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Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: First time SMing tech
« on: Nov 07, 2018, 03:14 am »
These are things you need to discuss with the director. Most likely they have strong opinions and some of them will be unique.
Make sure you and the director are both on exactly the same page as to how a rehearsal (and show) should be run.
In general though, try to enter any rehearsal with as many notes as possible about everything you can think of. Those notes will start sparse and get more detailed with each rehearsal.
And make sure your sound/light operators have their own copy of the script with just their cues noted down. Ask if they have a pencil/eraser/highlighter/eraser tape. If they don't, be ready to hand those out.
Wherever you can try have everything fully planned out before the rehearsal, and be prepared to make a lot of changes.
I don't think it really matters what type of rehearsal is being run, the basic process doesn't change. All that changes is wether a problem should cause the rehearsal to stop and run it again with an immediate change, or wether the rehearsal should continue on with just a quick note made to think about it later. Again, discuss with your director before the rehearsals start.
For safety, don't trust anyone to remember hazards under the pressure of running a show. If you're aware of any hazard, try to make changes so there is no hazard.
Where you have to highlight something I prefer flouro yellow spike tape in areas lit by blue lights. If possible paint the area behind the spike tape black (or use black gaff tape) to make the yellow really pop. If there are no lights then use glow tape, but it's expensive and may fade towards the end of a show.
But again, it's better to remove a hazard than highlight it.
The only time I've needed to explicitly given a safety talk was for a show involving naked flames and a Flammable costume. Otherwise I just try to tell people, individually about specific safety issues they might haven't picked up on their own. By not giving many instructions, the ones you do give are taken more seriously.
Padding and carpets aren't just for safety, they also reduce noise. Use both liberally.
Make sure you and the director are both on exactly the same page as to how a rehearsal (and show) should be run.
In general though, try to enter any rehearsal with as many notes as possible about everything you can think of. Those notes will start sparse and get more detailed with each rehearsal.
And make sure your sound/light operators have their own copy of the script with just their cues noted down. Ask if they have a pencil/eraser/highlighter/eraser tape. If they don't, be ready to hand those out.
Wherever you can try have everything fully planned out before the rehearsal, and be prepared to make a lot of changes.
I don't think it really matters what type of rehearsal is being run, the basic process doesn't change. All that changes is wether a problem should cause the rehearsal to stop and run it again with an immediate change, or wether the rehearsal should continue on with just a quick note made to think about it later. Again, discuss with your director before the rehearsals start.
For safety, don't trust anyone to remember hazards under the pressure of running a show. If you're aware of any hazard, try to make changes so there is no hazard.
Where you have to highlight something I prefer flouro yellow spike tape in areas lit by blue lights. If possible paint the area behind the spike tape black (or use black gaff tape) to make the yellow really pop. If there are no lights then use glow tape, but it's expensive and may fade towards the end of a show.
But again, it's better to remove a hazard than highlight it.
The only time I've needed to explicitly given a safety talk was for a show involving naked flames and a Flammable costume. Otherwise I just try to tell people, individually about specific safety issues they might haven't picked up on their own. By not giving many instructions, the ones you do give are taken more seriously.
Padding and carpets aren't just for safety, they also reduce noise. Use both liberally.