Messages

46

The Green Room / Re: Finish this sentence: "If all the world's a stage..."

« on: Sep 02, 2010, 02:42 pm »

Saw this one in a touristy-crap store this weekend on vacation, feel free to edit according to gender preference:

"If all the world's a stage, men need better lines"

47

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: ESCRIPTS Archive June 09-Dec. 10

« on: Aug 30, 2010, 10:20 am »

Anyone have an e-copy of Death of a Salesman, or know where I could find one?

PM me if you do. Thanks!

48

The Green Room / Re: Funny definitions

« on: Aug 24, 2010, 01:08 am »

Inspired by late_stranger's "Standby Syndrome" and my (notoriously running late) husband.

Homelife Backlash - The absolute, and occasionally angry, refusal to perform any SM-like duties while not at work, such as reminding everyone that they need to be out the door in 30/15/5 minutes, making to-do lists, finding misplaced props keys/wallets/etc., or in general, organizing anyone's life but their own.

As a subset of Homelife Backlash--

Tardiness Tantrum-Emotional response of the SM in aforementioned homelife when others are not, automatically, as adept at being on time/prepared/generally competent in life skills as the SM is. Can include (but certainly is not limited to) foot tapping, eye rolling, disagreeable mumbling, other family members getting left behind, etc.

This is fun!

49

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

« on: Jun 20, 2010, 10:29 pm »

OK, I now have to amend my previous input on this thread.  I just finished working on a new script that changed significantly from rehearsal to rehearsal, and I saved myself a lot of time & hassle switching to electronic blocking notes.  With a .pdf script, I annotated blocking notes in the Left margin and used the highlight function to take line notes, then I marked cuts with strikethroughs until a new script version was available.  When new drafts came out, I just copied pages that hadn't changed into the new pdf and continued from there.

I still printed out a paper copy of the final script for cues, and wouldn't be able to call from a computer screen, but I found the pdf very useful for blocking notes.

It also helps that our rehearsal spaces rarely had internet access, so I was never in danger of distraction, but I still found it useful to have that info electronically.

50

Employment / Re: Child Wrangling

« on: May 14, 2010, 10:31 pm »

Community summer theaters ALWAYS have tons of kids in their casts and can use all of the help they can get. 

The town I grew up in puts on massive productions each summer involving literally hundreds of kids (think 250 Americans, mostly college and younger and 50 Parisians, 9-13 in "Joseph & The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.") and is always willing to take on an extra person backstage to ensure that entrances are made on time and costume changes happen/kids don't sneak into the audience to watch with their parents.

Community theater can be a great way to get child wrangling experience under your belt and on your resume and really dive in to make sure you like the job. Not all of them pay, but it's worth a shot if you have the time and interest.

51

The Green Room / Re: Finish this sentence: "If all the world's a stage..."

« on: May 12, 2010, 02:52 pm »

If all the world's a stage, I need to speak to the designers.

52

The Green Room / Metropolitan Opera SM Thomas H. Connell III Dies at 67

« on: May 06, 2010, 10:03 am »

Beautiful descriptions of the job and some specific moments in his career in the Obit. 
RIP.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/28/arts/28connell.html?ref=todayspaper

53

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: sharing rehearsal room- and props??

« on: May 01, 2010, 12:08 pm »

I agree with nmno, that as a one-time thing followed up with a call explaining I would be fine with it, but an ongoing situation with no notice would put me on edge. 

One thing I tend to do when sharing spaces is to put a note on top of whatever furniture/props need to be stored in the space with "Name of Show only, Please do not touch" and then my name and cell # (I know and trust everyone else who uses the space) so in case someone does need to use one of our props they can come and find me or call and I'll give them the go-ahead.

Best of luck as you move forward with the show!

54

Tools of the Trade / Re: TECHNOLOGY: Smart phones

« on: Apr 25, 2010, 07:44 pm »

Has anyone used the Rehearsal App?  It's geared more towards actors and voice-over artists, but it lets you forward pdf versions of scripts to the app, highlight, leave text/video/photo/audio comments.  It seems that with a little finagling and some creativity this could be helpful, especially in situations such as training a replacement on tricky sequences. 

It's one of the first apps I've seen specifically tailored to theatre professionals, so I thought I would mention it here and see if anyone had tried it out.

55

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Other Theatre Jobs

« on: Apr 12, 2010, 10:35 pm »

Yes, yes, yes, and yes.  One thing you'll find across all of the message boards here is to just do anything you can find a position doing.  The more a stage manager knows about each element of production the better. 

Does your department allow you to work on more than one thing at a time? I've found it really helpful to, say, be on electrics crew for the same show I'm SMing--that way, I can have a conversation with the LD about what look this light is a part of, what scene it's for, why this kind of light, etc--and then when I'm calling the show I have a really good picture of what each type of light looks like.  And that works in all aspects of the rehearsal process, from props crew to direction to costumes, sound, etc.

All of that said, pick whichever one you have the most interest in to start off, or pick an area you have friends in--I don't know that I would recommend any one "other" role over the rest. You may find a second passion simply by spending a semester on a new crew.
 

56

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: New to SMing

« on: Mar 29, 2010, 07:37 pm »

Hey Kacey!

I think what most people on these boards will tell you is to just start looking for shows that need production assistants, assistant stage managers, and even smaller community shows that need SMs.  In my opinion, the best way to learn how to be a stage manager is to do it.  Find a regional theater near you and see if you can shadow someone, if there's a summer stock or community theater nearby see if they have internships or assistant positions, and make it known that you're willing to work and eager to learn.

Make sure you poke around the forums here, too--there is a ton of info on getting started and really anything else you may need/want to know. 

Keep us posted on what you're doing, and good luck!

57

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

« on: Mar 19, 2010, 05:03 pm »

I agree with missliz.  I think having a computer out during rehearsals can get far too distracting--both for the actors and for the SM.  I much prefer to take blocking notes by hand, mostly because that's how I learned and it's easier for me to change things without thinking about it that way.  In tech, I can see the attraction of being able to edit plots and tracking on a computer, but I would still keep my pencil & paper out for script notes and reports.

58

The Green Room / Re: Great descriptions of stage managers in 1-2 sentences

« on: Mar 03, 2010, 10:57 am »

When I taught tech last summer, my kids called me Mary Poppins because I could pull anything out of my kit.  It's actually not a bad analogy for a stage manager.

59

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: What's the most controversial show you've ever worked on?

« on: Feb 26, 2010, 11:37 am »

When I did Pillowman last year, we expected there to be a lot of controversy around the show, but the campus community seemed to really support the work we were doing-on the whole. There were a few who questioned our need to do a show of that ilk, and a few people who were very close to cast & crew members refused to see the show.

I did work on Altar Boyz a few summers ago, and we had a walkout there.  Right after confession sessions an elderly couple walked out with their grandkids. I was FOH that night and the HM and I stood there with the producer trying to understand why they walked out--apparently the show was blasphemous and teaching children that premarital sex was okay.  She didn't seem to get the satire part of the show, and we all wished they had stayed for You Make Me Wanna Wait. Audience members are funny sometimes.

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Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: How to encourage actors to show up?

« on: Feb 17, 2010, 06:36 pm »

It has always been my impression that it is the SM's job, not the director's, to ensure that everyone arrives on time to rehearsals.  Maybe you need to remind your director of that fact, and then make sure that when actors come in late you find an appropriate time to talk to them--and make sure you do it every time, whether the actor was 2 minutes or 2 hours late.  If the director sees you take control of the situation, that may keep her from yelling--because it isn't her responsibility any more.