Messages

61

The Green Room / Re: Thread to vent about / Actors behaving badly / As haiku only

« on: Feb 11, 2010, 10:55 am »

Send me conflicts please!
Yes, that does mean everything...
I cannot read minds.

If I'm aware that
Your class ends at eight-thirty,
Won't call you for eight.

62

The Green Room / Re: Healthy eating as a SM

« on: Feb 07, 2010, 11:27 pm »

My mom makes an incredible pasta sauce that she makes in huge batches, so I tend to either nab a batch whenever I'm home or recreate the recipe when I have time and freeze an entire pot in ziplocs, then I can just pull a ziploc out of the freezer, pop it in the microwave while the water is boiling and throw some cheese on top.  Same deal with chicken noodle soup. 

I also found Purdue pre-cooked chicken strips--not my favorite as an every night thing, but once in a while when I only have 30 minutes, those are set to eat in 3 minutes in the microwave or less in a pan with a little oil and seasoning. 

I'm a huge snacker, though--especially carrots and apples and peanut butter.  I find that a few healthy snacks throughout the day hold me over between smaller-than-ideal meals when I don't have the time to really cook.   

63

The Green Room / Re: On The Boards

« on: Jan 25, 2010, 02:09 pm »

I just saw that article, and i agree. I wonder what sorts of rules/regs will have to be put up in terms of which shows can be taped and published, and what it will mean for ticket sales in certain sectors of the entertainment world.  Will we be getting the response of "oh, I don't think I can afford a ticket to xyz show, I'll just watch it on my friend's On The Boards when it comes out", or will it be used more as an archival/nostalgic thing?

Should be interesting to see how it develops.

64

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: REHEARSALS: Volunteer crew who don't want to show up regularily!

« on: Jan 10, 2010, 03:40 pm »

I haven't had time to read your other posts to figure out context for this show, so bear with me if some of this isn't relevant.

The first thing I can think of, especially if this is a community piece, is that it may be a scheduling conflict thing.  Have you made sure rehearsals aren't conflicting for certain people? I know a lot of people in my community theater think its OK to miss every Thursday and every other Wednesday, plus Mondays when they'd rather be at the beach--they don't understand that the show is an every day commitment and that the quality of the final performance does, actually, rely on the volunteers.

Maybe try explaining that to them, if you haven't already.  If you have, perhaps a reminder is in order. 

How many crew do you need, minimum, for this show? If its a time commitment thing, you may want to sit down with each of them (all at the same time, ideally, but it sounds like that may not happen) and show them a timeline of how long you have until opening, when rehearsals are, when they would be needed, etc. and do your best to figure out which people could take nights off when-have a sort of A crew and B crew, who rotate.  That way, you get to hear what their issues with being at rehearsals are, they get to see just how close the show is and hear from you how vital their role is, plus they understand that you're willing to do what you can to make it work out for everyone as well as possible. 

Beyond that, what's your backup plan? Figure out who your most reliable crew members are and give them the most responsibility, train them on as much as you can, and figure out your own backup plans for running the show in case certain people don't show of a night without notice.

Did any of that help? Keep us posted as to what you end up doing!

65

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: How to back up the career of choice.

« on: Dec 10, 2009, 05:17 pm »

[/quote]

I'm not sure what second major/minor I would want to work on.

And its not that I'm totally against teaching but right now I don't like little kids, couldn't handle the fragile state of middle-schoolers hitting puberty, and teenage brats with their pointless drama bothers me as well... Plus kids are getting dumber and sluttier. So I'd have to teach at a high school or college level and I'm not sure I'd want to stay in college long enough to get a degree to teach at a college level.
[/quote]

I'm currently a Junior in college, and I went through a period of desperately wanting to teach, then decided the same sorts of things you posted about teaching, and then I had a TA gig this past summer that I adored.  Don't write it off just yet, teaching is a great way to keep things fresh and new while still being able to work on your own shows, etc. 

Also, in terms of a second major/minor, keep an open mind. Unless you're going to a conservatory, colleges will make you take general ed requirements that are some of the best classes you'll take--and they may open your eyes to a new field you've never been interested in before.  Don't think you have to have everything worked out going into college, you'll have plenty of time.

66

The Green Room / Re: Holiday countdown!

« on: Dec 02, 2009, 05:46 pm »

alright. focusing on the positive countdowns, as opposed to the stressful ones.

8 days until my comedy performance
9 days until my one man show closes
14 days until winter break
20 days until I see my best friend for the first time since June
22 days until Christmas Eve mass and dinner out
23 days until Christmas dinner with family
26 days until my trip to Europe
44 days until I move to NYC for a semester!

67

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Student SM Challenge #9: 30 minutes to save the world

« on: Nov 13, 2009, 12:53 am »

This has actually seemed like a real possibility to me recently, with my best friend's show seeming mildly cursed...knock on wood.

Assuming all pre-show dimmer/speaker/level checks have already happened, here's my plan:
I would sit down with the ASM, run crew, and the prompt book and ask where the tricky sequences are--I'm assuming this is an ASM who has been at rehearsals throughout, if not I'd ask LBO/SBO for their input. I would also ask if there was anything else I had to be aware of-how would I be notified when quick changes were done, are there any cue lines that are typically botched, quiet sound Qs, etc. and I would make note of any and all of them.

If there were complicated sequences I would practice calling them out loud-not actually running lights or sound, I'm assuming the house is open and wouldn't want to risk giving anything away. I would also clarify my calling style with the board operators and modify it as needed so as to minimize confusing discrepancies.   
If dimmer/speaker checks had not happened, I would run those first-but as discreetly as possible if house is open. 

Any time I had left I would use to walk through and check everything backstage to make sure all was set and to make sure the actors didn't need anything from me.  From there, I'd check in with the house manager, take a few deep breaths, and call Q1.

68

Tools of the Trade / Re: Box Office Software

« on: Nov 11, 2009, 06:38 pm »

We use tix.com at our small theatre. It works great.

I've used tix.com before too and haven't had too many problems.  It runs quite a few reports very simply and the interface is pretty coherent.

69

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Humor: Stage Managing the World

« on: Nov 07, 2009, 10:45 pm »

I recently had a run-in with this-I was leaving my 10/12, put my keys in the car and started muttering to myself "..key turned....lights on..." and as I was pushing the power button to my radio I said "sound...go".  I'm so glad nobody else was in the car with me.

It hasn't happened too much otherwise, but I do find that after long rehearsals or mid-tech week I'll call cues to the ether. I'm also a freak about keeping time-my watch rarely leaves my wrist, and I always know what time it is as well as how long it is until I have to do something--anything. 

DAE, I'm actually a bit jealous of you.  One of the things I'm working on is being able to compartmentalize what goes on in the theater from my "real life" more efficiently.  I find that when I'm calling cues in my car I'm more likely to obsess over details of my show when I'm cooking, cleaning, etc, and it can get in the way of relaxing outside of rehearsals. 

70

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / CALLING: Grouping Standbys

« on: Oct 29, 2009, 11:53 am »

Hey everyone!

I'm currently working on a production of Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl.  There are many occasions when I have to call standbys for 2 or 3 each light and sound cues at a time.  I have tried to group my standby Qs with as few per call as possible, but sometimes I am in standby for 7 or 8 cues at once.  I've been grouping standbys by department and calling them "standby LXQ 48-50 & SQ R4-S2", but I'm wondering if there is an efficient way to indicate how many Qs are between LXQ48 and 50--because I have a 48.5, and 49.3 through 49.6.

Any input?  I'm not having an issue with my current method but I'm curious as to how other people would call this.
 
 

71

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Fight the flu?

« on: Oct 23, 2009, 12:15 pm »

I have also made it a practice to keep a Purell pump on my table during rehearsals.  Now that we're in show time (opening tonight!) I count on them to wash their hands in the dressing room, and have moved the pump down to the dressing rooms so they can use it.  We haven't been hit by flu yet (knock on wood) but we have had a few people with coughs/sneezes, so I also make sure there are tissues on hand at all times. 

Beyond that, I'd agree with BalletPSM.  Wiping down props, railings, door handles, etc with alcohol-based sanitizers is probably your best bet.  Also, if there is any eating off of plates, glasses, silverware in the show, make sure it is all cleaned thoroughly before the show, and that only the actor eating the food is touching the food when possible, so there isn't direct ingestion of the virus. 

72

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: TECH: Overheated actor

« on: Aug 04, 2009, 03:45 pm »

Icepacks work well, a cold washcloth on the wrists/back of the neck can work too.

Something else I've seen used before are those plastic fan/spritz bottle combinations-you can get them at Target, etc for $5-keep that full and in reach on a props table or other easy to find place so he can grab it, spritz his face, fan himself, and put it back. They tend to be fairly quiet, I'd recommend testing it in the store before you buy it to make sure it won't disturb the scene onstage but they work pretty well.

Let us know what you figure out! 

73

The Green Room / Re: Stage managing your life

« on: Jul 28, 2009, 05:08 pm »

I'm similarly OCD (although I agree that its not so much OCD as a time-saver) about trips and day-to-day things--I like to have times for my ideal train as well as the trains 2 or 3 before and after me in case anything goes wrong/runs late.  My friends will often say things like "we can go to museum X or Y and then eat someplace nearby, depending on when things are open we'll find a place" and I'm immediately on museum X and Y's websites checking out gallery times and nearby restaurants.  I don't think of it as a bad thing necessarily, but some of my more laid-back friends get irked by it.

The running joke is "I'm a stage manager, not a life manager."

Its funny you used the term "life manager" because I had an actor in my last show who called me just that.  (And continues to do so).  Ever since the day I bumped into him on my way to open the theater and he asked me if he should take a bath or a shower before call, the two of us have decided that I will manage his life for him someday.   Its a fun running gag, as a "life manager" text message never fails to make me smile.

74

The Green Room / Re: How do you keep in shape?

« on: Jun 02, 2009, 08:39 pm »

I'm not very good at remembering to exercise, but this past semester I added a few things to my regimen, even if only for a few weeks. 

My first show this spring, the other ASM, SM and I instated "SM Situps" before rehearsals-it never took our full half hour to sweep the stage and get rehearsal props out, so once all of that was done we'd do an ab workout while we waited for the cast to arrive.  Some of the actors walked in on situps one night and joined us, and for the next week or so a few of them would get to rehearsal early and our situps would start warmups.  This fell to the wayside once we got into tech, but it was nice to have an allotted time each day for crunches.

My second show, the cast were huge fans of Sun Salutes, and ended warmups with them every night.  During early rehearsals I typically had too much to do to join them (this was the show with nomadic rehearsals across campus, never the same room setup twice for a few weeks), but once we got into a fixed space and setup became normalized, I made a point of joining them at the end of vocal warmups for a series of Salutes.  Not only are they a great stretch, but we did them back to back, gradually building up speed, so they get your blood pumping and are also great for focusing.  I still try to do a set of Salutes every day--first thing in the morning tends to be the best time, I've found.

I also swear by my water bottle and either ice water or Emergen-C--having something to hydrate me 24/7 saves me so much trouble and money, as I'm not buying soda/juice/coffee/tea/etc at every meal. 

75

Tools of the Trade / Re: Prompt Book Dividers

« on: May 14, 2009, 06:54 pm »

I don't know of any that are actual dividers, but I've used the bigger Post-It flags that are a little stiffer, they're about twice as wide as the normal flags and stick just fine.  They're also easier to write on than the regular flags.