Messages

31

Stage Management: Other / Re: Wrangling the Childrens Chorus

« on: Nov 23, 2007, 05:42 pm »

I was an assistant dance instructor for three to five year olds and a sticker system was great for us. These children are probably a bit older, but I think it would still work. We got a bunch of different stickers (sometimes themed - week before Halloween pumpkins, Valentine's day hearts etc...) and if the children were good at the end of class they got a sticker. (It was very rare that we revoked sticker priveleges) Mostly those stickers went on their dance bags.

I know that the kids really had pride in the stickers because I REMEMBER being GIVEN stickers when I was their age at the same dance studio! I felt VERY cool having stickers on my dance bag.

Maybe on closing night they could get a specific reward for the number of stickers they got. If they get 5+ stickers they get a piece of candy, 10+ they get a small toy, 15+ a coloring book, etc...

For the dance recitals we would have all the assistants just deal with kids and parents were very good about getting their kid backstage to the right teacher, but that's not very helpful since you don't have kid wranglers. You may find that if you send a note home you may get some volunteers of parents to help wrangle at least for performance.

32

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Preshow (turn off your cellphone) announcements

« on: Nov 18, 2007, 12:09 am »

...When house opened a sound cue started that had sporadic cell phone ringing.  It was designed so that they were at various intervals and happened in a different place in the house each time.  The thought being that John Q Patron would hear it and remember to check their phone.

I think that that is a great idea! Whenever I hear the sound of a phone being turned off or ringing, I definitely remember! Just tonight I saw a show and my friend checked his phone shortly before the show was about to begin and it certainly reminded me to turn mine off as well! Even with TWO pre show announcements about phones, there was still one phone that went off briefly tonight. Fortunately it was quickly silenced.

33

Tools of the Trade / Re: Line Note- POST ITS!

« on: Nov 12, 2007, 05:28 pm »

In my experience, professional actors, especially stars, are not interested in defining what the error was -- it is more useful for memorization to just hear/see the correct line again as it is written.

(Twice as true for new works, where rewrites are likely.)

I definitely agree. Most of the time if I tell them what they said, and what the correct thing is, they get confused and will end up repeating the mess up, rather than the right thing.

34

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Reports during technicals

« on: Nov 12, 2007, 05:20 pm »

At the end of the day/night I usually have a "production meeting" and go over everything that needs to be fixed. Everyone takes their own notes and fixes what needs to be fixed before next rehearsal. There's no way I want to be up even later writing a report when everyone is there. If someone it missing or a note is missed during the meeting, then I follow up with an email or see them the next day. Then I go home and sleeeeeeeeeep.

35

Stage Management: Other / Re: Running lights from front of house?

« on: Nov 09, 2007, 05:36 pm »

I wouldn't say typical, but not unheard of. I know of one SM who called her show from the audience with audience members all around her. The director had some idea of making it a part of the show, I believe? I've had many a sound board op run board from the audience so as to better hear levels.

36

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Calling attention

« on: Oct 29, 2007, 06:04 pm »

Wow, lots of anti-whistle comments! Just wanted to clarify what I was thinking of in particular when I mentioned it. I recently did a show that had a massive fight scene that included people banging metal on metal as hard as they possibly could as well as yelling (cast size: 24) and there was a point in tech where I had to call hold for a safety reason. It took me projecting very forcibly three times INTO A GOD MIC before people began to stop as well as numerous people onstage calling hold as well. This is one time where a whistle would have been much more effective to use. But perhaps for just normal pandamonium it might be a bit much.

I really like Mac Calder's suggestions of having the cast decide on a noisemaker.

37

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Calling attention

« on: Oct 28, 2007, 07:32 pm »

I've been very tempted to get a whistle for large casts to use when it's out of control. And if I'm going to get a whistle, I want it to be a cool one, like a Bobby's whistle: http://www.musichouseshop.com/store/iw-11001.html.

Other than that, if they'll go for it, you could try one of those hand raising things like they do at camps. But high school is a difficult age to get them do do that because they don't want to look "dumb." But if it's an EXCLUSIVE drama club thing, then maybe they'll feel special and like it. :-P

38

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Bad ASM's

« on: Oct 26, 2007, 09:28 pm »

If you think that she's willing to take some criticism, then I'd ask to meet her sometime other than right before rehearsal (that way she has some time to think about what you said objectively) and tell her that you appreciate her taking on the difficult role of an ASM and that you want to assist her in becoming a better one. Reccommend that she read a Stage Management book (Stern's or Kelly's are great places to start) so that she can fully understand the job of a stage manager because an Assistant Stage Manager is a very important job and isn't just about "making coffee." Then outline what you expect from her and the importance of confidentiallity and being bipartisan. That means no more gossiping with friends about what the drama is offstage. If that's the kind of "big mouth" she is, that might help.

If you're uncomfortable doing so, then I'd go to whoever the advisor is and ask them for assistance in guiding this wayward ASM.

Be sure to give her clear instruction thoughout the rehearsal process. Spending a few extra minutes to teach her how to do XYZ can really help so that you're not "fixing things" after she's done them all the time. I like to be clear on what my ASMs responsibilities will be during the run so that I can encourage special awareness of said duties. For example, I had one ASM on costumes and the other on scene changes and they kept track of those throughout rehearsals so that when we got to tech and performance, they really knew what was going on with those things. Delegating is very important, even when difficult. It may help keep her quiet if she feels like she's actively working on something.


Good Luck, that's a touch spot to be put in.

39

The Hardline / Re: Question about EMC

« on: Sep 27, 2007, 12:32 pm »

You don't have to sign an actual Equity contract. If you did, then you'd skip EMC points and just be Equity. EMC points is a way to earn the points to in order to Become Equity, although many people only partially complete their EMC points before they are signed onto an Equity contract.

Equity has a list of theaters that have participated in the EMC program in the last 18 months: http://www.actorsequity.org/docs/emc/Emc_Theatre_List.pdf, but says that you should check with your theater to see if the program is still in effect.

Main Equity EMC page: http://www.actorsequity.org/membership/emc.asp


P.S. Welcome to SMN!

40

Articles from the Old Site / Re: So...do ya think you're theatre is haunted?

« on: Sep 26, 2007, 01:43 am »

Three theaters I've worked in had ghosts.

In the community theater I worked in, there was a friendly ghost. At the end of every performance, all the chair seats were put in the up position (this was before the renovation when the seats were old and HAD to be manually put up). Repeatedly, one chair would be found down. This was the ghosts chair. Many people claimed seeing her. I thought I saw her once when I was onstage looking into the audience, but there is glass behind the audience and it could have merely been a reflection.

Another theater was a converted barn which didn't exactly have a ghost, but a lucky mouse. If you saw it scurrying by during rehearsal, you knew that the show would go well.

The third ghost I don't know much about, although funny things happen. I didn't like being in the theater alone at night especially. I left one of my actors alone in the theater for a short time and when I came back he had gone into another room, saying that he was freaked out by the ghost and had to leave the theater. I haven't seen any ghostly evidence first hand. I found lots of doors left unlocked after hours, but I think that that was sloppy human work and not a ghostly presence.

I like to think that all the engery that goes into a performance fills the space and makes it alive. It certainly felt different when we moved from that old barn and into a state of the art theater. It was very hard to work on the new stage, despite the beautifulness of the theater. It felt like the old barn supported the work and with the new theater we had to create the energy for future generations.

41

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: SM Olympics?

« on: Aug 29, 2007, 06:57 pm »

Maybe a timed event where you have to cram XYZ into small space U. Of course it would have to be done in a way that looks organized and takes up the least amount of room. So points go for the neatest, smallest, and timeliest cramming.

42

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: SM Olympics?

« on: Aug 28, 2007, 08:53 pm »

Sounds like silly fun!

What about a taping out the floor contest? I hear that they do that at USITT.

Ooo a difficult cueing sequence they have to call? Maybe based on a piece of recorded music (no stopwatches allowed!) if it can't be a short scene.

43

Tools of the Trade / Re: IM Programs in Rehearsal

« on: Aug 02, 2007, 06:50 pm »

I don't turn my phone off - although I do restrict my incoming calls to those involved with the show (a very nifty feature IMO).

Ooo that does sound like a nifty feature. Is this related to the service provider you have or the type of phone? Or do I just need to search around my new phone for a while to see if I too hold the power of restricting calls?

44

Uploaded Forms / Re: WWW form...anyone?

« on: Jul 27, 2007, 10:22 pm »

My Production Manager Always said, "Who What Where When" and sometimes, I wonder "WHY?!"
:-P

She found that they weren't useful for most shows, but the ones that they WERE useful for, they were REALLY useful for.

45

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / VENUES: Questions to Ask a Venue

« on: Jul 23, 2007, 11:01 pm »

I'm currently working on Helmet which is going to the NYCFringe in August. Yay!

We're going to the city on Wednesday to look at our venue for the first and only time before we tech there. I want to make sure that I ask all the right questions. Anyone have any good ideas? Things that one might typically not think about?

This checklist is certainly pointing me in the right direction.

I've been used to having people come in to use a space I've been working in, but not as much the other way - and definitely not for an entire run. When I worked on a college-orientation piece last summer we didn't see the space until we were in it and getting ready to perform, so I got pretty used to flying by the seat of my pants.

Thanks,
Lauria

Edit : HTML doesn't work here, swapped it for for BBCode. -- PSMK