Messages

241

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / the WHO-WHAT-WHERE

« on: May 14, 2006, 01:21 am »

I love the WWW.  don't do one for every show, believe it or note, i find them more useful for one night run outs - you had one out to every designer and crew member and they can write their notes on it and know what everyone else is doing.

if anyone's interested in my form PM me and I can email it to you.  its just a word table -- but l love it!

242

SMNetwork Archives / Calendar Programs?

« on: May 01, 2006, 08:38 am »

I'm curious to know what software people to have to make up rehearsal schedules.  I like to put mine in calendar format -- but still don't have a very efficient way to do it and get it in an email-able format.

Right now I go through microsoft publisher, then have to convert to j-peg, then have to convert to PDF and then can email.  but then making changes and updates to this  becomes really convoluted, because you have to remember what version you're on, etc. etc.

Plus...I think I'm making the switch to mac fairly soon anyway...

What do other people use -- PC or Mac?

243

Stage Management: Other / Stage Managing Dance?

« on: Apr 15, 2006, 04:28 pm »

What kind of dance are you stage managing?  Like a dance concert, modern piece, ballet?  

For ballet, I always call from a score, and put color-coded post its in the score for the various cues.  It's just like following along in a script, but you do have to know how to read music.   If there is not one available for the piece, I type up a time sheet to call the show from.  It will typically have four columns:  the first has the time of the warning, standby, or cue.  The second is what the cue is (I color code) the third gives me either a musical reference or a choreographic reference for what's going on, and the fourth is blank for notes I write during rehearsals/performances.  you call the show exactly the same way -- just that there are often many more cues and many more types of cues in dance than in straight theatre or even musicals -- you've got deck, rail, FX, deck lx, lx.  I call it just like I would call any show -- except I often don't give verbal standbys or GOs to the deck or rail if there are cue lights available.  There is so much other stuff going on and I am doing so much talking anyway that they're better off just watching the light rather than trying to listen for their cue in a long sequence.  

If calling from a score I make sure to write down timings throughout - whether its every thirty seconds or at significant points in the music.  This makes rehearsals SO much easier for everybody, rather than letting the director sit there with a remote trying to find the right spot where they left off, you can skip to it quickly.  I often find myself counting off the "5, 6, 7, 8" for my dancers because i know exactly when in the music it will happen (since im either reading the score or keeping track of the times as we do it.

When stage managing dance I think it is absolutely essential to have a basic knowledge of dance terminology - so when the director or choreographer says "let's pick it up from the girls jete battu" you know what he's referring to and can easily find the part in the music where this happens.  

what else are you looking to find out?

[/quote]

244

Tools of the Trade / Condom reference??

« on: Mar 21, 2006, 11:05 pm »

My boyfriend, who's a sound designer and often works at a local community once got this email from the executive director:

"Two 2-gross boxes of unlubricated condoms on order.  There are only two professions in which I would ever send an email telling you this.  I'm glad mine's theatre."  

=)

245

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / What do you want to tell Actors???

« on: Mar 21, 2006, 11:02 pm »

Allow yourself enough time to get to the theatre -- leave room for things like bad traffic or weather, finding parking, taking your coat off and getting settled.

Call time is the time you are to be at the theatre ready to work, not running into the building!

In short, BE ON TIME!

246

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Backstage or In the Booth?

« on: Mar 21, 2006, 10:57 pm »

deja vu...this has been covered in the green room forum -- check there.

that said...backstage is best!

247

Tools of the Trade / Condom reference??

« on: Mar 14, 2006, 08:11 am »

Well there's that...

And what else is a good a theatre technician if not always prepared for any situation?  

248

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Calling Rail Cues?

« on: Mar 04, 2006, 09:50 pm »

I have recently taken to giving just a verbal warning, and then using only the Q lights for the standby and the go.  

But, this is in a ballet, where often I have to call so many Qs in sequence that in order to give a verbal standby for the rail I would have to give it way early -- and then they get mad that they have to stand there holding the rope for that long.  And most of the time its hard for them to hear me in the bitch box anyway.  Using just a Q light, I can give the verbal warning 1 minute before the Q so they know to get over to the right rope, then I flip the Q light on in the middle of calling a lighting and deck sequence and when the rail needs to go at the end of the sequence I turn it off, and they go.

Also helps that we tend to have pretty much the same rail crew (or at least the same head flyman) for everything anyway, so they know how I work and know what to expect.

Just one way of doing it -- if you don't have a lot of Qs to call, then verbal standbys and gos are always helpful.  Just make sure the rail has a good Q sheet to follow (what's on what lineset, Q light colors, speeds, etc).

249

The Green Room / SMs in media?

« on: Mar 04, 2006, 09:33 pm »

Has anyone seen the commercial for that deoderant, where the fashion designer's assistant is bringing in his black Italian silk? (the point of the commercial is that she's carrying it under her arm and she's wearing a sleeveless  black dress..and there's no deoderant marks on anything).

Anyway, when my parents were visiting me a couple weeks ago and we were watching TV and that commercial came on, they both said, "oh look, that's you!"

No really a stage manager in media, but apparently my parents associate my job with running errands for people, wearing black, and anything black in general.  =)

Plus the assistant makes a snarky comment at the end of the commercial, sometime to the effect of, "I like to keep my boss on his toes."  

=)

250

SMNetwork Archives / Spike Tape Problems

« on: Mar 01, 2006, 09:49 pm »

I'm a fan of the packing tape over the spike tape -- I do this with glow tape for my dancers (glow tape doesn't stay well on  marley when there a hundred pointe shoes running over it all the time).  

Just make sure to sandpaper it after you put it down -- packing tape is slippery!

251

Employment / Under what circumstance is it right to...?

« on: Mar 01, 2006, 09:44 pm »

I backed out of two community theatre gigs last season because I was offered my current full time position.

Thankfully,  both directors were two former professors of mine who I had worked with several times before.  They COMPLETELY understood.  It helped that I had a replacement lined up for both when I told them I wanted to take this position and wouldn't be able to stage manage their shows.

On the first show, I still worked as the stage manager as long as I could until I had to leave because of the ballet (whose tech/performance dates directly conflicted with the first show's dates).  The nice thing about a professional company...they rehearse during the day which leaves most evenings free!)

Incidentally, after I left the second show as stage manager, a couple weeks later the choreographer had to back out because he was having back surgery -- and the show hired me as the choreographer.  (which I could still do with my job at the ballet!)

It usually will work out fine -- as long as you give them plenty of notice (as has already been said) and help line up a replacement (if the theatre allows and wants you to).  Going to the director/producer the day before rehearsals begin and saying that you can't do the show (except under extreme circumstances) is not acceptable.

252

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Gender and Age Issues

« on: Feb 26, 2006, 07:19 pm »

Thanks for all the input and empathy.  Good to know others out there deal with the same sorts of issues.  Things have gotten a bit better -- found out the actor in question was dealing with a lot more personal stuff than anybody knew about -- and after confiding this in the director and myself, we all understand each other a bit better now.

Still no excuse for the lack of respect, bu at least I understand what's going on.

The show must go on, on it will go, and it will go great.  =)

253

SMNetwork Archives / sore throat tech

« on: Feb 20, 2006, 11:09 pm »

water, water, water and more water.

the repbulic of tea makes a honey ginseng green tea that I swear by when I have a sore throat/fever/cold/cough/what have you.  Drink two or three cups a day with a little spoonful of honey in each.

check it out here:

http://www.republicoftea.com/templates/detail.asp?navID=305

254

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / PEOPLE: Gender and Age Issues

« on: Feb 20, 2006, 10:59 pm »

Has anyone else dealt with discrimination because of the fact that they are a woman and/or younger?  

Currently I am working on a show as SM and AD.  The director is a single mother of two, and has to leave by 8:30 every night and has not been able to be at a couple other rehearsals due to illness.  I run rehearsals in her absence (as any SM/AD would do).  this director and I have worked together many times before and she also happens to be one of my best friends.  

Unfortunately, I have one actor who has really made no secret of the fact that he refuses to respect my authority and my process, or take direction from me as an AD or SM because of the fact that I am a woman and because I am younger than he is.

How does one deal with this?  I am sort of at a loss -- I have tried speaking to him about it and being diplomatic, to no avail.  Do I just let it be and continue working and make sure other directors in town know that he is like this?  Is it perhaps just me?  I have noticed hat he does these same things with the director, which is why I don't think it's just me.    

Any assistance or advice would be much appreciated.

255

SMNetwork Archives / fake cigarettes for under-age actors

« on: Jan 22, 2006, 01:00 pm »

Go to any health food store, and buy dandelion leaves (yes, it will resemble pot)

Then go to a tobacco store, buy empty tubes (with filters!) and a automatic roller (so you don't have to deal with rolling and licking and making a general mess).

then, instead of putting tobacco into the roller, you put the dandelion leaves in there, and roll a dandelion cigarette.

No tobacco, you can light it and it will puff and smoke (although it will taste nasty!) and also will comply with many theatre and school standards;' the smoke dissipates fast, and you're not putting anything nasty into your body.

OR...there's also a brand of cigarette called "Eclipse," which are herbal cigarettes, tobacco free, and the smoke dissipates FAST as well and the best part, there really isn't any odor.    This is probably the best suggestion, but they can't be found everywhere -- you may have to order them, or purchase them at a specialty tobacco shop.  Unfortunately, they taste like a campfire...but they work.

good luck!