Messages

16

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Calling attention

« on: Oct 29, 2007, 10:53 pm »

Usually, I stand up very tall, and shout out "South High Theater, If you can hear me clap once.  If you can hear me clap twice."  I never have to get to that third time.

17

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Student Stage Manager's Challenge #1

« on: Oct 23, 2007, 11:36 pm »

I'll have mine up as soon as I can get to a scanner, or my wacom tablet, so I can enter in my hard to trackpad-draw symbols.

18

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Effective communication as it relates to today's technology

« on: Sep 27, 2007, 06:57 pm »

Alright, now I have started working with a new director who doesn't check the website or her email.  The only way to get a hold of her is call her phone before school starts or after rehearsal ends, and hope she's awake.  Needless to say, I give everything to her in writing.  There are still communication issues though.

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Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: The Most Qs Ever

« on: Sep 25, 2007, 07:58 am »

A production of Twelfth Night.  There were 50 lighting cues, and 20 sound cues before any lines were spoken, but after the show began.  The cues slowed down significantly after that.

20

SMNetwork Archives / Re: Tech Haiku

« on: Sep 23, 2007, 10:16 pm »

Hold on Q A.2
Jules missed her big entrance
Come on, get onstage

21

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Emergency Contact/Medical Info forms for Students

« on: Sep 09, 2007, 01:22 pm »

The information is going to be handled/collected by the school staff members.  We have run into an issue in the past that when someone gets hurt, it is almost always after the time the school office is closed (all shows, most techs, etc...).  And the district won't let us have our adviser have a photo copy of the information in the office.  So we need to collect our own set of the information, with parent consent.

22

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Emergency Contact/Medical Info forms for Students

« on: Sep 09, 2007, 12:38 pm »

Hello, This fall my high school is doing A Midsummer Night's Dream as an outdoors show.  Our school has never taken emergency contact info/medical info from our actors, and we feel that we really do need to start, considering we are doing an outside show.  Does anybody have a favorite form for underage actors, or just a list of things to go on the form?  Thanks!

23

Tools of the Trade / Re: Backstage booth/SM area

« on: Sep 01, 2007, 09:53 pm »

Heh, I just built one of these for our studio theater last year!  Ours is a raised platform with a counter around three edges.  Things that we found very important were:
* Carpeting to keep the noise of the rolly chairs down
* A nice big clock we got from Ikea
* at least a foot of space around the edges for emergency exits
* lots of things to tape cable to
* enough shelf room to have the prompt book on the counter, and have the sound and lights equipment setup.

Hope it helps!

24

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Effective communication as it relates to today's technology

« on: Aug 24, 2007, 10:40 pm »

Of course, I've never tried the "online callboard," so I can't really say how well it does or doesn't work for me.  Maybe on my next show I'll try to integrate this aspect and see how it goes over.

I used a sort of online callboard for my most recent show.  I hosted a site for the show, just a simple one page thing, that would have the most up to date rehearsal schedule.  I would also hand them a physical printout in rehearsal.  This way they had access to it when they didn't have the sheet around, but they also received it personally, and I know they did, so they are accountable.

25

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Bows

« on: Aug 24, 2007, 08:32 pm »

The only time I have seen acknowledging the booth is in Fringe Festival (Minnesota) performances, where the technician is running 4-5 shows, order, amount, etc... changing, everyday day for 10 days, other than that, there has been one production I have worked on where a crew bow was planned on, but that was cut, because we (the crew) had to be backstage and hold together a few platforms as the lead ran across them while changing dresses.  Instead we, as a crew, in a circle took a bow together as the cast took theirs, and sung the last line of the curtain call, then ran to our appropriate stations to do house lights, and clean.

26

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Stage Management Guide

« on: May 11, 2007, 08:16 pm »

Hi, the two quotes in question I have heard many times, most recently by a fellow SM, and I do not know the original source.

"--"We need SM's." (Who?) It is really good to be specific."  This is referring to our theater program, this guide is targeted specifically for our program.  Same with the production meetings, we always have them on Tuesdays, it's how our Artistic Director works.  If someone can't make one, someone contacts that person to get information if it is time sensitive, or it gets brought up the next week.

I am definatley considering making safety it's own chapter, or having a section devoted to it in each chapter.

These suggestions are great, thanks!  I am hoping to get another 1-2 chapters typed up this weekend (a lot of this is already written in my journal), and will work to incorporate these suggestions.

Thanks guys!

27

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Stage Management Guide

« on: May 09, 2007, 11:17 pm »

Hello all, I am working on a guide for stage management at my school, and I was wondering if anybody would be willin to take a look at it.  It has just been started, so a good portion is just section stubs, but if you have any ideas for improvement, or anything else, please feel free to post them!  I would highly appreciate it.

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Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Injured during tech?

« on: May 09, 2007, 11:04 pm »

I was the lighting designer for a show, and was partially running the tech rehearsal, because the SM was slacking off (something about finals).  I broke my collar bone walking home from the first day of rehearsal.  I slipped on some ice, because I was to busy making the list of instruments and cues to fix.  I still got the list to my ALD, and he was able to step up and take care of it.  While I got to lay around all day, and make paperwork.  I missed the show (short run), but was able to attend the cast party!

29

SMNetwork Archives / Stress and Eating Right

« on: Mar 18, 2007, 11:26 pm »

So, as a full time student, stage managing a show, and trying to carry a job, you can imagine I get a bit stressed out.  There are tons of threads on dealing with stress, and one of the most common responses is to eat right.

How do you find the time to be able to eat right, and the ability to do so?  Is there a trick for a student to be able to eat right, and not spend very long making and sitting down to eat?

30

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Definitions and Interviews

« on: Feb 23, 2007, 08:11 am »

Hello there, Next week I go into auditions for the first show I have stage managed, here at my high school.  I have SM experience out side my high school, and I have been an ASM and AD at my school.  The show is a Senior Project, which means it is directed by a high school senior, and all student run, with just some marketing/finance help from the department.  I am doing an Independant Project (a course that me and the drama director work together on, on a subject of my choice) in Stage Management, to help me get through this better, and to learn more about Stage Management.

The first big paper I am writing for this project is on the definition of stage management, which I know is a huuge subject, so I was wondering if anybody had any good links about it, and also if anyone would be willing to be interviewed?  I saw another topic asking for interviewees, but I figured I should ask again, instead of randomnlly emailing those who said yes in that one.

Thanks!
Chris