Messages

31

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: prompt books

« on: Aug 08, 2006, 11:58 am »

Mac, what's that legal ribbon or whatever you called it? How's it work?

My guess is that he's referring to what we in the US would call spiral bound.  It is just a guess though.

32

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Giving line notes - a real novice question

« on: Jul 06, 2006, 11:54 pm »

There are several versions of line note forms posted in the Uploaded Forms page.  I've found that forms make giving line notes so much faster and easier.  The form I use has space for me to jot down the page number, date, character's name, and part of the line that they messed up. I have pre listed the possible mistakes such as, jumped, called, paraphrased, or changed word, and then I circle what they actually did wrong.  At the end of the night I simply hand the actor a piece of paper.  It's so much easier than trying to verbally explain what they did wrong.  And, even though it might sound kind of complicated, I've found using a form to be the quickest way to take notes during rehearsals.     

33

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: The Ultimate Decision

« on: Jul 04, 2006, 01:05 pm »

I guess you could say it fell into my lab and then turned into a reoccurring choice. I usually tell my friends that I was bitten by the theater bug and have yet to find a cure.  I was home schooled so I didn't have a "high school school theater program" to be a part of per say, but there is a very good community theater in my town. When I was fourteen,
I decided to audition for their production of The Sound of Music because I'd always liked singing.  Well, I wasn't cast but kept pestering them to let me go something.  So, during tech week they threw me in as gopher/ 3rd ASM. I had a blast!  Everyone I worked with was really nice and I'd discovered the magic of the theater. 

The next production they did was Meet Me In St. Louis. Again I audition and don't get cast (seeing a pattern yet?).  This time though, they offered me the ASM job at callbacks.  It was during this show that I found out I had a knack for stage managing. I ran props, pulled curtains, supervised scene changes and loved every minute of it! It was during this time that I started checking out books from the library on theater and reading everything about sming that I could get my hands on. 

As time went on, I started asking for ASM jobs before auditions started and went about learning everything I could from the people I was working with. After a couple years went by and I became more experienced,  my name got around and I started getting job offers from other companies in the area. I landed my first SM job with another community group that specialized in musicals. When it closed another job ASMing for a university opera dept. came along, and through them I got to work in an IA house and start learning all the ins and outs of union regulations. 

I start college in the fall where I'll be majoring in arts administration with an emphasis in theater and minoring in Spanish.  I want to continue sming and see how far I can go with it!  I give a lot of credit for my success to the first company that I worked with because not only did they have have very high/professional standards for their productions, they were also willing to teach me the ropes and let me learn as I went along.

34

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Outdoor Theatre Advice / Much Ado About Nothing- In the Park

« on: Jun 29, 2006, 12:56 pm »

This may be slightly off topic, but when I was doing a Shakespeare Festival last summer, there were two major hospitals within sight and an airport not too far away. Unfortunately there really wasn't anything we could do to stop the medic helicopters and occasional jet that went over.  I felt bad for the actors were trying to project over a low flying 747 one night. Talk about distracting!  On the plus side, if anyone had been hurt (no one was)  we practically could have walked to the hospital. 

35

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Thank you guys for all your help this year!

« on: Jun 24, 2006, 03:34 pm »

That's WONDERFUL!!! I'm so happy for you!  Most of us aren't in this for the lime light, but every once in a while isn't it nice to get some recognition for a job well done!!!  So here's to the all techies!!!  May many more people start scholarships for us!   

36

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Outdoor Theatre Advice / Much Ado About Nothing- In the Park

« on: Jun 24, 2006, 03:24 pm »

I would add that it's a good idea to have a foul weather plan in place.  If it starts raining during a performance, at what point do you stop the show?  When it's drizzling? pouring? thundering?  What's the chain of command for making the official decision? If you do have to stop or hold, who's responsible for making sure the stage is cleared and all equipment/props/costumes/sets/etc are covered and/or stored properly.  Will you wait for the storm to pass and then resume or cancel the performance completely.  It is also a good idea to have plenty of tarps and towels handy incase the heavens do open. 

Here's an example.  Last summer I was an ASM for the Lexington Shakespeare Festival which is basically an uncovered stage set up in the middle of a field.  One night, there was a down pour right before we were supposed to start.  We had had advanced warning though because our producing director was in contact with the meteorologist at a local TV station.  We covered the stage with about three giant tarps and weighted them down so they wouldn't blow away.  All the props were stored in plastic bins or a trailer and everything else was covered with tarps or stored as necessary.  The storm came through but didn't last very long.  We got the all clear that the storm had passed and it was OK to go ahead with the show.  So we held off starting long enough for the stage crew to get the tarps up and towel off the wet parts of the deck. Everything came off without a hitch because we all knew what to do.  Had we been forced to cancel, the producing director would have made the official decision and announced it to the audience.     

On another note, water is good, but so are sports drinks like Power Aid, Propel, and Gatorade.  They help your body replenish all the liquid you're sweating off a lot better
than just plain water.   

Just my thoughts. Hope they help some. 

37

Uploaded Forms / Re: Line Notes (for going "off book")

« on: Jun 21, 2006, 03:04 pm »

Here is another variation that I got from a SM I worked with a couple of years ago.  I usually cut the pages in half to try and save on paper.  Though depending on the actor, I sometimes end up handing out more than one page of notes anyway.

I really like this form because it's quick. All you have to do is jot down the part of the the line they messed up and circle what exactly they did wrong underneath.

This document is in Word format.

38

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: When a company comes together

« on: Jun 19, 2006, 03:03 pm »

Congrats on successfully pulling of the performances under such difficult circumstances!!! It is truly a magical thing when a company pulls together to overcome a hardship(s).  I've worked on shows were the camaraderie was high among the cast/crew, and were it wasn't.  It makes all the difference in the world when unexpected issues arise that cause waves!!!   

39

SMNetwork Archives / Re: hello from your moderator!

« on: Jun 17, 2006, 11:35 pm »

Hi, Emily!  Yes, I start my freshman year at Bellarmine University the end of August.  Thanks so much for the proof reading offer!!! I just might take you up on it sometime.  At this point though, I haven't even registered for classes yet.   I still have to take a Spainsh placement test.  I'm hoping to be able to test out of the first level. 

Here's to theater and spanish!!! 

40

SMNetwork Archives / Re: The new SMnetwork

« on: Jun 17, 2006, 11:20 pm »

You've done a wonderful job revamping the site!!! I can imagine you've had a couple of crazy days, but everything looks great!!! 

One thing that I found extremely useful on the old site was the resume browser.  It is a great tool for someone who is trying to put together and/or reorganize a resume and wants some examples to look at. 

41

SMNetwork Archives / Re: hello from your moderator!

« on: Jun 17, 2006, 11:07 pm »

Quiero estudiar español en colegial también!  Estudié para cuatro años en preparatoria, pero en yo no tengo muchas oportunidades de practicar. Soy considerando ir a España durante mi menor o año mayor como un proyecto conjunto de idioma/teatro.

For the rest of you who don't hablo español, I said that I want to study spanish in college too.  I had four years in high school but don't have many opportunities to practice.  So, I'm considering going to Spain during my junior or senior as a joint language/theater project. 

42

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Thanks

« on: Jun 10, 2006, 11:59 am »

Thanks for all the advice and insight!  Its been really helpful!!!

43

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Resumes: Resume Formatting -What stands out?

« on: Jun 09, 2006, 11:55 am »

For those of you who find yourselves digging through piles of resumes periodically, I was wondering if there is something besides a person's actual experience/qualifications that can make an application stand out, i.e. the layout or format of the document itself.  I was looking at the different examples in the resume browser and while they were, for the most part, variations on a theme, there were some pretty big differences in organization.  There's probably no "best" design, but what is advantageous or recommendable?   

I know the basics... keep it to one page, put contact info at the top references at the bottom, experience, education, and special skills in the middle, but is there anything else that can make a resume catch someone's eye- font size, style etc...   

And before anyone asks, I have done a search and looked at the other resume topics on the board, but they seemed to address content more than layout.

44

The Green Room / Food

« on: Jun 05, 2006, 02:16 pm »

I almost always live on peanut butter crackers during tech.  They are very filling and have helped me through some very long days/nights when breaks are few and far between.  I get a small case of them at the dollar store so it doesn't me much either.

45

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Need help with writting SM resume

« on: Jun 01, 2006, 10:59 am »

the Resume Browser is HANDY

Can anyone tell me what the password is for the resume browser or where I can find it?  I tried doing a search but didn't come up with anything.  I need to up date mine and I'd like to look at some examples.