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Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: ESCRIPTS: Post your requests for electronic scripts here!
« on: Oct 25, 2012, 03:43 pm »
The Cherry Orchard
Please and Thanks!
Please and Thanks!
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14 Jan 2021: Happy 21st birthday, SMNetwork! I replaced the old broken mobile theme. -K
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32
The Green Room / Re: Facebook Group for SMNet members
« on: Oct 25, 2012, 10:53 am »
Have you thought about making a similar group on LinkedIn?
33
The Green Room / Re: Stuff people at a Shakespeare Festival say
« on: Oct 25, 2012, 10:51 am »
This makes me want to work at a Shakes festival even more. Great video. Also, I love S&A.
34
Employment / Re: ARTICLE: How to stand out in an interview . .
« on: Oct 24, 2012, 02:01 pm »I liked the case study about the phone interview. I have had more interviews that were either completely by phone or the first part was by phone then interviews in person. I'd love to see more info geared towards those situations.
I agree. What I really got out of that is connecting with people through their names. I mean, it's common knowledge that people love hearing their own name, but for some reason I didn't relate that to phone interviews. It's a good idea.
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Employment / Re: ARTICLE: How to stand out in an interview . .
« on: Oct 24, 2012, 10:46 am »
I always like what Lifehacker has to say. I think these are good points to remember.
36
Tools of the Trade / Re: Favorite Bag
« on: Oct 19, 2012, 12:08 pm »
It traveled with me to New York last time I went and trying to navigate Times Square with it was kind of a chore, although it was nice to have everything I owned with me.
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Tools of the Trade / Re: stopwatches?
« on: Oct 18, 2012, 02:51 pm »...but it's absolutely idiot-proof ...
May I draw your attention to my signature?
38
Tools of the Trade / Re: Favorite Bag
« on: Oct 18, 2012, 10:38 am »OK so I have a tackle box that I use for my kit, but sometimes I just need my laptop script etc, but had a difficult time finding the right one that could hold enough, wasn't freakin expensive, and rugged enough. I have found it from a company called Think Geek, it's called the Bag of holding. It holds EVERYTHING! http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/bags/aaa5/
Anyone have one they love?
Thanks for sharing! I was just thinking today I need a bigger laptop bag that will hold my laptop and my zippered binder and NOT be bursting at the seams. Have you purchased this yet and taken it for a spin?
I love this topic. I actually recently met Dallas at a conference at UNCSA and I do have the messenger-bag style of the Bag of Holding. I LOVE it. It has a lot of pockets and space to store a lot of what I need. The only problem I've run into is that the bag gets pretty heavy and bulky after a few books and binders and with the one shoulder strap this could cause some back and shoulder problems. Otherwise, I would highly recommend it. If you want me to go into more detail about the pockets I can, but I think the thinkgeek website has a lot of the specs.
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Tools of the Trade / Re: Herbal Cigarettes and other tobacco substitutes
« on: Oct 18, 2012, 10:34 am »
The only problem that has been brought up by my colleagues and instructors is the fact that most (if not all) e-cigs are not yet regulated by any authority. Also, the FDA, WHO, and other national and global health organizations have not done proper testing and can't guarantee that these cigarettes are completely safe. Harmful, toxic, and carcinogenic chemicals have been found in cartridges from various manufacturers and nicotine has been known to be found in those claiming to be nicotine-free.
Personally, I see this being a great step forward for props and smoking on stage, but it really needs to be regulated, tested, and have support showing that we are not doing harm to our actors. In the mean time I would recommend that someone (props master, SM, Production manager, etc.) do the research on what exactly is in the brand of e-cig you are using and what (if any) testing has been done. Until a theatrical company produces a safe and legitimate e-cig for the stage I think we all need to be cautious and skeptical of all brands.
Personally, I see this being a great step forward for props and smoking on stage, but it really needs to be regulated, tested, and have support showing that we are not doing harm to our actors. In the mean time I would recommend that someone (props master, SM, Production manager, etc.) do the research on what exactly is in the brand of e-cig you are using and what (if any) testing has been done. Until a theatrical company produces a safe and legitimate e-cig for the stage I think we all need to be cautious and skeptical of all brands.
40
Tools of the Trade / Re: Herbal Cigarettes and other tobacco substitutes
« on: Oct 17, 2012, 11:36 am »I don't know how common it is but I have seen more than two herbal shops which offer tobacco substitute smoking substances. It is basically the herbal smoke mix but can be customized with different flavors and the smoothness is able to be changed also. One of my friends smoked the stuff on occasion and it didn't even smell like wacky tobacky. You would have to roll your own smokes but you can buy a roller and blank cig papers with the filters on them for fairly cheep.
The important things that has been brought up to me about using the herbal cigarettes is looking into the health concerns with them as well. Since they are not a regulated industry like real tobacco there are additives and chemicals that may not be completely safe to the actors or to the audience subjected to the smoke. I have seen a few cases that the herbals come with a warning of not operating heavy machinery or driving after use of the cigarette; they also supposedly have a small affect likened to marijuana usage. Under those conditions and not fully knowing what goes into the herbals I would not feel comfortable having actors on stage with those.
One of the most important things before using herbals I think is to do a LOT of research into them before allowing their use. What EXACTLY goes into them? What affect will this have on the actor (or the audience)? Are these regulated? etc. Unfortunately under strict laws against smoking on a public stage I think currently the best options are to go with 'Puffers' or E-Cigarettes.
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The Green Room / Re: Hell in a Handbag (A Game for Stage Managers)
« on: Sep 20, 2012, 11:26 am »If our insurance will cover it, I foresee no problems. Dress them in street clothes: all designers have closets full of plain blacks, they can count any wardrobe damage as a write-off, and it's not like we're paying for their health coverage!
New Note: The set designer has decided to "radically deconstruct patriarchal norms of theatrical performance vis-a-vis the dominance of subject over object" by seating the audience on the stage, with the show to be performed in the house.
Questions of Logistics
Where will the audience be entering from? For example; will they purchase tickets at the box office, proceed through the house and onto the stage to their seats? How many seats are available to be sold? Are there adequate ADA-approved seating options? Are there 2 clearly marked and available emergency exits? Are there any hazards backstage that the patrons need to be aware of/protected from? Should an usher supervise the audience entering the stage? Scenery will have to add railing to the front steps leading onto stage as well as around the apron.
Questions of the Show
Will a set be designed and built around the seats? Will the seats be part of the set? Is there adequate walking, running, and movement space between seats? Can anyone stand on the seats? Should we manufacture platforms to cover the seats or are they removable? Should stage lighting be refocused into the house (now playing-space) or should we use the pre-existing house lights? What will we use as backstage area? Where will the SM call the show from? Where will the sound and lighting booths be?
New Note:
John has wants to change the period from the 1920's America to 1960's England.
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Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Student SM Challenge #16: Designers, make it work!
« on: Sep 14, 2012, 05:32 pm »
I think the biggest thing here is communication. In a type of show such as this it is very important to communicate with the Director and Designers what kind of deadlines are in place and when exactly those are. If the shops need 3 weeks to build an elaborate (let's say) costume piece, then the deadline for that idea to be solidified should be 3 or 4 weeks before Tech Week. This system should be clearly established at the first production meeting and enforced throughout the process. Even though one of the biggest jobs of the SM is to best facilitate the Director's vision to the stage through communicating with the designers, it must be made clear to the director that the giant headpiece s/he wants built will take 2 weeks and tech week is in 3 days; unfortunately that idea was brought up too late in the process and either has to be scaled down or done without. Of course, this should be done in the most polite, respectful, and constructive way possible. It can be a delicate balance to not hinder the creative process or hurt feelings.
Once again, communication is key. If it is the director's habit to come up with crazy ideas on the fly the SM should take all of the ideas down (even the absurd ones) and take time either during a break or after rehearsal to discuss the ideas (is this what you really want?) and then immediately report them to the shops/designers in the rehearsal report (with a phone or in-person follow-up the next day) or an immediate phone call (if necessary). These ideas and the progress in the shops can be discussed and debated as a group during production meetings which should be occurring often (in a case like this, hopefully weekly).
Those are my two cents.
Once again, communication is key. If it is the director's habit to come up with crazy ideas on the fly the SM should take all of the ideas down (even the absurd ones) and take time either during a break or after rehearsal to discuss the ideas (is this what you really want?) and then immediately report them to the shops/designers in the rehearsal report (with a phone or in-person follow-up the next day) or an immediate phone call (if necessary). These ideas and the progress in the shops can be discussed and debated as a group during production meetings which should be occurring often (in a case like this, hopefully weekly).
Those are my two cents.