Messages

391

The Green Room / Re: Burnt Out

« on: Mar 21, 2010, 10:48 pm »

Once upon a time, I was running a show at night.

Another show was rehearing M-W-F daytime, and asked if I could do it. I said sure.

Then a director I liked asked if I could help with this new work development- they only met Tues-Thurs. Sure!



And then I nearly dropped dead. And I learned- just because I HAVE the time to do everything, doesn't mean I HAVE to do everything.

Breathing room is an acceptable reason to turn down a show.

392

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Labtop vs. Pencil and Script/Notepad

« on: Mar 21, 2010, 10:43 pm »

This season I made a pack to myself to digitize my book for every show, mainly to see if I felt it was worth the extra effort.  Now that have have completed 6 shows this way, I have become more efficient at it and am not killing as many trees.  And I have to admit, it makes it pretty and neat and organized and probably far more detailed than my books were before.  However, I still do diagrams by hand, no show is worth having to digitalize diagrams, I have better things to do with my time. Also, in the end, I now have a digital copy to keep with me and don't have to lug around paper.

That being said,  I still use pencil and paper in the rehearsal room and only once blocking begins to solidify do I type it in to the computer after rehearsal.  I guess I am slightly more old school and I find it much faster to take notes on a pad and blocking in the book than have to fuss with the computer.  I am also a visual person and like to have the information and full picture sitting in front of me that I can flip through and not have to scroll through a computer that will only allow me to see limited information at a time.

This general idea is more what I was trying to convey. I do not, and never will use my laptop exclusively.  My last 5 shows have been completely digitized, and it really helps keep things clean. I do still take notes in rehearsal, and write all my blocking by hand FIRST before entering it into the computer.  I just like to keep it on hand to attempt to get things done in a more timely fashion, instead of being up until 1am doing paperwork when I have to be up at 4am for work 5 days a week.

How/where do you type it? I assume the script is a .doc...in boxes in the margins? In another document entirely?

393

The Green Room / Re: Thread to vent about / Actors behaving badly / As haiku only

« on: Mar 21, 2010, 12:41 am »

"She doesn't like me!"
"She'll sabotage my change!"
Since when are we 12?

394

The Green Room / Re: Best showing of appreciation from a cast?

« on: Mar 21, 2010, 12:40 am »

I once received a gift certificate for a massage at a local spa. WONDERFUL!!

I worked with an actress who's also a licensed massage therapist. She gave me a post-tech massage...it was wonderful.

I think you just became the envy of every SM on the planet!   

It only happened once! 

God, I'd work with her again just for the promise of a post-tech full-body massage...

395

The Green Room / Re: Best showing of appreciation from a cast?

« on: Mar 19, 2010, 11:37 pm »

I once received a gift certificate for a massage at a local spa. WONDERFUL!!

I worked with an actress who's also a licensed massage therapist. She gave me a post-tech massage...it was wonderful.

396

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Labtop vs. Pencil and Script/Notepad

« on: Mar 19, 2010, 11:36 pm »

Ceres, all those things to update during rehearsal are great . . . but I have to admit, from both my personal experience, and watching other stage managers, once the computer is open and you start working on it DURING rehearsal, your attention is drawn to the laptop.  And if your job is to keep the room moving, rehearsal going, and pay attention to everything happening in the room, the distraction of the open computer has proven to be a problem in my personal experience.  Seriously, I have had actors stop acting until the SM stopped typing and throw a big fit about it.  I have also seen directors just shut the laptop on a stage manager.

Yeah, it's a pain to stay after an hour, but . . . here's the thing.  I have had assistants in the room for 8 hours, working away on paperwork, and when they look over the report at the end of the day, ask me . . . "When did we change that?", and I say, we worked that in rehearsal today, for about ten minutes, where were you?  The answer is that they had their head in the paperwork, not in the rehearsal.

It's all about style, and there is also the issue of generational differences . . . work with older actors, directors, etc . . . they may not be part of the "computer" experience.  I work with a director, who no matter what I am doing on the computer, they thing I am playing on the internet . . .

I also find, if I type notes as we work, I tend not to be as detailed as I like (I mean, I am split focus) and also, I tend to have to go back and edit a lot - because the note I type at the top of the rehearsal may be changed throughout the rehearsal.

Again, personal style, but I think it's a dangerous path to walk down.  (Who hasn't started to type a note - and bingo, have an actor call for a line . . .)

This is the main reason I write my report after rehearsal is over- I have some breathing time to reflect, put ideas together, etc. I'm afraid that if I typed every idea as it came up, I wouldn't be looking at the big picture the way I get to when, for example, I'm on the subway headed home.

397

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Labtop vs. Pencil and Script/Notepad

« on: Mar 19, 2010, 02:56 pm »

I prefer hand writing it all in the script. I use my laptop for nearly everything else, but in a rehearsal I'd rather have the book in hand. Less distracting, quicker to change notes, just all-around easier in a rehearsal space, I think. However, I have in tech had my laptop open for notes, prop tracking, or fixing any other charts, as well as once working through a sound problem with the designer over gchat!

398

The Green Room / Re: Favorite Easter Candy

« on: Mar 17, 2010, 01:10 pm »

Oh man. My birthday is always near Easter, so that's my excuse for a LOT of candy. I love Peeps and Cadbury Eggs- one of my actresses right now got me a box of Cadbury eggs for opening!

399

The Green Room / Re: Favorite brown bag lunch?

« on: Mar 16, 2010, 11:18 am »

Having a crock pot is a godsend, because I make a HUGE batch of anything with very little work.

I like the personal-sized soup-in-hands, chicken salad, and hamburger patties.

400

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Does it matter where I call?

« on: Mar 14, 2010, 09:59 pm »

If you're most comfortable in the booth, call up there. The TD isn't calling the show, you are.

Since you don't have an ASM, can you have an actor or two as your connection backstage? IE if something goes wrong, they are your point person? Like a deputy, almost. I have worked shows this way before and it worked quite well as long as the whole cast knew.

401

The Green Room / Re: Best mentions of a stage manager in the press

« on: Mar 12, 2010, 04:28 pm »

I was mentioned in a review as orchestrating "pretty much the COOLEST DEATH SCENE EVER." Having a blood gun was awesome. Plus, it was fun to do, so it was nice to get recognized for it.

402

The Green Room / show us your booth!

« on: Mar 12, 2010, 04:23 pm »

Let's see where you work (right now), how it's set up, how you've personalized it, etc.



My tiny booth! The joke is that they keep hiring me because I'm the only one who can fit here comfortably. 

Lightboard to my left, sound to my right...also on the left is my USR video monitor, because the booth is off to the side of the audience.

And taped right above where I sit is a silver Buddha charm and a fortune cookie fortune that says "Don't stop now!"

So what does your workspace look like?

403

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: COMMUNICATION: Actors want more info, but can't process what they already have?

« on: Mar 11, 2010, 10:58 am »

I've been in a similar situation. The fact is, you seem to be doing everything right as best as you can- giving them their relevant information as soon as you can about the next day. If they're coming up and asking you questions that are in the email that they asked to receive, frankly it's their problem. I would say "I've been sending an email with all that information- is there something there that's unclear?" (Which, in reading, sounds rude, but I promise it can be said with utter niceness and concern.) This leaves it open for their suggestions, and take them as best you can.

404

The Green Room / Re: Best showing of appreciation from a cast?

« on: Mar 09, 2010, 12:51 pm »

It's the little things, I think- an actor brought me coffee and a bagel at the beginning of our 10/12. Offering to pick up lunch if I can't get out of the theater, etc.

On a superficial level, I love gifts themed to the show- I got a bright (Malvolio) yellow bag with a quote from Twelfth Night on it at the end of that show, a basket of champagne and oranges (referencing the brunch-gone-awry scene) for The Real Thing, and a big box of #2 pencils, erasers, and notebook paper for Children At Play.

Unfortunately, no coins from Rosencrantz+Guildenstern.

405

The Green Room / Re: How do you "play?"

« on: Mar 08, 2010, 10:09 am »

Dinner parties. Nothing too crazy, but I love the planning and making a huge meal for friends! It's also a great way to catch up when I've been in the black hole of tech week and haven't seen people.