actors, both in terms of rehearsal and plotting backstage tracks.

Advice #4: Your designers and production team are just as crucial as the director in the "get to know" area. Make sure you've spoken with all of them before rehearsals start. Keep them in reach and make sure they know anything that happens with the show when they aren't there to observe. Here's a great game that we played a few years back that will get you thinking about all the ways a single choice can affect the whole production. This also gets into contingency planning. For every item, cue and person that's added to a scene, you need to be considering any possible mishaps that could occur with that person or item, both backstage and onstage.

112

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Dear Abby: My company is selling production videos

« on: Jul 31, 2015, 03:39 pm »

Staff members can post questions to the group on behalf of registered users who wish to remain anonymous. We call these "Dear Abby" posts. This is one of them that arrived in my message inbox today.

I came into a production only during tech as a crew chief, and didn't find out until a week in that a videographer was coming in and would be selling copies of the show to cast/crew who ordered. Not a union house, but they do bill themselves as "professional," and it seems suspect to me. I've been offered a chance to work with this group again, but I'm nervous about 1) whether this is really kosher based on the rights agreements they had to have signed to do the show (MTI I think) and 2) whether I should bring it up if I work for them again and how. Thanks.

113

Tools of the Trade / Re: Submit your story about tech use for inclusion in Stern's Stage Management

« on: Jul 22, 2015, 06:14 pm »

The paperback version of the 10th edition lists at $92. I think $92 in exchange for a few paragraphs is a bit much, don't you?

114

Introductions / Re: Hi everyone!

« on: Jul 16, 2015, 01:51 am »

Welcome! Let's see what we can do about turning you into janithewinner, ok?

115

The Green Room / Re: Patrons behaving badly

« on: Jul 13, 2015, 09:56 pm »

So we know that audience members are going to do stupid things. Sometimes it's because they're new to theatre. Sometimes its due to excessive entitlement/fandom/curiosity. We know that his has been the case going back to Shakespeare's day and earlier.

What precautions can we as stage managers take to protect the performance area or counteract this sort of behavior?

I recall one theatre in the round that made a point to dress desk drawers with in-period envelopes and writing utensils as they knew the house would come up and rifle through the furniture during intermission. Are there other measures - prohibitive or welcoming - that we can take?

116

Tools of the Trade / Submit your story about tech use for inclusion in Stern's Stage Management

« on: Jul 13, 2015, 03:51 pm »

Today I received the following email from Lawrence Stern, co-author of "Stage Management." He's preparing the 11th edition. He has previously used quotes from SMNetwork members and has made the following request, with a deadline of August 14, 2015:

Dear Kay,
 
Would you please post for me a request for anecdotes on SMNetwork.org?
 
In compiling the 11th edition of Stage Management, I'm in need of anecdotes concerning newest uses of digital technology.
 
What programs (like Excel to make sign-in sheets), websites (like SMNetwork to exchange information), social media (like Facebook to post cast/crew information), and Apps (like Remind.com to send out rehearsal reminders) are you using?
 
I'd particularly like anecdotes about how you started using one Program, Website, Social Media or App and switched to another, and the reason why.
 
Love, Health and Peace,
 
Lawrence

If you have stories to share, please include them below. Please note that if your story is included in the book, the publisher will contact you with a release form. In most cases your real name will be used with your quote, although you may request that your name be withheld if your story is particularly incriminating.

EDIT: Added submission deadline. - PSMK
EDIT: Added sticky for response period. -KMC307

117

The Green Room / Re: Patrons behaving badly

« on: Jul 11, 2015, 08:19 pm »

"These are the youths that thunder at a playhouse,
 and fight for bitten apples; that no audience, but
 the Tribulation of Tower-hill, or the Limbs of
 Limehouse, their dear brothers, are able to endure." - Shakespeare, Henry VIII

118

The Green Room / Re: Milestone - 40 years of Stern's "Stage Management"

« on: Jun 24, 2015, 01:37 pm »

Quickie update - received word from Lawrence yesterday that the 11th edition of "Stage Management" has been approved by the new publishers. The new edition will be in color, and SMNetwork will be mentioned in the websites section again.

119

Introductions / Re: Just Joined...

« on: Jun 17, 2015, 11:34 pm »

I like this one. 

120

The Green Room / Re: Professional Ethics: Hearing about a job

« on: Jun 15, 2015, 05:44 pm »

And in this totally imaginary scenario, did you give any hint to this person that they were providing you with new information?