Messages

16

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Runsheets

« on: Mar 12, 2005, 06:20 pm »

as the ASM, I have often found it exhausting to have to update run sheets nights, print and xerox them, and get them to the theatre for the crew to review on a daily basis. So I usually do updates when there are major changes... so usually after the first tech, in time for the first runthru, then a clean copy the day before opening. Any notes are handwritten after that. I usually collect the sheets on a nightly basis during tech to find out if there are any discrepencies in the handwritten notes so that the next day, we're all on the same page. At the end of the run, I usually take everyone's handwritten notes then make a clean copy for the production book.

This last show that I stage managed, the ASM wanted to have new run sheets daily which really frustrated the crew because they never felt they had "gotten the chance to learn" their stuff before it was reassigned.... even though about 1/2 of it was just the typing in their notes to the sheet. The union guys were especially irritated because they felt that it was a lot of miscellaneous words on the page and wanted to stop using them after the 3rd version (we went up to 6) but I wouldn't let them.

Checking in with the crew to find out the needs is always good.

17

The Green Room / Food

« on: Mar 08, 2005, 08:18 pm »

ick! cooked carrots! =)

Actually, this last show, I started to take around those bag of raw bagged veggies so I wouldn't turn orange anymore. Now I'm addicted to raw cauliflower.

But, yes, peanut butter is my friend. Handy too because I suffer low blood sugar so it sometimes gives me that pick me up I need.

Frozen food wise, I find that I don't get as "ill" from it if it's the organic meals from like Trader Joes. Otherwise, I tire of frozen meals pretty quickly. They also have those soups that you can add water that are tasty too.



Okay, now I'm starving. Off to eat!

18

The Green Room / Food

« on: Mar 08, 2005, 01:38 pm »

I wish I were fond of cooking. Or wish that you were nearby so I could  beg food off of you! During rehearsals, I seem to snack a lot so I don't then need a big meal or crave fast food as much. I eat a lot of baby carrots and hummus (thanks Jules Aaron for getting me addicted) and I carry around a jar of peanut butter and crackers or bananas or dried fruit in my bag. Then in the morning, I stop off at the deli at Safeway and either get some tuna salad or egg salad or chili and plop that on one of those precut bags of lettuce. And i have a zillion containers of yogurt in the fridge when I have access to one. It usually keeps me going until I get home.

Wow. I never thought of my eating habits before. What a good exercise.

19

SMNetwork Archives / what is the best way to spread the word

« on: Feb 24, 2005, 04:40 pm »

yeah, I know it's a small world. Which is why I keep guarding myself.

However, I just would hate to have another stage manager go through my experience without having a tip first ... kind of like how I wish that the AEA business rep had warned me before rather than calling me later with a 'yeah, just checking in because in the past, there's been a lot of problems with this company. I personally wouldn't have taken the contract, but know that I'm here for you." Then later, another business rep called and said, "the changes you fought for are why we need people like you in the union. You're not alone, but don't give in."

The issues of OT were just like 1/4 of the battle... On a plus sde, I learned SO much about my style and my strengths, weaknesses, and still got the experience that I went there for as well. And I made new friends and got to be in a different city. ...

Thank you for the advice.... I was just needing to vent my worries before it started to eat away at me.

20

SMNetwork Archives / what is the best way to spread the word

« on: Feb 23, 2005, 09:59 pm »

without getting slaughtered in the process for saying bad things? I am pretty upset to hear that a former company has managed to start recruiting some excellent stage managers by pretty much blaming all faults from previous seasons on former stage managers (ahem, I'm one of them) and the AEA office (which okay, so it wasn't the easiest office to work with). Admittedly, company is SO "let's pull an allnighter" which is kind of fun, has some really great work with a half pro/half community set of players, and is such a quirky political place that you kind of want it to succeed... I hedged about returning... then I remembered all of the bad things that violated about every rule in the book and got me into oodles of hot water.

Maybe this is just a vent since I don't think much can be done.

21

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Birthday cakes

« on: Feb 22, 2005, 09:34 pm »

wow. You all are so good. Seriously. I'm a Scrooge and I just tell the cast and crew that I'm not the socal director so things like birthdays is up to them. I plead that they at least inform me if they're going to do a "surprise" at rehearsal.  What has really gotten to me at the opera is that they often break out into song during tech, cutting into the orchestra time, which is then left after me to rush everyone through so we don't go into OT. I'm a pain like that with the holidays too... I used to work the "christmas" show and there was always a problem with the whole secret "santa" exchange, that I just stopped and told the cast it was up to them and not my job or the deputy's responsibility.

Then of course, when it's my birthday, I feel really guilty when they break into song and give me a cake and I was such a weenie.

22

SMNetwork Archives / the 10 commandments

« on: Feb 22, 2005, 09:28 pm »

Matthew, I LOVED that... did you write that? I want to print it out to keep it in my wallet. -darlene

23

Stage Management: Other / my $.02

« on: Feb 03, 2005, 06:42 pm »

there are a lot of differences, but then there are companies like Opera San Jose where I do everything that I would do in theater, including taking blocking, being at all rehearsals, running understudy rehearsals, scheduling... all stuff that fall under an AD at the SF Opera. But OSJ also incorporates what I would have the ASM do into my job description ... so like tracking props and creating scene shift plots fall under the SM. The ASM is not brought on til right before tech. The only really weird thing is that I'm not at production meetings except on a "invite" basis.

And yes, the tech experience has been strange to adjust to... the staging night can only be stopped by the director or in an emergency (like scenery falling). The piano tech is run as a runthru, with notes afterwards (pray you get your light cues down). The orchestra tech is run by the maestro. And it's weird to have to page singers to places for each and every entrance.

If you are in California, you should apply! OSJ starts hiring about 3- 9 months in advance for stage managers. ... there are three levels.

24

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / cumbersome scene shifts

« on: Nov 29, 2004, 07:53 pm »

I seem to work a lot of shows that have real food.. on a plus side was that since I never had time to eat dinner between shows, there was always a lot of leftovers and the chinese restaurant that donated the food didn't use MSG.

Trying to be super duper quiet during scene shifts is really hard for me. It's kind of like laughing at funerals (which I do). I am also slight, so I'm often the person who gets the task of crawling under sets during shifts. I remember having to wedge under a stairwell to trip the wires for a scene shift. That wasn't cumbersome, but it was painful when one day I wore a bulky sweater and got stuck.

25

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / cumbersome scene shifts

« on: Nov 29, 2004, 02:49 pm »

I'm not too fond of shifts that involve falling elements like snow, leaves, glitter, rain, superballs ... or needing a makita to install every show. Or blood. Or real food (Joy Luck Club we served 4 main courses a night).

Otherwise, I love being the props runner on "real" shows where the set involves a lot of set dressing.

26

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Lights? Electrics? Elex? What do you say?

« on: Oct 31, 2004, 05:23 pm »

what a great thread to read!

I have always wondered about the sound cue preference. In college, it was letters, then when I started to call shows, the designers used numbers. Then this last round of shows, the designer used letters, but once we reached AAAAA.7, we went back and renamed them so that at Intermission, I'd start over with A.

I've never called a cue without a descriptor, especially as I've been a board op when the stage manager doesn't specify during complex sequences and you lose track. For example, I've fired guns when I shouldn't have because cue lights went off and I couldn't remember if we were on the third blue light or on the fourth call. Or taken a sound cue when it was supposed to be a light cue because we both had a #21 in the sequence (but lights always had a "L" following the number). I'll never forget the patter: "Cue 18L go, Cue 19L go, Cue 19L.5 go, Rail go, Cue 20L go, Cue 21L go, Cue 22L go, Cue 21 go, snow go, cue 23L.5 and the last sound, Cue 22 go. Thank you, and good night."

By the end of the month, I was okay, but boy, I tended to always miss it.