Messages

16

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: VENUES: Shakespeare Outdoors

« on: Nov 28, 2010, 08:29 pm »

I worked on a summer outdoor Shakespeare this summer, and we didn't really run into any problems. The only thing, especially close to the water, is that you don't want to have any exposed wood - we painted the undersides of the set all grey, just for weatherproofing purposes (yay, internships!). I don't know anything about your set, but we tarped ours every night, to keep the rain off most of the stage. And we had a metal container for all the props.

17

The Green Room / Re: Funny definitions

« on: Nov 14, 2010, 11:52 pm »

Stage Manager's Nightmare: a dream in which you are stage managing a show and are running extremely late or miss the show entirely.  Other variations may include sitting down in the booth to a blank prompt book, having a prompt book but discovering it's for another show, or trying to call the show when the actors are performing it in a different language.

I had a nightmare just after the close of my last show.... it was awful. The show is about actors, and there's a scene where the three huge divas perform the same scene to illustrate their style differences. In my dream, I was up in the booth with my director (he's usually there because I'm in high school and all), and the actors playing the divas were having a competition after the show. My director was screaming at me "You're not done with your cues, you're not done with your cues" and I was trying to tell him that no, this was real life, but I had an idea that it was a dream, so I wasn't confident in that statement. It was awful.

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Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Bad Behavior?

« on: Nov 14, 2010, 11:30 pm »

Oh, that's awful, Jill.

I would definitely write it down in any sort of reporting or recording that you have to do or turn in. I would also find out if there's a precedent to work off of - maybe an older student or a trusted faculty member will know. Ultimately, I don't know how much power or influence you have as stage manager, but if his behavior is impacting the show, you'll probably be able to do something. At least I hope so.

Good luck!

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Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: FORMS: Reports - Getting people to read them

« on: Nov 13, 2010, 05:05 pm »

Once, my director and I (in high school, so the faculty director is in charge) were having trouble with our cast - we had really limited rehearsal time, 42 cast members, and they weren't reading their notes that were emailed out. He eventually started putting a password at the bottom of each email and asked for it at the next rehearsal. The consequence for not having the password was never defined, but it did solve the problem.

20

The Green Room / Re: Best one-liner from a performance report

« on: Nov 04, 2010, 10:25 pm »

(The third and final night of a high school show)

Fianlly had a good audience. [Actress] asked to keep them. Told her kidnapping would drastically reduce her chances of getting into college.

21

The Green Room / Re: BTDT help and discussion

« on: Oct 17, 2010, 06:30 pm »

I entered a first name, and it's still displaying in my profile - The Ladies of the Camellias by Lillian Groag. I'm not sure if it needs to be fixed or if it's a display issue (if it's already been fixed and is still displayed that way).

Either way, this is a *brilliant* feature. Thanks, Kay.

22

The Green Room / Re: What did you learn today?

« on: Oct 16, 2010, 12:26 am »

I learned today that the very moment you glance away from the line being said to write the simplest blocking note, the actor saying that line will immediately forget and call for it. No matter what.

23

The Green Room / Re: Convolution Creep

« on: Oct 16, 2010, 12:22 am »

This was especially fun during Anything Goes, when cast members in tap shoes had to sneak by across the tiny section of hardwood floor there.

I saw Anything Goes at the Mac-Haydn! It was really fantastic; I was especially impressed by the lighting (that must be an interesting hang/focus). I did notice the outside stage door, though, and it made me cringe on the SM team's behalf.


Also, I was reminded by another post that my theatre was also build before building codes required wheelchair ends. So if someone in a wheelchair, we have to bring them around the theatre, open a side door that is next to the dumpsters (classy, I know), and then we have to wheel them all the way around the house, because the only way to get directly to the seats from that door is via three stairs. It's a bit of an embarrassment. 

24

The Green Room / Re: Favorite brown bag lunch?

« on: Oct 10, 2010, 05:46 pm »

My favorite is tortellini (of the frozen variety), boiled in a big batch and then separated into however many ziploc containers. Then, on the day of consumption, I would just add some balsamic vinegar, some fresh basil, and various varieties of tomato cut into bite size pieces. Also, pesto is great instead of balsamic vinegar, but it's more work.

This was great for me, because I did an outdoor show and we didn't have a refrigerator there, and this dish is actually best at room temperature - you aren't supposed to refrigerate fresh tomatoes, and I always found it tasted a little weird warmed up.

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The Green Room / Re: Convolution Creep

« on: Oct 10, 2010, 05:38 pm »

I think the most noticeable/annoying thing in my school's theatre is the way to get to edge of the grid. A couple of years ago, we got a brand new lighting board, as a compensation prize for not being included in the new arts building. Because whatever the lights were hanging from at the time was SO unsafe, as pointed out by the guy installing the new board, we got a very nice pipe grid, which goes significantly past the stage, so we can actually light said stage effectively.

However, the edge can't be reached by ladder, because it is over the audience. The seats are retractable (it's weird), but they have to be out a lot of the time because the school uses the theatre for class meetings and things. So, in order to get the Genie (a cherry picker type device) to where it needs to be so someone can hang/focus lights, everything needs to be moved out of the "orchestra" and onto the first levels of the audience, including the light board and monitor and any stair units leading up to the stage.

Our current show has a stair unit down stage center, so we had to unscrew it, carry it all the way to the wings, get the Genie in there, fix lights, pull the Genie out, and put the stair unit back. Really, really annoying.

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The Green Room / Re: Thread to vent about / Actors behaving badly / As haiku only

« on: Oct 01, 2010, 11:34 pm »

You are still on book
I shouldn't have to tell you:
SCRIPT, NOT SUGGESTION

27

The Green Room / Re: Food, Tech Dinners, etc (Merged Topics)

« on: Aug 25, 2010, 03:07 am »

I'm going to revive this topic, because I've been looking for tips like this, and I found them, so I'm not going to start a new topic. Is this cool?

Anyway, I'm in high school, and I'm interning with a Shakespeare company that does outdoors shows (not fridge or microwave). I've basically been living off three things: 100 calorie packs of dried cranberries, Nature Valley granola bars (though I really should find something softer and less noisy), and tupperware containers of frozen tortellini with basil and fresh cherry tomatoes (my family has a garden). Also, my friends have recently introduced me to the wonders of carrots-and-hummus, which is *amazing*. I'm trying to get my mom to phase it in to our shopping list.

The cranberries are great quick snacks, the granola bars (with water) are very filling when you have a 5 or a 10, and the tortellini is really good for meal breaks and is great room temperature.




These are also good for me because I tend to graze (eat constantly) rather than take meals.

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The Green Room / Re: Your ideal kit bag/box/portable hole

« on: Aug 23, 2010, 10:27 pm »

I would want it soft, but a little structured (like how backpacks have padding, etc), and definitely have pockets and loops on the inside and outside.

I would want a smaller, more flexible bag that fits comfortably inside it, containing only the essentials (if you're familiar with George Carlin's "Stuff" routine (you should be, it's funny), the small bag would be the "other side of Maui" bag) - pencils, sharpie, various tapes, etc.

That sounds like a really awesome project, I have to say! Have fun with it!

EDIT: All of these specs are second to, of course, the Mary Poppins/ Hermione-in-book-7 bag, but they haven't invented that yet.

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The Green Room / Re: Funny definitions

« on: Aug 22, 2010, 02:34 pm »

Tempest_gypsy, you are welcome to any and all of my once and future contributions.

Shakespearean Recalibration: A side effect of long term stage managing of Shakespeare works, causing the stage manager (and sometimes others involved in the productions) to think, speak, and/or dream in Early Modern English and/or iambic pentameter, with or without realizing it.

Standby Syndrome: A condition causing stage managers to expect and give standbys in the so-called "real-world", especially before parties or trips.

Emo/ Goth/ Depressed: Things that many stage managers are frequently required to assert that they are not. Inquiries invariably come from non-thespians, whose concern is aroused by the stage manager's 95% black wardrobe.

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Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Humor: Stage Managing the World

« on: Aug 22, 2010, 01:25 am »

Three times in the past couple of days (I've just realized), I've been confusing stage and regular directions. It's getting to be a problem.