121
Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: squibs
« on: Jul 21, 2007, 08:14 am »
And all this conversation I kept thinking you were talking about wizards who couldn't perform any magic...
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122
Tools of the Trade / Re: Painting on marley floor
« on: Jul 17, 2007, 01:22 pm »
Paint will be even worse because it will be slick and will residuey, and even after it gets mopped up it will probably leave a residue.
It's probably not so much a matter of being slippery for the dancers so much as it is an annoyance that they have to dance when there is tape on the floor.
Who's in charge of your rental of the space? Can't you contact them and find out what you can and can't do? If they say you can put spike tape down, tell them what the dancers/choreographers have told you and see what they say. They might tell the dancers to shove it, you're renting the space and are allowed to put tape down and they have to deal with it. Of course that all depends on what the situation is.
It's probably not so much a matter of being slippery for the dancers so much as it is an annoyance that they have to dance when there is tape on the floor.
Who's in charge of your rental of the space? Can't you contact them and find out what you can and can't do? If they say you can put spike tape down, tell them what the dancers/choreographers have told you and see what they say. They might tell the dancers to shove it, you're renting the space and are allowed to put tape down and they have to deal with it. Of course that all depends on what the situation is.
123
Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: HELP!!!!!!!!!!!
« on: Jul 16, 2007, 08:22 am »
First -- breathe. 
Okay, now that you're doing that, Welcome to the boards! Take a minute to post on the introductions forum and let everybody know who you are, where you hail from, and a little bit about yourself. Take some time to peruse the entire call board. You'l probably find some very helpful, enlightening, and funny topics!
Have you talked to your school headmaster about this situation? If a teacher is causing physical harm to students (panic attacks and hospitalizations certainly fall under this!), even if it's inadvertent and not direct (she didn't make physical contact with you, I'm assuming), it seems to me that someone in authority should still be notified.
Have you kept documentation of all of this (i.e., everything this director has said to you, what you and others were doing when she said it, etc). It would be really helpful to have when you speak to the headmaster. If you don't have paper documentation, then take others with you (like the girl who suffered the same thing that you did) who are willing to stand up and deal with the situation and help make your theatre program the best it can be.
This does not sound like a situation that you will be able to handle on your own, nor should you try. When people put you in the hospital for whatever reason, they are causing you, and others, damage and you can't be expected to just suck it up without reinforcement and help.
Okay, now that you're doing that, Welcome to the boards! Take a minute to post on the introductions forum and let everybody know who you are, where you hail from, and a little bit about yourself. Take some time to peruse the entire call board. You'l probably find some very helpful, enlightening, and funny topics!
Have you talked to your school headmaster about this situation? If a teacher is causing physical harm to students (panic attacks and hospitalizations certainly fall under this!), even if it's inadvertent and not direct (she didn't make physical contact with you, I'm assuming), it seems to me that someone in authority should still be notified.
Have you kept documentation of all of this (i.e., everything this director has said to you, what you and others were doing when she said it, etc). It would be really helpful to have when you speak to the headmaster. If you don't have paper documentation, then take others with you (like the girl who suffered the same thing that you did) who are willing to stand up and deal with the situation and help make your theatre program the best it can be.
This does not sound like a situation that you will be able to handle on your own, nor should you try. When people put you in the hospital for whatever reason, they are causing you, and others, damage and you can't be expected to just suck it up without reinforcement and help.
124
Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: SMing Musicals
« on: Jun 27, 2007, 07:45 pm »
I cut and paste. cut out the text and the piano/vocal lines (or the full score, if i need it) and make it so that it runs straight through. Then I go through the actual script or libretto and put in the page #s so I can still yell out page numbers during rehearsals, as well as making sure i have any rehearsal measures labeled that the conductor would use.
125
Tools of the Trade / Re: Flash Pots
« on: Jun 21, 2007, 08:52 am »
Make sure you have a dealer in state and/or a licensed pyrotechnician -- getting pyro across state lines if you don't have a licensed technician is difficult (if not illegal) without all the proper paperwork (which can take a while to square away). You will also have to obtain a pyro permit (from either the fire department or your city hall).
We order everything from a company called Luna Tech, but they are located in-state.
We order everything from a company called Luna Tech, but they are located in-state.
126
Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: calling cues
« on: Jun 19, 2007, 03:59 pm »
Here is another good example of where personal preference takes a big role. =)
I color code all cues, and so on the actual Q sticky I don't write anything except the letter/#.
On the standby sticky I write "LX" for lights (and say lights in my call) and fully write out "sound" (when doing straight theatre) or "audio" when I have audio qs to call for the ballet. I use #s for the rail, but I only give warnings on those (And I say "warning on rail Q 10) and then the standby and GO are off of a Q light.
Same thing for deck - I just say "warning on deck" and a general idea of the move (e.g., warning on deck, thehouse coming on) and then the standby and Go are just off a light (different from the rail Q light).
Does that help? You need to work out what works best for you, while taking some industry standards into account (as have been explained pretty well in this thread).
I color code all cues, and so on the actual Q sticky I don't write anything except the letter/#.
On the standby sticky I write "LX" for lights (and say lights in my call) and fully write out "sound" (when doing straight theatre) or "audio" when I have audio qs to call for the ballet. I use #s for the rail, but I only give warnings on those (And I say "warning on rail Q 10) and then the standby and GO are off of a Q light.
Same thing for deck - I just say "warning on deck" and a general idea of the move (e.g., warning on deck, thehouse coming on) and then the standby and Go are just off a light (different from the rail Q light).
Does that help? You need to work out what works best for you, while taking some industry standards into account (as have been explained pretty well in this thread).
127
Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Headset Etiquette
« on: Jun 14, 2007, 03:07 pm »Quote
Re: the "bit of fun".
It's not. It's rude. And mean, and yes, unprofessional. And says more about you than about the person wearing the mic.
Unless their mic is up for a line and going over the monitor, no one SHOULD be listening to their private conversations. You aren't piping headset chatter over the mic, why should you do that to an actor?
Yeah...and what if you heard something about you that you wouldn't want to have heard?
A "nice" example of this -- a few years ago I was dating a sound guy in town who was getting ready to leave for his first big regional tour -- I planned this HUGE surprise party for him...everybody knew about it, and all the actors in the cast of the show he was mixing were under strict orders NOT to discuss it, ever, because they didn't want him to pop on to check a mic and hear something. They referred to it as "the thing." And it totally worked -- he was completely surprised!
But back to the subject at at hand -- what if you were mixing a show, and put on the headphones when you weren't scheduled to do checks or something, and they were talking about what an awful mixer you were or what an awful SM they had? How would you feel? Would you be able to sit down and mix/call the show? yikes...not good. And as someone stated earlier, it is a really fast and simple way to lose both the respect and trust of your cast! As a stage manager, respect and trust are two of the most important things to have from your cast...same thing with the audio engineer. They have a very intimate position as well, often having to deal with actors in various states of undress to mic them or fix problems. Trust and respect are key.
128
Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: SMing a Shakespeare
« on: Jun 14, 2007, 02:54 pm »
I always think recording blocking is super easy with shakespeare because all the lines are numbered for you already!
we did a production of Richard III in college with only 6 actors, cut down to 90 minutes. It was AWESOME. We staged all the murders and did all this work with film and projection...it was a really fascinating adaptation.
we did a production of Richard III in college with only 6 actors, cut down to 90 minutes. It was AWESOME. We staged all the murders and did all this work with film and projection...it was a really fascinating adaptation.
129
Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: set changes
« on: Jun 05, 2007, 10:06 am »
I'm working on a show right now where the changes are averaging 60 seconds. There are 9 of them over the course of the show -- but, they have to cover costume changes in all of those as wel....so even if the crew does move faster, the actors probably won't be ready.
I think you have to take it show by show and figure out what is going to work in order to best tell the story of the play/musical/opera/etc.
I think you have to take it show by show and figure out what is going to work in order to best tell the story of the play/musical/opera/etc.
130
Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Hydraulic Scenery accident, London "Lord of the Rings"
« on: Jun 01, 2007, 01:22 am »
I did hear about this -- what an awful situation to be in! I don't know much more about it than what you stated in your post. If anyone can supply more details (as hbeldon noted) that would be great.
To anyone involved -- our thoughts and sympathies are with you and your cast, from all of SMNetwork.
--e
To anyone involved -- our thoughts and sympathies are with you and your cast, from all of SMNetwork.
--e
131
Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Dressing For The Part?
« on: May 30, 2007, 11:29 pm »Quote
I will take the bare arms over the sweat stains and the accompanying smells any day. (How do you tell your PA/ASM/Crew that they smell?! )
OMG, I had to do this with an actor once and it was awful. I tried the whole "talking to the whole cast as a group thing" about wearing deoderant and it just didn't get through...so I had to take the actor aside and I think I said something to this effect:
"I know that you are really busy and are often coming right to the theatre from work, and I want to make sure that you have time to take care of all your personal issues...I just want to let you know that there are showers that you are welcome to use at the theatre, and if you need to, you can keep a change of clothes and toiletry items here. I just want to make sure that you are taking care of yourself so that you can do the best job I know you can do in the show. If there's anything I can do to help, let me know."
He was really understanding, and totally open to what I had to tell him.
the best part is -- a few days later, he THANKED me for taking the time to care about him, and said that I had given him "the kick in the butt" that he needed to get his life back on track. Apparently he had been going through some family issues that I wasn't aware of, and he told me that he hadn't been really caring about himself at all and the fact that I talked to him about it really helped him see that he needed to seek professional counseling and rearrange priorities. Yikes.
So....I guess you never know how much you actually may be helping somebody when you talk to them about their hygiene and clothing issues!
132
Tools of the Trade / Re: Food prop question
« on: May 19, 2007, 10:36 am »
check out this website:
www.fake-foods.com
they have very realisitic looking fake foods. I just did a quick search for "steak" and there are a few different options. A little pricey -- expect to pay $50 or so, but they look GREAT on stage.
Then you could just get a cut of real meat, cook it and keep it in the fridge and put a little bit on the plate each night for the actor to eat. Maybe make the "real mea"t portion into a simple meatloaf and use that -- keeps for at least a few days, and is chewier so it will be easier to eat and swallow than an actual piece of steak on stage.
www.fake-foods.com
they have very realisitic looking fake foods. I just did a quick search for "steak" and there are a few different options. A little pricey -- expect to pay $50 or so, but they look GREAT on stage.
Then you could just get a cut of real meat, cook it and keep it in the fridge and put a little bit on the plate each night for the actor to eat. Maybe make the "real mea"t portion into a simple meatloaf and use that -- keeps for at least a few days, and is chewier so it will be easier to eat and swallow than an actual piece of steak on stage.
133
Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Interesting request for performance reports...
« on: May 09, 2007, 08:53 am »Quote
You win some, you loose some. That said, you can never have too much informationTo the OP as well:
Sometimes along with the house open/PC Speeches up/tune up (if necesary)/db up etc. I've done times of things within the act. Some examples:
1) how long Ms. X and Mr. X kissed
2) how long the pause was after line X
3) how long actor X had to wait for audience laughter before continuing on with the scene.
In a long run...it helps to alleviate some of the boredom -- and gives you something to look forward to every night!
134
Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Who Runs the Tech?
« on: May 04, 2007, 01:09 am »
AAAAH I'm in my one minute per day of not thinking about nutcracker and there you go having to use it as an example! =)
135
Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Calling Lines After Last Day to Call
« on: May 01, 2007, 10:39 pm »Quote
If the director doesn't want me to prompt during rehearsals, that's fine, that's his/her time. But tech is my time, and the designers time... The director had 3 weeks, the designers & I have 2 10-out-of-12's to figure out our end. We're running a scene, I've got a sound cue that I need to see if it will run out and needs to be looped, a costume change that I'm trying to time out and a stage crew making a closed change upstage... The actor not knowing his lines is a problem I (the director, the actor) can solve later; tech is my (very expensive and limited) time.
I'll drink to that!