Messages

481

Employment / Re: Resume- seperating NY shows

« on: Oct 19, 2009, 05:14 pm »

I have NY credits, then "selected regional credits." within those are both SM and ASM credits. I live in the city, though, so I'm not sure if that makes a difference.

482

The Hardline / Re: Script rewrites

« on: Oct 18, 2009, 01:59 pm »

The few times I've worked with new scripts, I kept track of the edits/rewrites, but the playwright was responsible for delivering new pages. Ie we discussed cutting a few specific lines, which the cast crossed out and I made note of in the rehearsal report. The playwright then came back with the clean pages a few days later.

483

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Broadway SM arrested

« on: Oct 18, 2009, 03:32 am »

Yep...heard about this today at work. I'm appalled. SMs, in my mind, are the trusted confidante of the cast, and the liason to the crew and beyond...disgusting.

484

Tools of the Trade / Re: Google Wave - SMNetwork Sandbox

« on: Oct 13, 2009, 03:18 pm »

Sounds interesting. I'm in!

--Invite sent!--

485

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Offshoot from Are you always completely honest?

« on: Oct 13, 2009, 03:17 pm »

Definitely. Seems like it'd be more of a problem if I didn't.

486

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Advice for a newbie

« on: Oct 13, 2009, 10:31 am »

I don't really understand why I have to do the book technically correctly when it's only me who has to be able to see and understand it.

It's what I've called bus-proofing: if I got hit by a bus, my book would be understandable enough that anybody could run the show. If a director needs to know where prop X is by Act II, or a list of blackout cues, or which side of the stage an actor is on in Scene 3 (all things I've been asked), it's having all that information on hand instantly. Plus, written down, you have proof if someone says "oh no, we're doing it this way..."

I can keep a lot of information in my head as well, and it's definitely useful, but never assume you're the only one who will have to deal with the information.

487

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Are you always completely honest?

« on: Oct 10, 2009, 02:23 pm »

Thanks  to both of you. I have been mentioning things that happen, and sometimes they make it into the report, sometimes not. I'm not sure what determines that to her (ex: an actress had a mild injury as she was exiting, I mentioned it to the SM who didn't see it, and it wasn't in the report), so I don't want to step on toes.

488

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Are you always completely honest?

« on: Oct 10, 2009, 09:43 am »

Example: an onstage actor dropped his prop, earlier this week, which was a wireless mic he was pulling out of a stand.  It happens, human beings are fallible and we drop things, from time to time.  A look at anyone's drinking glasses cabinet at home will confirm that.  This was the only time it has occured.

But I was really tempted not to include it in my report, because my producer tends to think that one dropped prop is evidence of a continuing underlying problem that needs to be fixed.  "The mic stand must be rigged wrong and the mic must be slippery.  We can add some clamps on the stand and grip tape on the mic and maybe add more light in that scene so he can see the prop better!" when the reality is, the mic and stand and lights are fine; it was just an accident, a clumsy moment.  One dropped prop out of six weeks of show.

For instances like that (nd really, in general when things go wrong), I'll put after why it happened and how it was fixed OR needs to be fixed. IE

"Jason forgot to turn off the radio in II.vi- Meghan got it later in the scene. "

"One worklight was on TOS...Cat turned it off, and I held the blackout longer to let actors enter."

This tends to appease people, as they know it's not a big deal.

It's interesting you brought this up, because I'm ASMing a show, and the SM doesn't put many things in the performance report that I would. She doesn't tend to watch the stage (granted, it's a cue-heavy show, but I was surprised!) and ends up missing things that happen onstage and doesn't put them in the report. Boggles my mind.

489

The Hardline / Re: Photography at Rehearsal

« on: Oct 07, 2009, 06:31 pm »

Seconded. Just did this with my last show...had to give 24 hr notice.

490

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Electronic interuptions during a performance

« on: Sep 30, 2009, 11:02 pm »

Has anyone read or seen this video of a Broadway play interupted and what the actors did?

Patti Lupone stops a performance of Gypsy because a person is taking pictures. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGoSc8HS2WE

It actually came out later that it was a stunt....the guy taking photographs was actually a guy she'd interviewed with earlier. I'm searching for the article and can't find it, unfortunately.

491

The Green Room / Re: Where and when are you at your best?

« on: Sep 29, 2009, 11:15 am »

Much as I love it when nothing goes wrong and I can enjoy the show, I am at my best when things go haywire and I have to solve on the fly. 

For example, doing a big door-slam comedy, the sound went out right after the recorded spiel and I had to invent (and communicate to my ASM on deck) ways to make the necessary sounds, make sure cast was notified, keep our sound op calm and rebooting the computer while we waited to see if any of the cues would work or not (it ended up abt 50%), calling light cues and sending constant updates of info to actors etc - or recently when my (responsible terrific) light board op and my (lovely and capable) ASM both arrived late to call - the LBO arriving AT showtime - and we all pitched in and did what was needed to get the dimmer check and backstage set-up and ironing and preshow prep done, all accomplished in the proverbial nick. It's crazy-making, but exciting and fun. (Can you tell I was almost an ER doc?)

That's awesome! I love it.

492

Employment / Listing a reading on your resume

« on: Sep 21, 2009, 09:59 am »

Hi, hope this is the right place to post this-

I'm going to be SMing 2 Equity musical readings this month. Are these appropriate to list on a resume? If so, how? I feel like grouping them in with the other shows I've done is a little bit of a falsehood (esp as they are both heading to Off-Bway runs, which I might not be joining). Is there a simple way to set them off so as not to be confusing?

493

The Hardline / Re: TDF Membership

« on: Sep 17, 2009, 01:49 pm »

What is TDF???

May want to clarify.  I imagine a lot of folks, like myself, haven't a clue! :-)

TDF NYC is the Theater Development Fund. They do lots of arts funding in NYC, with a big focus on making theater accessible and affordable for everyone.

To the OP, I saw the discounted membership recently as well, and have been thinking about it. I think for me it's going to come down to how many plays I will realistically see this year, and if that makes the membership worth it. But it IS a really good deal...

494

The Green Room / audience callbacks- the ones you want, the ones you don't

« on: Sep 16, 2009, 10:57 am »

an actor the other day was telling me a story about doing children's theater- peter pan. when peter pan captured captain hook, he would ask the kids in the audience "what should we do with him?" and the response was usuall "throw him overboard!" "feed him to the crocodile!" etc. she said one day it was silent until a little boy yelled "CUT OFF HIS PENIS!" and the cast pretty much lost it. oh, children.

i also worked on a production of they're playing our song where the running joke is the lead female's ex boyfriend, leon, constantly showing up at inopportune times (though he never appears onstage). at the top of the second act, she has a long monologue about going to the hospital, "and you'll never guess who was there." "WHO?" asked the exasperated lead actor (a c-list soap star, not used to being onstage). a tiny old lady in the front row yelled "LEON!" and the actor got so flustered he walked out the front door of the set, took a deep breath, then came BACK on and did the scene again.

my current show is very rocky-horror-like, and we've started to get people singing the choruses of the songs, which we definitely didn't anticipate but has been a lot of fun and (thankfully) not distracting.


any funny audience response stories? how did it effect the show?

495

The Green Room / Re: "I can't do that on stage."

« on: Sep 14, 2009, 04:25 pm »

I did a show a little while ago where the show pretty much hinged on the daughter walking in on a kiss between her father and her aunt. Except the woman playing the aunt was a HUGE germophobe and refused to kiss the lead actor! (Why this wasn't a consideration when she was auditioning, I'll never know.) They ended up staging it so instead of her kissing him, him pulling away, then him going back in for it, she kissed him on the cheek, he stopped, then pulled his hand up to stroke her face, they both leaned in, and- DOOR FLIES OPEN. End of Act I.

Personally, I think you just hire one of the 675636 other actors who DON'T have a germ problem, because it really diluted the intensity of the scene.