Messages

376

Introductions / Re: New Member Scavenger Hunt - August 2013

« on: Aug 12, 2013, 12:18 am »

Yup, you got it! Boosting you to 10 in a moment.

There's one more route to finding this particular item that I had in mind. Can anyone figure it out?

377

Introductions / New Member Scavenger Hunt - August 2013

« on: Aug 11, 2013, 10:30 pm »

So I missed July's scavenger hunt. That means everyone who has joined since June 13 is eligible for the new one.

As a reminder....

How it works:
I will post something for you to search for.
Reply with a link to the post or topic that I'm talking about and, if you choose, an explanation of why you chose it.  Your link may be deactivated if you're very very new. That's OK.
Replies must use proper grammar.
All hunts will be things that you can find within SMNetwork.
Only members who have registered within the past month since June 13 2013 are allowed to reply.

The prize:
The first new member who provides a valid and grammatically correct answer will have their post count artificially increased to 5. This means they will be allowed to post to all boards (including Homework Help) without moderator review.
If you've already made at least 5 posts, you get street cred.

This month's hunt:
Find the very first student stage manager challenge.

Extra credit:
There are two ways to find it. One is easier than the other. If you manage to figure out *both* routes, share how you did it and I'll increase your post count boost to 10 instead of 5.

378

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Student Stage Manager Challenge #19: Labor of Love

« on: Aug 11, 2013, 10:13 pm »

Student SM Challenges are for our younger members. Pros, please give the students a chance to comment before jumping in.

You're all ready to head into tech week for the show you've been rehearsing all autumn. The set is mostly finished, the actors are mostly off book, and the music is sounding mostly in tune. Tickets are selling well and it looks like your first two shows will be sold out to houses full of parents, siblings, staff and college recruiters.

Around 2pm on the day of first tech the head of the English department calls you into the department office and sits you down. The faculty drama director (and director of your show) has gone into premature labor and is at the hospital for an emergency C-section delivery. Chances of her being able to return to work before the end of the week and opening night are nil.

"[Your name here]," asks the head of the department, "you probably are in the best position to advise me. I'm able to step in and provide the faculty supervision necessary to keep your show rehearsal going. However, I'm not a director. If there is no possible way for the show to be finished without a director then we need to know now so that we can stop the process before people get their hopes up."

What do you do before giving him an answer? What answer do you give?

379

Articles from the Old Site / Re: How to hang, focus, and strike basic lighting instruments

« on: Aug 02, 2013, 04:06 pm »

Thanks for reviving this. I should note that this is one of the first pieces I wrote for the site, so it's about 13 years old now.

380

Employment / Re: Thousands in back taxes ride on one question:

« on: Jul 22, 2013, 05:14 am »

And some, like many commercial theatre ventures, never turn a profit.

381

Employment / Re: Thousands in back taxes ride on one question:

« on: Jul 21, 2013, 12:07 am »

Well, they've been disputing the terms "life" and "liberty" in the courts for years now. It was only a matter of time before they took on "pursuit of happiness" too.

382

The Green Room / Re: Dealing with Thank You Notes

« on: Jul 17, 2013, 02:23 am »

Thank them for the support they did provide and for the learning experience. I'm sure you learned something, even if it's how to cover for a slacking supervisor. (You don't have to mention that part, though.)

383

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Double casting

« on: Jul 11, 2013, 10:39 pm »

A recent post brought to my attention that we've never really discussed double casting. We've talked about the professional version of it - swings and understudies - many times, but double casting is really its own beast and pretty much restricted to high school environments.

We should fix this right away!

So how do you handle double casting at your school? How do you make sure both casts get the same amount of attention? How do you ensure that the production remains consistent regardless of who's playing a role? Do you schedule everyone to attend each rehearsal? What if someone is absent, do you sub in their double even if it means they're working with the "wrong" company? How do you deal with keeping the costumes straight?

384

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Invaluable Advice

« on: Jul 11, 2013, 05:47 pm »

Walk quickly to show respect to others and maintain your dignity. Run and do neither.

Humans in groups tend to seek scapegoats before they seek solutions.

385

Introductions / Re: hi everyone

« on: Jul 09, 2013, 07:16 pm »

What's the typo?
EDIT: NM found it. Bear in mind that most of the rubrics on this site come from software plugins. The only code that I've actually written myself on this site is in BTDT and the Internship study.

386

Tools of the Trade / Re: Looking for a free, online form creator that will accept attachments

« on: Jul 09, 2013, 06:02 pm »

Check out Jotform. They allow up to 100 MB of uploading and 100 form submissions per month on the free plan. They can send your uploads to either a Dropbox or Google Drive account. Very easy to use.

387

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Harassment issue at a set build

« on: Jul 09, 2013, 03:27 pm »

Expel her from the program then. Her presence is attracting violence and endangering the rest of your people.

388

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Harassment issue at a set build

« on: Jul 09, 2013, 02:57 am »

He's trespassing. If you see him around again, call the police.

389

Introductions / Re: Heyo!

« on: Jul 08, 2013, 10:07 pm »

Yup, the Backstage Badger tumblr reblogged the recent article from What Should We Call Stage Management. The two posts together have gotten about 250 reblogs and likes. Lots of new members. I like new members. Welcome!

390

Introductions / Re: *ding dong* Hello! My name is...

« on: Jul 08, 2013, 05:30 pm »

Welcome, Elder Song. Please leave any literature on the table by the door. Enjoy your time here!