Messages

121

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Talking to a group of campers about stage management

« on: Aug 09, 2007, 02:05 pm »

Next week and the following, I have to go speak to a group of campers at a theatre camp that our local touring house hosts every summer about stage management.  These kids range in age from 8-18, are predominately girls, and are there to perform. Most have no idea what a stage manager does. I talk to each group for 15-30 minutes.  I did it last year, and sort of plowed through it, but I would love to know if anyone has any ideas on how to make what we do seem more interesting to these kids.  Any help would be greatly appreciated.

122

Tools of the Trade / Re: Keeping Spike tape down...

« on: Aug 05, 2007, 01:46 pm »

On wooden/painted floors, I have also used plain matte finish Scotch tape to give the spikes more longevity, without the glare that clear packing tape leaves.  It doesn't stay quite as well, but it's always on my preshow checklist to check the spikes anyways.   

I've also had some success with glow paint.  I did A Delicate Balance this past year, and the designers were very set against seeing big strips of glow tape in the refined living room set.  Some structural set elements, I was allowed to paint right onto, while other nicer pieces of furniture I put down a piece of the matte Scotch tape, then a fine line of glow paint on top.  The best was this faux marble table that one of my actresses had to cross past the downstage edge in blackout to get offstage--my compromise with the designer was that I painted a bit of my glow paint into the veining, so that it gave just enough of a glow for the actress to see it.

123

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Questions to Ask a Venue

« on: Jul 26, 2007, 12:52 pm »

With Fringe, you'll want to find out how early before the show you are allowed to be in there (sometimes it's very, very tight from show to show), and how long you'll get to tech.  And the spaces vary a lot.  When I did Fringe 2 years ago, quirks of our venue included:

*a 4th floor walk up with an elevator in the other space across the hall, that could only be used when that space didn't have a show
*dimmers (of the non-permanent type) that were powered in such a way that usually normal loads caused half the lights to go out.
*a VERY limited amount of lighting
*curtains set up to enclose the stage area that left about 4' to the wall on ether side, in which to store the set pieces for all 4 shows that were using that venue, as well as my actors during the show
*No access to the "dressing room" once the show had started

Like I said, though, the spaces varied wildly.  I saw some shows in gorgeous spaces.  We weren't an Equity showcase, so we got one of the absolute worst.

124

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Let it snow! onstage

« on: May 11, 2007, 12:09 am »

We use the commercial plastic fake snow.  It comes in different sizes, so you can probably find one that's fine enough to work in your tubing apparatus. 

To get the things like potato flakes to look right you need to use a fan.

125

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Calling Lines After Last Day to Call

« on: Apr 30, 2007, 12:27 am »

I find that actors tend to get thrown off their game most right as we head into tech.  Lines that were known with no problem in the rehearsal hall suddenly disappear when we're working on the new elements of the show.  I just finished a tech (well, almost...we' open Wednesday)  and we had interns on book through all the tech, and even the first 3 previews (thankfully no one needed a line during a preview, but they were still calling line that afternoon).

It's a hard line, trying to keep the director happy, and keep rehearsal moving.  I favor giving the line, and moving on.  The actor taking 30 seconds to think up a line, or making something up is not beneficial for anyone.

126

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Artistic Director/Actor/Director/SM Relationship

« on: Apr 10, 2007, 11:26 pm »

I would suggest, as a first step making sure to stay in the loop, get in touch with the director.  Touch base about the conversations that they have had with the artistic director so far, making it clear that you just don't want to let things slip through the cracks.  I'd also suggest having the same kind of conversation with the artistic director, making it clear that your biggest concern is knowing everything that is going on related to the production.  Getting him to not do your job for you over the long run is a little trickier.  I'd start by trying to get him to understand that information from conversations that he has with individual directors (who may be friends of his) about things like schedule, the set, etc. needs to be passed on to you.

About the production meeting....assuming it cannot be changed because of other people's schedules...I'd suggest that you think about questions you might have that could come up, and share them with the director when you talk to him/her.  Then, schedule a follow up conversation with the director, and go over those questions, to see if they were addressed at the meeting, and if there was anything else of import that they would like to share.  You could also try sending your inexperienced assistant, telling her to just write down everything she hears...

127

Tools of the Trade / Re: New Tallescope ruling in UK

« on: Mar 05, 2007, 01:03 am »

It's not so much that we don't have them...we just don't call them tallescopes. Most that I've encountered lately have been motorized, but when I was in high school we had a manual one like the one in the picture someone posted above.  I'd just never heard the term tallescope.  We always called it the cherry-picker, and the motorized ones genies.

128

College and Graduate Studies / Re: Apprenticeships

« on: Feb 11, 2007, 12:51 am »

I did an internship at Trinity Rep the year after I graduated from college, and enjoyed it.  The internships go from August to May or June, generally, and the intern usually gets to work in both the LORT B and LORT D spaces.  The stipend is rather small $75 a week, but housing is provided a few miles away from the theater.  I managed to make do, and gained a lot of experience and good contacts. 

129

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Paying for parking

« on: Jan 26, 2007, 01:21 pm »

I agree that you should share your concerns (especially as an unpaid member of the team). Are there any alternatives to the really expensive parking? I also work for a large regional theatre as a PA (albiet paid), and we do not have parking provided for us, so most days I walk a half mile from the unregulated street parking on the other side of the highway from the main downtown area.  It sucks in the winter, but its free.

130

The Hardline / Re: AEA - LORT - REP - QUESTION #2

« on: Jan 24, 2007, 02:21 pm »

The year I interned, we did Richard II, Henry IV, & Henry V in rep with the same cast.  Stage Management-wise, each show had their own Equity SM.  It was a LORT D contract, so there was no requirement for an Equity ASM.  We had 2 PA's and 2 interns on the project as a whole, who rotated between the various shows (it worked out that each PA always stuck with a show when that particular one was rehearsing, and I got the 3rd as the always in the room with the SM person). This was the craziest rehearsal/tech/performance process I've every been through.  Sometimes the plays were performed in order, sometimes a completely random order, and other times the same show maybe 3 times in a row.  It was a great experience for my first show on the LORT level.

131

SMNetwork Archives / Re: Printers

« on: Jan 24, 2007, 02:09 pm »

I have one of the old Canon BJC-80s.  I've been happy with it, but it wouldn't be compatible with a Mac.  Newer models of the Canon laptop ones that have USB would work though.  You can find a number of these printers on eBay for sustantially less than you'd pay for it brand new.

132

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Dressing For The Part?

« on: Jan 07, 2007, 11:50 pm »

I tend to wear jeans, but nice darker jeans, or cords.  I wear a lot of fitted button down shirts, and sweaters.  It's been pointed out to me recently that I dress similarly to our production manager. My shoes are black  half-boot slip-ons that I've discovered are very quiet backstage.  Backstage I wear dress trousers (because I've found the thin material easiest to move in) and one of my many black shirts depending on the night...dressy on opening, etc.   I never wear skirts or heels, but that's just because I've never flet comfortable in them.

133

SMNetwork Archives / Re: Legal Pads

« on: Dec 31, 2006, 07:46 pm »

I like Steno pads, which are spiral bound at the top, but smaller than a legal pad.  You can find these in all the common office supply stores and the discount store near me has them for 3/$1.  You can find ones that are graph paper (which is my favorite) and a lot of them have easy-tear pages.

134

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Producing New Plays

« on: Dec 08, 2006, 01:10 am »

Most of my main methods for dealing with new work have been mentioned already, but there's one thing that I do that I find helpful that I don't think I've seen yet.  In addition to making sure all pages have an accurate date on them, I encourage you to keep a chart with all of the page numbers on it, and next to each the date that is on the current version of each.  I'd also suggest keeping the rehearsal process hashed together script till tech (aka, you have the exact same pages as the actors...if handwritten changes have been given out, that's what you've got, if a new page is given out, that's what you've got).  It's tempting to have a clean copy, but I've found it incredibly more valuable in answering questions to have the exact same pages as the actors.  Of course, once I get to tech, I switch to a clean copy.

135

Tools of the Trade / Re: What goes inside a SM Kit?

« on: Nov 04, 2006, 11:57 pm »

I see so many comments about people spending a ton of money on their kit, and I have to say that always baffles me slightly. I mean, I know what the paychecks I take home look like, and I can't afford to go dropping a ton of money on my kit. However, I don't like the idea of not being well supplied either. My solution? Free stuff.

In stocking my kit, I've also found that the $1 and discount stores are your best friend. Some dollar stores have quick nice office supply aisles.