Messages

136

College and Graduate Studies / Re: Equity Courses

« on: Nov 04, 2006, 11:45 pm »

Recently, my production manager handed me and the other PA the proposed performance schedule for our giant Christmas show, and said: "find all the overtime violations".  The show is done with two casts.  They like to balance the overtime between the two casts.  Now, she and her assistant had already proofed both of them, but she wanted to see if we could spot all of the violations.  So we sat down the with the schedules and looked for all the 9th and 10th performances in given weeks, 6 shows in 3 days, and non-student-matinee performances before noon(complicating this exercise was the fact that the two casts have different days off, so that we can run this show 7 days a week).  This exercise really pounded in the rules in way that reading the book, or listening to a lecture couldn't.

137

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Two shows at once?

« on: Nov 04, 2006, 11:35 pm »

I've done that.  It's a really hard balance if they're not for the same company (even then its still hard to give your all to each, but they knew that your attention would be split when they hired you for both).  The time I did it for two seperate companies, I was ASM on each.  I was still in college, and I was ASMing a show, where we rotated nights.  The other show was with a small professional theatre I had been working with.  I would have been SMing the show if not for the college show.  I did both through rehearsals, ran the show at school, went back to the other show, shadowed the SM, and took over the show for the last two weeks of the run.  It was a crazy couple of months.

138

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Stage Manager's Job During Performances

« on: Nov 04, 2006, 11:23 pm »

I encountered some of the same when I did community theatre.  When I first started with the community theatre, I was in high school, and truly didn't know what was expected of me as an SM.  I learned as I went.  I read an awful lot and SMed for the high school and community college. The second summer I took on more.  As I started college, I took on more.  After the summer following my sophomore year, I decided that I'd outgrown community theatre.  I'd accomplished as much change as they were willing to accept, but a lot of that, I found was due to a lack of interest in that particular theatre.  Whereas first summer I was just there while my board ops took their own cues, the last summer I did it, I was op-ing both.  Though I must say, given the choice between one or the other, I'd rather op both.

139

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Prompt Book Help

« on: Nov 02, 2006, 09:07 pm »

I usually use a margin of 1 to 1 1/2 inches, on the right, but I write small.  In conjunction with what smejs said about margins on the top and bottom, I've found that the pages where you really, really want a large top margin is the first page of the script, and if there is one, the first page of the second act.  You usually end up with more cues when you're starting out sections.  Likewise, you'll want a larger bottom margin on the last pages of section.  Just what I've found.

140

Tools of the Trade / Re: how essential is a kit?

« on: Oct 31, 2006, 09:06 pm »

I also work at a big regional theatre, so they provide most of the first aid and office supplies.  What I stock in my kit, and at lot of this was determined last year when I worked for the connected grad school, are fix-it things:  velcro pieces, more-tite, hot glue, goo gone, eye hooks, 1 5/8 screws.  As well as things to make common things I encountered: a syringe, red  & blue food coloring, and baggies to make blood packs, glow in the dark paint, exactos, tie line, aluminum wire, and suction cups.  The contents of my kit is kind of strange.

141

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Red and Yellow and Blue and Green

« on: Oct 31, 2006, 12:18 am »

I agree that all shows are different, and I too, tend to go brighter in rehearsal.  For shows with spiked furniture or set pieces, the color often depends on who is moving the piece.  If it's crew, I usually like brown, dark green, or just Sharpie.  If it's an actor...I tend to go a little brighter.

142

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Dialect Rehearsals

« on: Oct 26, 2006, 10:59 am »

Last year, I was working for a grad school, and they often had sessions with the school's vocal teacher.  Usually these were during rehearsal hours, or set up during odd openings in their class schedule, always held in the teacher's office.  These meetings I did not feel the need to attend, beyond making sure that everyone was present, and things open.  A few times the casts would be working with the director and vocal coach together,and those I always liked to attend, even if they said they didn't really need me.

143

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Summer Theatre Program

« on: Oct 19, 2006, 09:54 pm »

I've worked for a very similar program for the last few summers.  Mine is a new play festival, a professional theatre, run by a major university with ties to the local LORT theatre.  We do 3 plays in six weeks and its pretty much non-stop action.  The first play finishes its second week of rehearsal in tech, and then the schedule goes: Play 1 runs for a week, Play 2 runs for a week, Play 3 runs for a week, All 3 plays run in repertory for a week, culminating with all three shows back to back to back on the final day.

The first year I did it, I was one of two stage managers for the 3 shows.  I stage managed the first and third show, and it was insane.  The second year they realized that they absolutely needed to have 3 stage managers.  I was the PSM, coordinating both of the other 2 shows, and stage managing the 3rd.   It worked a lot better.  Each year we'd get 2-4 college students as assistants.  They were part of an apprentice program that the university also ran, but their focus was more acting, so whether they were any good at ASMing was hit or miss.  I wish that we'd had interns specifically for stage management.

144

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Running Tech, etc.

« on: Oct 12, 2006, 11:30 pm »

I think the tone and pace of a tech is different with every show.  Sometimes you have a lot to get through in a short period of time, and you work at a quicker pace. Other times you have more than enough time.  I did a show last year where the tech was pretty straight forward other than one video sequence, but the acting was in terrible shape come tech (it was a new play with a 2 week rehearsal process and rewrites throughout).  So I let the director know that unless I told him I needed to work something, he could do an acting work through of the play, because that was where the time was most needed.  I'd call cues as he worked, the lighting designer would tweak, occasionally the director would stop to adjust a lighting look.  We worked the video sequence for a while(we had a TV turned on onstage, in the round, so it had to have a real feed of a Bill Clinton speech that the characters were watching).  It was a very laid back tech, but it was what that particular production needed.

145

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: How much time are you there?

« on: Oct 11, 2006, 12:13 am »

When I was in college, I worked in the scene shop for work study.  I had no requirement to be there as a stage manager.  The mainstage scene shop had a staff of 2 plus student help.  However, as someone else also said, we too had a black box.  In these cases, I was often painting for and propping my own shows.  It all varies based on level of production.

If it's just a show you're SMing, and its not listed in your responsibilites for whatever credits you're getting, I'd say go enjoy your vacation.  Check in, but don't feel guilty about not being there.

146

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Running Tech, etc.

« on: Oct 11, 2006, 12:07 am »

I've done a lot of different types of tech rehearsals, but the type I find I like best are just working through the show.  Not a cue to cue per se, though if we're short on time, I'll skip chunks.  I run each bit as often as I need to to feel confident and we move on.  I find that lighting designers like this kind of method because it gives them a chance to work ahead, or to see that 10 minute slow fade they just wrote...

As for notation, during tech, I usually write lightly in pencil, and draw lines to the proper work free hand.   I always go back and rewrite my book, partially because it reminds me what has happened in the course of the tech rehearsal.  I draw lines with a ruler to the right word, or even syllable.  My standbys are usually half a page before, depending on other cues and pacing of course.

I personally hate paper tech, but in college we always used to do it.  Pretty much you sit down with the director and the designers, and rough sketch out the placement of the cues. 

147

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Actor Calls

« on: Oct 09, 2006, 12:16 pm »

I've found that usually I'm waiting on FOH to start, as opposed to waiting on my cast.

Last year, I was calling a thesis play for the grad school I worked for that was being done on the mainstage of the LORT theatre it was attached to.  I learned quickly that if I called a true everything, we'd be on track for starting at X:05, which was usually when house management was ready.  I'd call 1/2 hour, inform house management that I was calling 15 over the walkie talkie, check with house management to see if I should call 5, check with house management to see if I should call places, and do a final check in with house management to see if I could start. 

148

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Email Nightly SM Reports

« on: Oct 04, 2006, 10:47 pm »

I always copy/paste the report or schedule into the body of the email, to reduce the not reading it due to laziness.  I then also attach the document (usually .doc) to the email, so that people can easily save a copy if they are so inclined (and the production manager always is).  I've never had a problem with people not being able to open things on their computers (except for font weirdness).  We did have a situation on the last show with our set designer having a hard time opening reports on his Blackberry.  That was a new one.  It ended up being a setting on his end.

149

Uploaded Forms / Re: Actor/Scene Breakdowns

« on: Oct 01, 2006, 12:49 pm »

Here is a scene/character breakdown that I did for a new play with most of the cast playing multiple roles.  It can easily be adapted into an entrance/exit plot.

150

Uploaded Forms / Re: Reports and minutes (Performance, Rehearsal, meetings)

« on: Oct 01, 2006, 12:39 pm »

Here is my basic rehearsal report, as set up for an established play.  When I'm going a new play, I make the Text category a full page column.