Messages

136

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: I am SM a showcase...and I am in need of some help

« on: Sep 23, 2007, 09:02 pm »

I've run my own boards before.  I actually prefer it to having ops...it's pretty fun.  Obviously you don't have to call standbys, but I usually write them in my book anyway just to give myself a heads-up.

137

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Is there a right and worng way to call cues????

« on: Sep 13, 2007, 01:41 pm »

Also, I like to check in with my crew to make sure that my cues are clear to them.

138

SMNetwork Archives / Re: hello from your moderator!

« on: Aug 28, 2007, 01:29 pm »

I guess it's never too late to jump in and say hi. I'm Hannah and I go to Brandeis with Lisa a few posts up (we're actually ASMing together this semester).

Woohoo!

139

Tools of the Trade / Re: SM Computer

« on: Aug 11, 2007, 10:56 pm »

I only ever have my laptop out during rehearsal when I'm doing linenotes - I find it much easier to type them than to write them down.

Oh, and Mac, thanks for the tip about Audacity. I have a PC and have been wanting audio-editing software lately.

140

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: The Ultimate Decision

« on: Jul 27, 2007, 08:09 pm »

Like many others, I started out as an actor in high school. When I got to college, two things happened simultaneously: 1) I didn't make any of the shows I auditioned for, and 2) the stage management teacher visited my Intro to Theater class to describe the job. I actually didn't know what a stage manager did at that point (we didn't have them in high school), but it sounded like something I would enjoy, and I volunteered to ASM a show that semester. The rest is history!

141

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Bows

« on: Jul 19, 2007, 06:29 pm »

At the theater I work at (US) it's common practice for a gesture to the booth to be added to the curtain call.  I was surprised by this, though.

142

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / CALLING: Executing both light and sound cues?

« on: Jul 05, 2007, 10:30 pm »

My sound board op left for the last week of the show, so I am running both the sound board and the light board now.

It went well tonight, but it was pretty hectic on my end.  Has anyone else ever had to do this?

143

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: SMing Musicals

« on: Jun 27, 2007, 09:17 pm »

Yup, I insert the text into the score. For me, it works really well - very fluid.

In rehearsal, I have a copy of the script and the score and follow along with whichever one everyone is using (usually the score) so I can call out page numbers.

144

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: SMing a Shakespeare

« on: Jun 25, 2007, 11:38 pm »

I find that I am much more hard-nosed about line notes when doing Shakespeare.  When I do contemporary plays I remind people about their lines (of course), but if they flip-flop a word or two I'm not going to beat them up.  However, with Shakespeare you can lose the integrity of a poetic line by dropping a word or adding an "O."

Agreed!

145

SMNetwork Archives / Multi-tool advice?

« on: Jun 25, 2007, 11:36 pm »

I'm in the market for my first multi-tool and I could use some input.

I think I want one that is less complicated (I'm leaning toward the Leatherman Juice c2), because mostly when I find myself in need of a tool it's something simple like a screwdriver.

So I'm wondering: what multi-tool do you use?  If you have one that has lots of tools on it, how often do you use them?  Would you recommend going with a bigger one even though I won't often use most of the tools - just in case?

Thanks!

146

The Green Room / Re: SMs in media?

« on: Jun 25, 2007, 11:28 pm »

(I believe it's actually an actor playing the role of the on-camera sm)

Yup, he's an actor, not a real SM - I forget his real name but he is a friend of a friend.

147

The Green Room / Re: SMs in media?

« on: Jun 25, 2007, 12:25 pm »

It's not exactly recent, but there is a stage manager in the wonderful play Six Characters in Search of an Author.  In the 70's they made a terrible TV movie out of it (where it was set on a soundstage instead of in a theater).


Also, in Knocked Up the main girl was working as sort of a stage manager type for E! before her bosses put her on TV.


EDIT: I can't believe I forgot this one - the stage manager of the pageant in Little Miss Sunshine. ("We're walking. ...As fast as we can.")

148

Tools of the Trade / Re: Vista and Microsoft 2007

« on: Jun 16, 2007, 11:19 pm »

If you really don't like Microsoft - use Open Office.  It's free and will open any office document as well as edit them.  Works with PC, Mac, and Linux.

Open Office is great - just make sure that you save things as .doc or .xls as the case may be, and not as .odt - otherwise no one else will be able to open them.

149

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: set changes

« on: Jun 04, 2007, 09:20 pm »

Of course I think it also depends on what the scene changes are.

And also on how many people you have. A crew of 6 will be able to perform a scene change much more rapidly than just 2 people.

150

Tools of the Trade / Re: What is Gaffer Tape?

« on: Jun 03, 2007, 11:27 pm »

The other day the theater I work at ran out of gaff tape. Just...ran out. It was horrible. Even worse was that I had to finish what I was doing (taping white stripes on the the edges of the black stairs in the auditorium so that the many old ladies who frequent the theater can see them) -- I ran across the street and bought a roll of white duct tape. Ughhhh.