Messages

16

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Wait Until Dark

« on: Aug 09, 2007, 07:12 am »

I just finished directing this last month.

Pre-set needs to be photographically precise.  Suzy cannot "search" for a prop that is mis-placed.  And there's lots of minutia to keep track of (door keys, cigarettes, etc.)

We decided NOT to do the fake knife bit, as it was more work than would pay off in the scene.

Smoking was an issue.  We tried fake cigarettes, but it was definitely a compromise, and we never really achieved the moment of the cigarette burning in the ashtray  effectively.  And it's not like you can really write the smoking out of it, since Sam's smoke is a plot device and Roat's smoke is so indicative of his character.

Another thing is the mess in Act II created by Mike and Suzy "searching" the apartment during intermission.  It's a delicate balance between creating clutter while avoiding "blind" actor traps.

The end of II.1 is a calling challenge, as Gloria and Suzy pull fuses and break hallway lights.

Good Luck!

17

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: calling cues

« on: Jun 19, 2007, 11:46 am »

often, when the show allows, I'll just lump flies under "deck"

so I'll call "Deck GO" or "Deck # GO" if there are many.

Cue lights are also handy when everybody is sure what cues they actuate

18

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

« on: Jun 13, 2007, 09:24 am »

Shakespeare is nice because you can find electonic copies of his work.  You can double-space in your book, and it's just a godsend to manipulate text like that.

Fights are HUGELY important.  Safety is a must!  If your program doesn't have any experience with combat, check out the Society of American Fight Directors at SAFD.ORG

19

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

« on: Apr 30, 2007, 12:54 pm »

Reminds me of a period when I did a summer work gig with our city.  I was on a crew that would pick-up 4 large items of junk from the curb when an appointment was made with the city.  We would invaribaly pull up on places that had junk piled up from curb to sidewalk, and usually in depressed areas.  The guy that trained me remarked "Well it's our neighborhood, too", as we proceeded to clean up the property. 

One does what one needs to to keep everyone moving toward the goal of performance.  Yelling "NO" is counterproductive, just as in Improv scenes.  It grinds rehearsal to a halt, and takes everyone involved out of the scene. 

If the goal is a line-thru, then everyone waits while the actor accomplishes the goal.  If it is a run or even working thru a scene, then time spent waiting for the actor (when giving a line will move the group forward) is wasted.  It also puts said actor immediately on the defensive, and progress can generally be scrubbed for the remainder of rehearsal.

If it remains a problem, the director and stage management team must address it as a problem outside of the rehearsal room, by arrangeing line tutoring or what have you. 

Poor ASM's!! Crap always rolls downhill!

20

Tools of the Trade / Re: Clock/Timer recommendation

« on: Apr 18, 2007, 03:40 pm »

I use a software program called multi-track stopwatch.  It's a simple computer program that has 10 different stopwatches.  You can set each one individually and time independently.  What I do is set one to count down from half hour, one to count down at intermission(s), and then one to count up for each act, one for show time, one for run time.  It may seem excessive but it's time to do the report at night you just read right off your screen.  Best of all it's free!

Do you happen to have a link to it?

21

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: YAle Short Hand

« on: Mar 29, 2007, 10:10 am »

Just tell said director that "Yale Shorthand" is their proprietary name for "the most efficient way to do things"! 

22

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: How do you call your sound cues....

« on: Feb 13, 2007, 09:34 am »

and SFX (software) programming is in numbers.

I used SFX software last season, and it has the option of using either # or letters, and still has the ability to use point cues, ie. SQ R.5, R.9.

Versatile software, that!

23

SMNetwork Archives / Re: Astrology for Stage Managers

« on: Feb 13, 2007, 09:27 am »

While I'm Cancer with Scorpio Rising, and do display characteristics of each, I believe that Aquarius best describes me!

24

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: How do you call your sound cues....

« on: Feb 09, 2007, 09:00 am »

Much of the new software will let you name cues with either numbers or letters.  If the Sound Designer is amenable, I do ask for SQ's to be lettered just for further delineation from LQ's.  During the 8th show of the week, the difference between a letter or a number can avoid an inopportune blackout when a sound Q is called.

AND if the cues get into double letters by intermission, I'll often just begin again with SQ A, and go forward from there.

25

SMNetwork Archives / Re: Thanking those lucky stars...

« on: Jan 16, 2007, 09:14 am »

Well, aside from the fact that the holiday season shut my theater's doors for good...

It did give me time to bake 2 dozen cheesecakes!

26

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Interesting request for performance reports...

« on: Dec 08, 2006, 12:37 pm »

My Show Reports always reflect the following:

HOUSE OPEN: 7:32                      
ACT ONE START 8:05/ACT ONE FINISH 8:58      
ACT ONE RUN TIME 51:37                  
INTERMISSION 16:26                    
ACT TWO START 9:15/ACT TWO FINISH 10:03      
ACT TWO RUN TIME 47:48                    
TOTAL RUN TIME 1:37-35 PLUS INTERMISSION                           

Ditto to VSM, but I don't actually stopwatch my intermissions.  If an intermission runs particularly long, I'll note the reason in my report.  As long as they are within 2-3 minutes of the announced length of intermission, I'm satisfied by knowing what time intermission begins and ends.  Seconds don't matter in Intermission, unless there is a specific need.  To me or my company, at least.

27

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Stop The Show!

« on: Dec 08, 2006, 12:26 pm »

I've had to stop shows on several different occasions.

Once, a pre-teen actress passed out and fell from an 8' platform, just seconds from the final cues.  She broke both of her jaws, which of course necessitated calling an ambulance and her parents.  I immediately called for God Mic and said "Ladies and gentlemen, we now pause for a brief unscheduled intermission" before I tore out of the booth to attend to her.  (As a side note, one of my Artistic Directors was actually running lights that night, but wouldn't address the audience, he left it up to me to figure out what to say!)

Then there was the time when a stage tech missed his spike and the gigantic turntable missed it's pivot and wedged itself against the proscenuim.  This would be Opening Night of the biggest contract that I've ever worked under!  Once again, "Ladies and Gentlemen, we will now pause for a brief, unscheduled, intermission!"  This time, since it was opening night, everyone who built it was in the audience, and throughout the house (astonishingly like a pack of Whack-A-Moles) techies began to pop out of their seats and wander backstage.  There was a little hemming-and-hawing before we reset and got going again.  (This story gets a lot more detailed and funnier when I tell it in person )

Most recently, in the first act of the last show I SM'ed, power went out throughout downtown.  I ran over to the tech booth (where the window slides open), and announced "Ladies and Gentlemen, we obviously have had a power outage.  Please remain seated as we try to determine the extent of the problem.  Crew, please escort the actors offstage with flashlights."  I then went out to the lobby to check with House Management, who had already called Com Ed, and saw that the lights were out to the entire area.  I then went back in and announced the postponement of the show, and had the ushers begin escorting the audience out with flashlights.  We ended up cancelling that performance, and the lights came back on an hour after we cancelled the second show of our twinight doubleheader.

Stopping a show is not a fun thing, but like any other crisis, it can be handled well, or panic can ensue.  The trick is to keep a level head, as is the key to Stage Management!

28

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Calling Spot Light Cues

« on: Nov 11, 2006, 03:30 pm »

I must be blessed.  My LD makes his own spot Q sheets and he just tells them what LQ #'s are theirs.  I don't even have to call them, they just listen for the LQ's that bring their spots up. 

Of course, the ops don't control their power up/down.  They're run right off the board, but they do change gels, iris up/down, etc. according to their run sheet.  I will generally stand them by, but then I just call the LQ go.

I did have to do a summer of 2 Gentlemen & The Scottish Show for a community theater's "Shakespeare by the River" season, where our LD disappeared after 1 production meeting, leaving me to design the lights on my own, and relying heavily on 3 followspots.  They sat on top of my booth (A plywood box on top of scaffolding, 3' from the train track) {did I mention the TRAIN that STOPPED and LAID ON IT'S HORN while an audience member moved their car off the tracks?}

Anyway, I had to explain each spot cue, in full, to each op, each night of the run!  A tricky thing to do while splitting 2 headsets between 3 ops. Whoof!

I figure there's a special place in theatre heaven for those of us who make crap like that go!

29

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

« on: Oct 27, 2006, 06:59 pm »

Touche!

30

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

« on: Oct 25, 2006, 01:15 am »

If I know that there is a cue going somewhere, I'll generally write it into the book right away.  Especially events that I need to announce in rehearsal, such as "Doorbell", or "Telephone"  (heh, "Pigeon" )

My book a slightly shrunken script shifted as far right as I can get it (I'm a lefty).  I use a 6" rule as a straight edge and put all of my cues in the expanded left margin.  I write all my cues on top of the line, always in the same order, if there are multiple events cued at once, Usually LQ___SQ___FX___DECK___.
If the cue is line actuated, I underline and slash up at the specific word.  If it is blocking actuated, I write a little note below the line.

You'll eventually find what works for you, I have yet to meet 2 SM's with more than 1 yrs experience that did it the same way!