Messages

391

The Green Room / Re: Trivia Tournament III - 2.0.11

« on: Feb 03, 2011, 01:12 pm »

And I have discovered that Religion is really Christianity with the rare, occasional token reference to other belief systems. Kinda annoying....

Wait...that's not the case?

392

The Green Room / Re: Trivia Tournament III - 2.0.11

« on: Feb 03, 2011, 02:27 am »

this has been, by far, and without a doubt, the worst two days of trivia I have strung together since starting trivia in November.....not only did I come in dead last with 3 correct answers on Religion, I only got 4 on People. I hang my head in shame.

393

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Preset before performance

« on: Feb 03, 2011, 01:46 am »

LizzG -- How/where do you laminate your checklist?

Not that I'm LizzG, but the way I do mine is buy a bunch of page protectors designed for three ring binders. those work well and are cheaper than self laminating pages (and you are less likely to screw it up and waste the lamination paper and the actual paper).

I am so glad more people are working towards using less paper. I was shocked when I worked with a cast in New York who were blown away when all my callboard/checklists were reusable. They had never seen it before.

394

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Preset before performance

« on: Feb 01, 2011, 10:13 pm »

I used to carry around my laptop when I was working in summer stock where there were no printers available for weeks at a time. That was....awesome? I love smaller portable technology!

Preshow check lists vary from show to show. Some shows absolutely need to have the stage swept and mopped before hand, others require nothing of the sort. If you have a show that requires a live gunshot onstage, its best to test the gun before hand with your props person (or yourself) to insure the safety and functionality of the weapon. One of my preshow checklist items when I was touring was to make sure I went back to the bus to change into black socks, but I don't need it now that I've stopped touring.

I'll say that safety should always be on a check list: running lights, glow tape charged, padding secured and things of that nature. Safety should always be on a preshow check list. Otherwise, checklists vary by the needs of the production.

395

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: ASM Calling the Show

« on: Feb 01, 2011, 10:05 pm »

Are the Director and Tech Director student or staff?  Why does a T.D. have any input as to stage management staffing?  Are there moving wagons or trap doors or flying that the SM would have to call, which makes it a safety issue?

If they are anything like my theater program, there isn't necessarily a head of the stage management department. My school had the Lighting Professor in charge of Stage Managers. It might just be the way their department is structured.

Back to the question at hand: If you are teaching them, and in your opinion the SM can handle the show, you should just hope that the Director and TD respect your decision and expertise in the craft. If you vouch for the SM and they still want to make the switch...I don't know what to say. They are obviously missing one of the lessons I learned in college: Fail here where it doesn't matter vs. in the real world of theater where it matters more.

396

The Hardline / Re: Equity Crossroads

« on: Jan 31, 2011, 04:43 pm »

If I'm not mistaken, Equity will honor any previously signed contracts to a non Equity company. So if you have signed a contract for the summer and then turn Equity in the spring, they will allow you to fulfill your contract.

When I transitioned, I indicated the differences in the work. So I had a heading for AEA Production Stage Management, AEA Assistant Stage Management, and then Non AEA Production Stage Management etc.

397

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Sign-in Sheet for Rehearsals

« on: Jan 19, 2011, 02:28 pm »

I have recently let the sign in sheet slide from my routine, but that's more because I've been working on small shows with small casts of 2 people and haven't needed it. Especially when the venue the show is performed in requires the cast to walk through the house before going to the dressing rooms, it worked perfectly fine to have them visually check in with me on arrival.

We had the sign in sheets while I was on tour, but they were basically pointless. The cast was checked in by the company manager when they got on the bus, and I performed a head count when they arrived to make sure the company manager didn't mess up (by the time the cast would have gotten to the call board, the bus driver would already be gone and we'd have no easy way of picking up a straggling actor we miscounted). We still hung it up every venue, but the cast took to the sign in sheet as a graffiti board instead of useful things....like signing in.

The only time they were necessary were in cities where the hotel was close enough to the venue we canceled the bus transportation to the venue and the cast walked. And like Matt and Dee said, the cast was not trained well and didn't sign in and we had to go hunt them down at half hour.

398

The Green Room / Re: This one goes to Eleven!

« on: Jan 15, 2011, 07:38 pm »

Happy Birthday SMnetwork! And undying thanks to PSMKay and all the moderators for keeping this going.

In January 2000, I was a senior in high school en route to a 24-2 record and a sectional championship as a starting goaltender for my high school hockey team, a birth in the State Forensics Tournament for Oral Interpretation (reading prose and poetry from a book), deciding which college to attend, and began rehearsals for my final orchestra concert...January was a busy month, man!

399

The Green Room / Re: One of those funny cartoons

« on: Jan 08, 2011, 01:17 pm »

This totally boils down my last production to a T! Except, you know...I was the lighting designer and the stage manager....I was arguing with myself a lot...and honestly it went a lot in the other direction where it was a competent stage manager yelling at the damn lighting designer who kept ruining cues and grinding tech to a halt.

It was just awkward for everyone in the room 

400

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Communication problems

« on: Jan 01, 2011, 11:11 pm »

I was the Treasurer for the student run organization at my college, and we had an entire system for play proposals and play selection that happened the previous year. So in the Spring of 2011 (for example) we would select the season for Fall and Spring 11-12. We used an entire process where people could propose plays, musicals, directors, and designers all to be selected by the executive board.

Perhaps this is a system you could implement starting this semester to avoid these situations in the future. At least you'll know what shows you're going to do and the basic needs of the production before you even leave for summer break.

401

Tools of the Trade / Re: Android Phone Apps

« on: Jan 01, 2011, 11:04 pm »

Open Advanced Task Killer - its free and it allows you to easily turn off any programs running in the background allowing you to save on battery life.

Depends on which version of the Android OS you run. I've got v2.3.340 and Task Killer doesn't work like it did before. Things continually turn themselves on despite being killed before I lock my phone. I've been told by Verizon that the new operating system side steps app killers pretty effectively though I don't understand why.

402

The Green Room / Re: Trivia Tournament II: Electric Boogaloo

« on: Dec 30, 2010, 06:25 am »

Ha. It did cost me a perfect score...I wasn't paying attention enough to realize it was a pun.

Neither was I, hence my annoyance and lashing out at the world for it. *grumble grumble grumble* Julius Squeezer.......*sigh*

403

The Green Room / Re: Trivia Tournament II: Electric Boogaloo

« on: Dec 30, 2010, 12:02 am »

Just finished today's history quiz: I call total shenanigans on the 10th question. I would adore to see the source material for that particular question...bibliography....anything that supports that answer. If that actually cost me a perfect score I would be so cranky! Thankfully, I missed one already so it's just annoying instead.

404

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Mentorship Program

« on: Dec 27, 2010, 10:38 pm »

In the grand tradition of "I thought I did this on this site" (ie like when I thought I had introduced myself then forgot it was years ago and under another handle) I would be very happy to take part in this program as a mentor. I think this is a fantastic way to bridge the gap between graduation and establishing yourself as a pro in the field. Hurray!

405

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Stage Manager IN the report

« on: Dec 26, 2010, 04:04 pm »

I use a combimation of first names, and titles. I don't like saying I or things like that because who knows who typed the report (i realize that information is also on the report, but people shouldn't have to search for it because you started to refer to as I).

In rehearsal reports, if it comes from a director, I use we. If its from myself, I use my name in the third person. If its a question or request from an assistant, I'll use stage management.