31
Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: ASM's Prompt Book
« on: Mar 02, 2007, 08:08 am »
my ASM has the script ... and line note sheets ....
and that is all.
and that is all.
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32
Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: ASM's Prompt Book
« on: Mar 01, 2007, 03:27 pm »
Every ASM must have a stick to hit my knuckles if I try to strangle an actor.
33
Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Dressing For The Part?
« on: Jan 08, 2007, 12:53 pm »
I wear all black with a black cape so I can swoop around in grandiose fashion.
OK, not really. I used to not worry about what I wore at all because I foolishly believed that it was what was inside that counted.
I wear black jeans (no holes!), black sneakers, and nice solid black dress shirt. This way I can wear it to my day job which is dress-casual and go straight to rehearsal. But I feel more professional in it.
OK, not really. I used to not worry about what I wore at all because I foolishly believed that it was what was inside that counted.
I wear black jeans (no holes!), black sneakers, and nice solid black dress shirt. This way I can wear it to my day job which is dress-casual and go straight to rehearsal. But I feel more professional in it.
34
SMNetwork Archives / Re: Printers
« on: Jan 03, 2007, 03:39 pm »
I advise buying the cheapest, lightest b/w printer for hauling around to rehearsal space.
And keep ther pricier one at home.
I have had good luck with Canon. The ink runs out quicker, but it is also cheaper so you are not shelling out the cost of a new printer everytime you need more ink.
And keep ther pricier one at home.
I have had good luck with Canon. The ink runs out quicker, but it is also cheaper so you are not shelling out the cost of a new printer everytime you need more ink.
35
Tools of the Trade / Re: Headset Headaches?
« on: Dec 18, 2006, 04:17 pm »
I always thought the headache was caused by having the headset pinching my head in ... not the sound quality. Interesting ...
36
Tools of the Trade / Re: Headset Headaches?
« on: Dec 18, 2006, 02:16 pm »
Yes My temples ache from wearing a headset in the 2nd week of the show usually.
The solution is to take it off and throw it through the booth window
The solution is to take it off and throw it through the booth window
37
The Green Room / Re: Things You'll Never Hear a Stage Manager Say
« on: Dec 18, 2006, 02:15 pm »
Could you please give me cueing notes verbally while I'm calling cues instead of writing down the notes? It keeps me on my toes.
38
Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Too many ASM’s… (who’d have ever thought!)
« on: Dec 14, 2006, 12:45 pm »Quote
(You don't have to call them 1st ASM and 2nd ASM if it will ruffle egos.)
I nickname mine Toenail and Eyeball that way everyone gets their ego ruffled.
I work in small professional theaters. When I have two ASMs, I usually od not have enough props work early on to dedicate one person entirely to that tracking job.
Since they are being paid so little anyway, I usually divide up rehearsals. They either come on alternating days ... OR ... one is ASM for rehearsals and the other is ASM for performances (overlap in tech).
39
Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: No Smoking in Denver
« on: Dec 14, 2006, 08:13 am »
What about shows in NY City that require Trans Fat? What are we going to do now that it is banned, too?
40
Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Too many ASM’s… (who’d have ever thought!)
« on: Dec 13, 2006, 01:08 pm »
Uh ... use both and have the 2nd run out for snacks and drinks for you YES
also those palm tree fans are nice ... feed you grapes and so on
also those palm tree fans are nice ... feed you grapes and so on
41
Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Producing New Plays
« on: Dec 07, 2006, 02:47 pm »
And my advice for the actual rehearsal process is to have ONE person in charge of keeping the up-to-date script. Doesn't matter who it is, but the director and playwright must both know who it is. This avoids multiple versions as the script progresses. This person should also be in charge of getting changes/new pages to actors and staff.
And you need to talk to the director and playwright together ahead of time and make sure that the director doesn't change things w/o going through the playwright. This may seem obvious/unlikely, but it has happened to me. The playwright would be absent from a rehearsal, the director would change lines, the playwright would not like it and change it back or change it to something else. Fine, but it makes learning lines a HUGE problem for actors.
And also it just makes me angry..... which is the main problem.
And you need to talk to the director and playwright together ahead of time and make sure that the director doesn't change things w/o going through the playwright. This may seem obvious/unlikely, but it has happened to me. The playwright would be absent from a rehearsal, the director would change lines, the playwright would not like it and change it back or change it to something else. Fine, but it makes learning lines a HUGE problem for actors.
And also it just makes me angry..... which is the main problem.
42
Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: First Hard Show with Difficult Cast -- Please help
« on: Dec 07, 2006, 01:05 pm »
I am pissed off FOR you. What hell!
To be sure, directors who do not start on time encourage actors to be later, later, and even later as time wears on, even for performance call times.
I am too stunned to tell you what I would do.... I'll stew on it.
Most of my runs are only 2 to 3 weeks so the problem will solve itself for me. Are you going to have to work with these people / this company again?
To be sure, directors who do not start on time encourage actors to be later, later, and even later as time wears on, even for performance call times.
I am too stunned to tell you what I would do.... I'll stew on it.
Most of my runs are only 2 to 3 weeks so the problem will solve itself for me. Are you going to have to work with these people / this company again?
43
Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Reports - Getting actors to read them (from Tools of the Trade)
« on: Dec 06, 2006, 12:25 pm »
I also include humourus quotes from the rehearsal in a special section of the report to encourage people to read the reports. This seems to help a lot. People are discussing them the next day at rehearsal.
44
Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Reports - Getting actors to read them (from Tools of the Trade)
« on: Dec 04, 2006, 02:29 pm »Quote
or at least see an obsession with the recent computer tools (which have been in general use for about 10 years, representing something like less than .04% of theatrical history) as a distraction from the real work...
I've had people not read printed RRs placed in their boxes either. Probably in ancient Greek theatre the people building the deus-ex-machina didn't read their papyrus rehearsal reports either.
It goes well beyond them not wanting to use a computer. I can buy that. It's just doing the bare minimum so often and not giving what is asked for. but perhaps that is off topic?
45
Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Reports - Getting actors to read them (from Tools of the Trade)
« on: Dec 04, 2006, 12:33 pm »
I type up RRs in Word and then Copy/Paste into Email body. If the formatting sticks (bold, underline), so be it. If not, the information is arranged in such a way as to still be easily discernable.
Recently, I discovered items that Word was auto-formatting such as turning quotation marks into "smart quotation marks" and turning hyphens into dashes were coming out as gobbledygook when people opened my emails.
I disabled this feature and have not had a problem since. Well, aside from people not reading their email. Why do people do theatre and get paid very little money if they are going to be slackers about it? I don't understand.
Recently, I discovered items that Word was auto-formatting such as turning quotation marks into "smart quotation marks" and turning hyphens into dashes were coming out as gobbledygook when people opened my emails.
I disabled this feature and have not had a problem since. Well, aside from people not reading their email. Why do people do theatre and get paid very little money if they are going to be slackers about it? I don't understand.