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541

December Madness I: 2012 / University, Round 4: Stopwatch vs Call Button

« on: Dec 11, 2012, 01:02 pm »

In this corner... [gesture] ... the stopwatch. Along with the clipboard and the headset, it is one of the three sacred symbols of stage management. Be it Omega or Radio Shack, new school or old school, it is doubtless a crucial part of our industry. We time scene shifts and quick changes. We time french scenes to ensure the actors aren't getting too creative. In rehearsals we time the work segments and the breaks. We use it to time verbally paced fades. Oh yes, the stopwatch is a mighty competitor in this tournament.

Aaaand in this corner... [gesture in opposite direction]... the call button. Separate from the headset and often neglected, the call button allows us the freedom to get off the leash when running a backstage track. In a pinch it can be used as a substitute for a cue light on the rail. It's the hooked boomerang that brings our board ops back into the fold, provided they haven't dozed off at their desk.

Only one will make it to the sweet sixteen. Which will it be? We'll find out when voting closes on Friday at midnight, CST.

542

December Madness I: 2012 / Commercial, Round 4: Highlighter vs Hammer

« on: Dec 11, 2012, 01:01 pm »

This may be the "Blue Gel vs Scale Rule" sleeper suspense match of the round. While Paper vs Glow Tape has been heralded as the match to watch, some are saying that Highlighter vs Hammer here in the Commercial League may be a big draw before half time is over.

Highlighter is more of an actor's tool, but some SM's use them to ink their calling scripts. As for the humble hammer, well, yes, it's normally a carpenter's tool. But when your set is held together with nails, it's a good idea to have a hammer around and know how to use it.

This match is basically choosing which device you'd like to feed to the Laptop in the sweet sixteen, but it's still an interesting either-or problem to consider.

Consider as you will until Friday at midnight, CST.

543

December Madness I: 2012 / Regional, Round 4: Cell Phone vs Mor-Tite

« on: Dec 11, 2012, 01:00 pm »

On one side of the court we've got a relative newcomer to the industry. On the other, a long-time stalwart traveling companion.

Cell phone needs little introduction - its versatility and utility have earned it a big fan following despite its comparatively young age. However, cell phones are not known for their reliability. They need charging, they need a signal, they need SIM cards and many are pretty useless without apps. In the hands of the audience they're a menace, but in the hands of a tardy actor they may be a lifeline to sanity. When working at their best the cell phone squadron is an unbeatable foe, but can they get it together this week?

Meanwhile, Mor-tite (also known as weatherstripping, blue-tack, poster putty) does not have quite so obvious of a use as cell phone, but once you're familiar with it you will come back to it again and again. Malleable, sticky and pretty much invisible, it has been used to hold loose & wiggly props in place for decades.

Can Mor-tite summon its defensive staying power against what will certainly be an offensive slaughter from cell phone?

The fourth round will run through Friday at midnight CST.

544

December Madness I: 2012 / Community, Round 4: Glow Tape vs Paper

« on: Dec 11, 2012, 12:59 pm »

The Community League may be the one to watch this time around, with the home team's flash and sparkle pitted against the away team's solid foundation and unique slice & dice offense technique.

Of the four tapes that have taken the field so far, Glow Tape is the one most likely to save someone's life in a backstage situation. While its staying power is notoriously weak and it will likely need to call on some assistance to get all the way to the goal, it is nevertheless outstanding in its field and utilized in pretty much every production. However, knowing that the winner of this match will have to go up against Flashlight in the Sweet Sixteen may harm its chances.

However, while nobody will claim that Paper has saved their life, it is undeniably a central element to every single aspect of the Stage Manager's job. Many of the preceding winners - including Pencil, Binder, Scale Rule and Multi-Hole punch, would be useless without Paper. Never before has it been an attractive option to vote for more paper. Perhaps in this situation we will create the exception that proves the rule.

The fourth round will run through Friday at midnight CST.

545

December Madness I: 2012 / Re: December Madness!

« on: Dec 11, 2012, 12:59 pm »

It's the end of round 3 folks, and what a round it's been! We've had stress, we've had doubling back, we've had calls for repentance. At the end of the day it's the away teams who took the blue ribbon in all four matches. Blue Gel and Scale Rule swapped leads multiple times during the course of their match, and the Multi Hole Punch left the game floor dotted with the blood of the Screw Gun after a vicious game. If this is presages the upcoming higher tier matches, I see great things in our future!

The final results of round 3:
Post-Its 10, Spike Tape 37 (W)
Watered Down Tea 3, Photocopier 42 (W)
Screw Gun 17, Multi-Hole Punch 26 (W)
Blue Gel 18, Scale Rule 28 (W)

The fourth and final round of this first tier of matches has begun and will run through Friday at approximately Midnight CST.

546

December Madness I: 2012 / Re: Community, Round 3: Post-Its vs. Spike Tape

« on: Dec 10, 2012, 12:12 am »

Very stage managery of you to refer back to your checklist to verify your vote, bex. 10 points for Hufflepuff!

547

December Madness I: 2012 / Re: December Madness!

« on: Dec 09, 2012, 09:35 pm »

As we come to the end of the first half of round 3, we've got two close matches and two near shut-outs.

In the University League, scale rule came out fighting and showed a strong lead through the first quarter. However, blue gel has come back after taking a time-out to regroup, and is now ahead. Only three points separate the two, though, so this could turn out either way, and some serious fan discussions could tip the balance.

Another tight race is going on in the Commercial League, with the Multi-Hole Punch pushing back against the screw gun to take a narrow five point lead during the 2nd quarter. The score currently stands at 19 to 14.

The photocopier is having an easy time of it over in the Regional League as watered-down tea is putting up a tepid, flavorless defense. The score currently stands 31 to 2. The tea's only chance is the copier's tendency to run out of paper and choke at inopportune moments. A bad case of PC Load Letter could leave the copier in real hot water.

Gaffa's colorful little brother Spike is running a very strong game in the Community League, outpacing Post-Its by 24 points. The score currently stands at 30 to 6. However, Post-Its have been creeping up, gaining 4 points in the 2nd quarter, and some members may well be holding off out of indecision in this dicey match-up. We could see a last minute surge for post-its, but they're going to have to come up with some fancy footwork to get out of this sticky situation and their technique has been notorious for losing its staying power late in the game.

Enjoy the half time shows and stay tuned for the exciting 2nd half of Round 3!

548

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: PROPS: Bottomless bag

« on: Dec 08, 2012, 01:55 am »

Is there any time when small stuff and big stuff has to be pulled out in the same scene with no ability to do a hidden swap of identical bags?

549

December Madness I: 2012 / University, Round 3: Blue Gel vs Scale rule

« on: Dec 08, 2012, 01:47 am »

The study of loanwords and how they make it into the English language is one of my favorite hobbies. This quirky little dark horse match in the University league involves what could be called loantools, borrowed from other professions.

Our home team is the rarely celebrated but much appreciated blue gel. Originally for lighting instruments, it has become the color that tinges our entire backstage world. Covering clip lights, flashlights and booth lights, it prevents us from working in pitch darkness while minimizing spill onto the stage. The entire convention of a vista scene shifts in blue light would be totally upended if blue gel were to suddenly boycott its duties.

Visiting is the architect's scale rule, used by stage managers for one purpose only - reading the ground plan. There is no doubt that the taping of the scenery in the rehearsal hall is a critical part of the job, even if we've neglected it somewhat here on SMNetwork due to the amorphous nature of the task. Even if you're lucky enough to be rehearsing in your performance space, chances are that a tape-out will be needed for the first several weeks of rehearsal. Knowing how to use a scale rule properly, especially in the era of CAD rendering, may be one of the lesser-acknowledged hallmarks of a true professional stage manager.

I really have no guess as to which side will win this one, but I know that the winning team will be up against the three ring binder in the sweet sixteen. Blue Gel, Scale rule, you have until Tuesday at noon CST to prove yourselves. May the odds be ever in your favor!

550

December Madness I: 2012 / Commercial, Round 3: Screw Gun vs Three Hole Punch

« on: Dec 08, 2012, 01:35 am »

One is pricey, durable and a backstage tech's MVP on the graduation gift list. The other is a cheap and cheerful presence on the tech table and partners with troubled Round 1 winner Binder. Both players do one absolutely necessary job very efficiently, both are noisy, and double as weapons in a pinch. Both can cause utter havoc if not properly tended.

In the pre-game this Commercial League match was picked as one to watch and even with Binder's weak performance in Round 1 it still has the potential to be a nail-biter. The screw gun, while typically the province of carpenters, is no stranger to stage manager hands and I'd reckon that most of the members of the site have not only used them often, but have formed strong opinions as to favorite brands, sizes, corded or cordless style, and even motor speed. Even some scene changes cannot be completed without the assistance of the screw gun, meaning that even if we don't touch the thing, it's necessary for the job to get done.

Meanwhile, as long as there are binders there will be the need for three hole punches, or multi-hole punches depending on the size of paper and style of binder most common in your country. Recent upstart paper products may require special punches of their own, but considering the streak of traditionalism that shoots deeply through many stage managers one could comfortably say that the three hole punch has earned pride of place at the right hand of the SM. The multi-hole punch pulls out an extra bit of utility by quickly creating glow-tape dots.

Both are powerful figures but only one will go on to the sweet sixteen. We'll know when the poll closes on Tuesday at noon CST. Game on!

551

December Madness I: 2012 / Regional, Round 3: Watered-Down Tea vs Photocopier

« on: Dec 08, 2012, 01:24 am »

Facing the Regional League this round is a match which will pit analog fans vs digital fans and pro vs amateur all at once.

Watered-down tea is the basis for an enormous number of liquid food props, and is also used in the manufacture of props and costumes as part of tea-dying to tone down bright fabrics for use under stage lighting. (This is why tea has made it to December Madness far as opposed to cola or kool-aid.) Food props in general are disputed as to their pertinence to stage managers, but even if you never touch them yourself you are certainly still aware of how crucial tea is to any show with food.

The photocopier has long been a soldier in the fight to opening night for stage managers, but with the rise of paperless scripts it may be slowly fading from view. Can this aging but powerful figure in the stage manager's battalion of allies still hold out and remain relevant when faced against an ancient, ageless and versatile beverage? Could stage managers actually accept doing a show without using a copier? How does the economic and environmental impact of the copier hold up against that of tea?

Inquiring minds want to know. Voting ends Tuesday at noon CST. Let the match begin!

552

December Madness I: 2012 / Community, Round 3: Post-Its vs. Spike Tape

« on: Dec 08, 2012, 01:17 am »

Round 3 for the Community League brings us what may be our hardest decision yet. Two versatile competitors take the field in this match and I'm excited to see all the reasons you guys come up with to choose one over the other. Both can be written upon, are easy to move if needed, are sticky, but they serve very specific roles and I don't know that I'd want to go without either one over the course of a production.

Post-its and post-it flags are one of the hallmarks of a prompt script. We use them to remind ourselves of the next break, to pass notes to our assistants and the director, and to mark cues on the fly during tech.

Meanwhile, spike tape, the narrower sibling of earlier competitor gaff tape, is used not just to mark positions on the fly rail but also to mark furniture, divide up prop tables, turn maglites into bite-able lights, and flag your pencils so they don't walk away. And, in what may be its most important role, it takes the place of the entire set during rehearsal.

Poll runs through Tuesday at noon CST. Allez Cuisine! (Wait, wrong venue.) Play ball!

553

December Madness I: 2012 / Re: December Madness!

« on: Dec 08, 2012, 01:10 am »

Well folks, that's it for Round 2! We'll be heading on to Round 3 shortly, with what may be some closer races than we've seen so far. The bracket in the first post of this thread has been updated again.

The final results of Round 2:
Flashlight 44 (W), Duct Tape 3
Velcro 0, Headset/Com 48 (W - Flawless Victory!)
Laptop 47 (W), Straight Edge 2
Tape Measure 47 (W - Flawless Victory), Protractor 0

The next round will run through Tuesday at noon!

554

December Madness I: 2012 / Re: December Madness!

« on: Dec 07, 2012, 01:15 am »

As we head into the last full 24 hours of voting for this round, we've got two shut-out matches. Headset is running a perfect game against velcro and the protractor team looks like it will also be leaving the field with tails between legs. The other two matches are likely decided already, but we've got some activity worth mention. Laptop had been running a perfect game throughout the first half, but straight edge snuck in two points. Meanwhile, the crowd is in an uproar over the 3 points that duct tape has managed to score against the fan favorite, flashlight.

All matches are showing a total of between 40 and 44 points on the board at this time, bringing us pretty close to the total tally from Round 1.

Of note: your friendly and lovable referee will be heading to a company holiday party tomorrow evening, so Round 3 may be a little late to get underway. I will try to post them from my phone but that will depend on the number of bars, both cellular and physical.

555

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Stage Managing & Life: Any stage managing parents?

« on: Dec 05, 2012, 09:21 pm »

We've had a few discussions about parenting & stage managing, although I don't know if we have any single parents. You can find some info in the following threads:

http://smnetwork.org/forum/stage-management-plays-musicals/the-breastfeedingpumping-stage-manager/
http://smnetwork.org/forum/the-green-room/are-there-any-aea-sm-moms/
http://smnetwork.org/forum/articles-from-the-old-site/user-question-how-do-you-balance-work-and-family/
http://smnetwork.org/forum/the-hardline/aea-maternity-leave/