Messages

406

The Green Room / Life (As Seen Through Performance Reports)

« on: Dec 23, 2010, 01:31 pm »

Sometimes you just need to create a goofy topic and hope it brightens your day a touch.

If All the World is a Stage, then there must be performance reports for everyday activities. What I'm looking for here are news events put through the lens of a Performance Report. For instance:

"During this afternoon's performance of POTUS, Mr. Obama slammed his left hand on the table after signing the DADT bill. This was an unexpected blocking change, and resulted in a slight stinging sensation in his palm for the rest of the performance. We gave him an ice pack back after the show."

Or

"Tonight's performance of Convenience Clerks was abruptly interrupted when a 1989 blue Crown Victoria was driven through the set by a patron. The show was halted for a few moments for the cast to figure out how to finish the show with a car blocking their path to the store entrance, then realizing there was no longer a wall and the show could continue."

Give us a show title, the event as seen through a Performance Report, and how it was resolved or dealt with. Standby silliness, Silliness: Go!

407

The Green Room / Re: Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark

« on: Dec 23, 2010, 12:11 pm »

I may be an irrepresable optimist, but I'd like to think this whole thing can still turn out well for the whole field!

My fear would be if the production somehow manages to turn this whole ordeal into a viable success, what does it do to the bar of modern musical theater? It may set it so high that the next show has to be bigger and bigger still and instead of a few broken ribs, and a concussion we have to read about someone dying for their art.

408

The Green Room / Re: Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark

« on: Dec 22, 2010, 02:08 pm »

Even if that's the case, this is a failure in equipment. There's not all that much you can do about random happenings like this aside from triple checking the equipment preshow. And even then, things break.

Just to make sure I'm being accurate, I made that statement before it was announced (or before I read at least) the conclusion by Equity that it was human error. I do hope we find out exactly what happened, but I hold no hope what so ever that it will be released.

409

The Green Room / Re: Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark

« on: Dec 21, 2010, 06:32 pm »

I keep wondering if it's just a case now where there's too much going on in the cues to allow all of them to executed safely.  I haven't seen the show but from everything I've read with the flight, animation, and just the normal bread and butter calls, it's almost too much.

Even if that's the case, this is a failure in equipment. There's not all that much you can do about random happenings like this aside from triple checking the equipment preshow. And even then, things break.

Knowing now that this isn't a flying accident, and it is just a line attached to the actor that failed (which is in theory simpler to rig) I'm more disturbed by this accident than the previous ones. I bet the producers of the show are none to pleased someone decided to illegally record that video last night...

410

The Green Room / Re: Performers & Safety - would you walk off a show?

« on: Dec 21, 2010, 02:15 am »

NY Daily News is saying it was the physical harness that broke, not the cable itself. There's also the "Spin Dispute" between the height. The company says a few feet. The audience says 20-30 feet. Then again, audiences always seem surprised when they meet actors after the show how much smaller they seem because they appear larger than they are on stage. AP picked up the story an hour ago as well.

Does anybody know what company made the flying rig?

I haven't been able to find anything on the safety systems in my brief online searches. But I didn't expect to find anything. I can't imagine the information to the rig is in the public forum when they knew they would be scrutinized for everything they do in that theater. The only info I can find regarding any part of the system is in a comments section of a blog post from the NY Times, but again, that's as reliable as getting your information regarding the accident from Twitter.

411

The Green Room / Re: Performers & Safety - would you walk off a show?

« on: Dec 21, 2010, 12:27 am »

Broadwayworld.com is reporting that one of the actors playing Spider-Man fell 20 feet when his cable snapped during a stunt. Most of the reporting is coming from first hand accounts (and primarily through Twitter) so take it for what its worth, but an actor still fell from a substantial height.

I'm entirely torn. I want Spider-Man to do well as I wish for every production, but what they are trying to do seems too dangerous to me and has since they first put the idea together to make Spider-Man a musical. You can make the production as safe as possible, but things happen. And when you're putting someone in situations where they are suspended multiple stories in the air any accident is magnified. 

http://broadwayworld.com/article/UPDATE_FirstHand_Report_on_SPIDERMAN_Injury_20101220

412

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

« on: Dec 18, 2010, 04:40 am »

My score today has confirmed two things I already know: I should not take trivia games at 4:30 in the morning and if I haven't worked on it, odds are I know nothing about it. I shall now hang my head in shame at my score of 3 on a theatre quiz. *price is right FAIL trumpets*

413

Tools of the Trade / Re: Gifts!

« on: Dec 08, 2010, 02:12 pm »

I was pleased to discover that after mentioning my intention to get myself an ipad over the summer that my family has decided to jump the gun for me. Although I am still contributing massively to the endeavor, my military grandfather used his base to get a tax free 64 wifi-3G ipad. Just in time to start my next gig. :-)

Let us know how that works out. I'm getting an iPad as a wedding gift, and I still haven't figured out exactly how it's going to be useful in my professional life. I just know I want the pretty, sparkly, shiny, whirring, electronic toy despite it's usefull/uselessness. It'd be nice to actually need it for something instead of just having a large iPod touch.

The gift I'm coveting most recently is a wireless laser printer. I've seen a couple that look awesome, but haven't been able to foot the bill myself. Mayhaps Santa will get me one.

414

The Green Room / Re: United States of Artists

« on: Dec 07, 2010, 05:30 pm »

My company uses Kickstart and have for the last couple years I think. But its cool that there's one specifically targeted to the arts. I'm going to show it to the powers that be and see if we want to use this one from now on.

415

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: VENUES: Shakespeare Outdoors

« on: Nov 27, 2010, 02:32 pm »

The most obvious issue you'd run into is weather and if you can control that, I would like to build a shrine to you. 

Especially being sea front, moisture can be an enemy. Are the stairs you are using for the performance stone or wood? Either one can present a serious slip risk. Are you allowed to add any grip tape or slip strips (whatever they happened to be called) to the stairs?

Some manner of comfort in the dressing room/green room for the cast would probably be a good thing for a summer production. Though expensive, tower fans push a lot of air and are pretty quiet so they will still be able to hear the show and not have to struggle through a loud whirring industrial fan.

With all that said, the only outdoor performance I was a part of was in the early early spring and we had to deal with extreme cold, so I can't think of anything else that might happen in summer production.

416

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

« on: Nov 27, 2010, 02:15 pm »

You know, I always viewed myself as a wealth of worthless knowledge perfect for trivia games and what not.....after having failed so spectacularly at these quizzes,I feel like I need to reevaluate my life in a significant way....

417

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Stage Managment Colleges in NY

« on: Nov 21, 2010, 12:26 pm »

and you’ll have impressive stories about the weather for years to come.   

Its so true! I just had some college friends visit and we told Fredonia weather horror stories...maybe it's just a SUNY wide phenomenon.

I can't remember anymore, but does NYU have a sm program? I want to say they do.

418

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Stage Managment Colleges in NY

« on: Nov 20, 2010, 01:01 am »

The immediate knee jerk reactions I will give is SUNY-Fredonia and SUNY-Purchase. They are two of the best schools for theater in the state college system. The only thing about Fredonia is it doesn't have a Stage Management program per se. You can (or could when I went there) create a major that is tailored to your needs. For instance, a friend I went to school with created a Technical Direction BFA major approved by the school.

Purchase has a ready made BFA. It's a conservatory vs. liberal arts like Fredonia. Being a Fredonia alum, I have an ingrained dislike of Purchase but could never be able to identify exactly what it is that I dislike about the school. But those two would be my suggestions.

419

The Green Room / Re: Did he REALLY ask me that?

« on: Nov 15, 2010, 01:18 am »

These are more "how do that not know that" moments...

A professional ballet dancer asked my ASM what "places" meant. She was young, but had been in plenty of shows. I have no idea how she missed that particular term! 

That's not quite as odd as you might think. "Places" is not necessarily the accepted term every where. Could be, like with a group of Irish actors I worked with, they were expecting a "First Positions" instead.

420

The Green Room / Re: Rehearsals are Like Relationships

« on: Nov 15, 2010, 01:07 am »

The Trick: Like a prostitute, you took the gig for the money, and have no interest what so ever in the project except the paycheck.