Messages

631

SMNetwork Archives / Re: Essential Theatre Books

« on: Sep 11, 2006, 07:46 pm »

If you are after books to expand your skillset:

Lighting: "A Practical Guide to Stage Lighting" by Steven Louis Shelley is a good entry point

Set construction/...: "Stage Crafts" by Chris Hoggett is quite old, but still a very useful read.

Sound: "Theatre Sound" by John Leonard - JL is a very famouse british west end sound designer.

Rigging: "An Introduction to Rigging in the Entertainment Industry" by Chris Higgs is a good place to start.

As for stage management... Laurence Stern is the pot of gold as far as books go. I have not seen a better one.

632

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: prompt books

« on: Sep 11, 2006, 03:56 am »

CD/DVD is fine for short term archival - however the organic die does deteriorate over time, so I would still suggest a hard copy. (nb: it is guestimated that about 10 years is the life span of a 'burnt' CD - pressed CD's  will last for MUCH longer)

633

Tools of the Trade / Re: latest toyes...

« on: Sep 10, 2006, 07:42 am »

ROFL... That comment just gave me a weird mental image of a group of family and friends springing an intervention on me regarding my love of stationary... "We all love you Mac, and it is killing us seeing you waste away infront of that pen shelf." ... Sick and twisted....

I got a "staple-less stapler" as a present the other day... Now they are rubish... However I also got a comb binder the other day... now that was something I had been lusting over for a while - I am imagining lovely compiled "Actor information packages"... anyway, that is my (to me) exciting new toy of the month...

p.s. (for those who don't know what a comb binder is, it punches the holes and stretches the combs out to bind a document with these)

634

Tools of the Trade / Re: Cue Lights

« on: Sep 10, 2006, 12:08 am »

yes, you have the ability to assign lights to "group A" and/or "group B" - and those two groups have their own standby/go pannel.So what you can do (which is a good feature) is stand by a group at the same time, then go each individual station as required. I cannot remember if the groups go across master stations when linked (I have a feeling they do, but I am not sure)

635

Tools of the Trade / Re: What is Gaffer Tape?

« on: Sep 09, 2006, 09:14 pm »

Gaffer tape is probably the MOST coverted item in the theatre. Quite a few theatres are basically held up by the stuff. You can do costume and blacks repairs with it, tape down leads, black out things, hold things together (and hold people to LX bars and fly them out, but SMNetwork would never condone such dangerous behaviour) etc. Probably my favorite saying is "If it moves and it shouldn't, use gaffer tape. If it doesn't move, and it should, use WD40 and a ball peen hammer".

Gaffer tape has some mysterious effects on people. For example, I can take a carton of Nashua gaffer tape into a 2 day bump-in. That is 24 rolls of basically "Premium Gaff" (there are better brands, but NashGaff is one of the better brands that is still reasonably priced in Australia). I walk out of the theatre at the end of the bump in with 2 rolls. Now you are probably thinking "That is a hell of a lot of gaffer tape that was used" - whilst it is true, during that bump in we used a lot of gaffer tape - the total ammount was probably no more than 4 rolls. You see, even though I had 24 rolls of gaffer tape, someone would take a roll to do something with it and that roll would mysteriously vanish (usually into that persons car). Gaffer tape has the amazing ability to turn normal, every day people into kleptomaniacs. Normally, an SM is not so stupid as to bring in an entire carton, however I was running short on time and the carton was in the middle of the pallet of hired items so I did not have time to hide it.

Another mysterious effect is that it can make even the most reasonable person think that gaffer tape is flameproof - and hence, a great tool for making makeshift gel frames (or sticking gel into gel frames). I can tell you now that unless you pay US$20 or so for the extreamly expensive "Flame proof" gaffer tape, it is infact extreamly flamable.

Another thing is that no matter what they want you to believe, not all gaffer tape is created equal. You CAN buy gaffer tape for AU$4 a roll (roughly $3 US) - and even though managers would like to believe that this is a suitable gaffer for suspending cables from the cieling etc, it is infact rubbish - barely suited to tape down cables against the architraves. If I remember correctly, there is a web site that sells "Sample Packs" of Gaffer tape - just so that you can see the difference in stick factor, rippability etc in gaffer tape.

The final thing is it's most mysterious property. If you are trying to show off to someone by ripping gaffer tape for some purpose or another, it will choose that moment NOT to rip (gaffer tape is usually fairly easy to rip), however once said object of affection is out of sight, it rips quite easily.

So be warned. Black gold has mysterious effects on people.

636

Tools of the Trade / Re: Cue Lights

« on: Sep 08, 2006, 06:46 pm »

There are quite a few call light systems out there.  My favorite is probably This one (not just because it is Australian Made) - Mainly because they can be wired up either in a daisy chain or in a star fashion - instead of like a lot of home made and cheaper cue light systems which require each cans station to be connected to the master station individually. You can also buy a computer interface for it (the RS232 interface) which is great in certain applications, because it allowed me to write simple applications to control cue lights - combining that with the relay box, and it was possible to do some great automation stuff.

637

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: dramaturg

« on: Sep 08, 2006, 01:14 am »

cue lights and other visual signals I belive.

Something not overly relevant, but interesting none the less - the orrigin of "Whistling is bad luck whilst in a theatre" is because the riggers used in theatres were often sailors who were currently in port (or otherwise not working) and they communicated using a series of whistles whilst rigging - hence, whistling in the theatre could result in you telling a flyman to drop a bar (and injure someone)

638

College and Graduate Studies / Re: College Interview

« on: Sep 05, 2006, 01:32 am »

I don't know a scrap about the interview process that they go through there, or what they cover, but I do have a few tips which cover a couple of rather basic, but extreamly important bases for any interview.

First and foremost is how you are dressed. It should be appropriate for the situation, neatly pressed, and correctly fitting. Try to be fairly neutrally dressed (ie pale or dark colours, maybe dark grey or black pants/skirt)

Second is shoes. I would suggest against anything with heels (women) and I would go with black.

Third is hair. Out of the face, probably tied back would be best.

Fourth is to be confident. If you walk into the room nervous, it shows. If you are confident, it also shows.

Fifth, probably would be to shake hands firmly. Both before and after the interview with the interviewers. There are probably three main scenarios that occur. 1) you are shown into a room by an interviewer, you shake their hand when they greet you. They are the only person interviewing, so you may sit down. 2) you are shown into a room by an interviewer, you shake their hand as before. Then when you enter the interview room, there is someone else there. Usually they will introduce themselves, and you have to read body language as to wether you shake hands. The third main scenario is like 1, however when you sit down, another interviewer enters. STAND UP and introduce youself, shake their hand etc. Failure to observe customs like that are negative points. And make sure it is a firm shake - even ladies.

Sixth. Have a pen and paper handy. Either to take down notes on anything they say, or just to look prepared. I would suggest getting a leather compendium/folder to hold the pad - it makes you look more professional.

If you are taking papers in, always have 2 or 3 copies with you. For example, at a job interview, have 3 copies of your resume 1 for you to follow and 2 for any other interviewers in the room.  The exception would probably be a portfolio - even then it is worth having a spare.

Finaly, see if you can find out who will be interviewing you. At a university, that may mean finding out from past students what happened there and how the interviewers reacted to certain things, for a job it may mean finding out about the companies structure and history.

639

SMNetwork Archives / Re: Happy Stage Management Memories?

« on: Aug 31, 2006, 04:54 pm »

Wow! I got Warm and Fuzzies just reading it!

640

SMNetwork Archives / Re: Happy Stage Management Memories?

« on: Aug 27, 2006, 06:05 am »

Here! Here! @ nmmo

I don't think any SM is in it for the glory - because there is very little glory involved, but even one or two people recognising the work put into a show by stage management and crew always lifts my heart. Sadly, Stage Managers tend to become part of the "Institution" - and as such become a fixture - what we do is expected. And frankly, crew are often lucky if the cast know their names.

However that is enough of my favorite rant - Onto my favorite stage management memory.

We were doing a show about suburban life in Australia, in a black box theatre. The actors were allowed to mingle with the audience during interval, the audience was not alowed to stay in the theatre as we did the scene change which took the ASM and I the entire interval to complete (OH&S reasons). Basically, it was dismantling an entire set so that it would fit into the store room, then putting up a completely new set - judicious use of a drill with a screwdriver bit was involved. Anyway, half way through the run, the entire cast came in and assisted us with the change (so it only took 5 mins) and threw us a mini "Thankyou party" complete with cake. It was a really nice gesture. However my happiest memory was when I got to destroy that bastard of a set using a sledge hammer.

641

SMNetwork Archives / Re: Spike Tape Problems

« on: Aug 27, 2006, 12:44 am »

I find it is generally not the deck crew that lack the urgency on shows I work on, but rather the actors. IMO the actors should be off stage asap, they should not slowly meander off stage. For some reason (maybe it is ego) many actors seem to think they can take their time. I have only been on the deck for 1 short run show and navigating a table onto a stage whilst there are actors getting in the way is not easy - by the end of the week I wanted to borrow my dad's cattle prod and start zapping. I now have a healthy appreciation for the often overlooked deck crew.

642

SMNetwork Archives / Re: More Technology in Stage Management! Website for my shows!?!?!?

« on: Aug 25, 2006, 10:50 pm »

I agree with Matt. Whilst I do make the schedules etc available on line, I find I am one of the only people who use them. Since my server is sitting in the next room from me at home, and is connected to my LAN, it is really easy, I just create them on a share on that computer, so they are available on line instantly. If however, I had to edit the schedule page to publish the dates and times, I doubt I would bother.

Protecting the information you publish is not too difficult because it is not 'classified', just 'private' - so you can use what is often called "security through obscurity" - a simple javascript based redirect script which redirects on the correct password. It is highly insecure, but it is effective and does not need any server side stuff like php or asp, or the use of .htaccess files. (Use something like this, it is really easy Login Coder)

643

The Hardline / Re: Copyright laws

« on: Aug 23, 2006, 04:59 pm »

If in doubt, don't.

I think that is the best piece of advice that can be given. Copyright law is a legal minefield, using a lot of phrases like "Reasonable use" - which tend to be very open ended. If you really need an archival tape, talk to either your union legal representative or a copyright lawyer.

A lot of theatres do create "Archival Tapes" and just hope the old addage "What they don't know can't hurt them" plays true.

I do believe though that you can legally tape the show to use as actor development material - provided that at any one time, there is only ONE copy and it is kept within the company/theatre, however I was under the impression that the tapes had to be wiped at the end of the show. I believe there is precedent (at least in Australia) that it is "Reasonable" use of your rights.

What I wish someone would do would be to publish a "Laymans guide to rights within the theatre" which basically contained all the major contracts, publishers policies etc all summarised into sections, so you could flip to "Recording" and find out exactly when you could legaly do it. A bible if ever one was to be written.

644

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

« on: Aug 23, 2006, 04:46 pm »

Can't say I have ever "go'ed" at a stoplight, however I do use Prompt and Opposite Prompt in my day to day life. My friends are used to me saying "It's over Prompt" or "Move a bit more OP". I just find I can do the mental 'flip' better using those terms.

645

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: What DO we Do?

« on: Aug 20, 2006, 05:07 pm »

The stage manager in schools is not a clearly defined role - outside of professional companies (and even sometimes within professional companies) the stage managers role is whatever the company needs the stage manager to be basically.

I would approach the director, and ask if you can discuss it. You do have some very valid concerns - interfacing with the cast and managing certain aspects of a show on a day to day basis forms an integral part of the SM role - and certainly helps later on when it comes to calling the show. I would probably make the point that the Asst. Director is there more as a trainee director, able to take on some of the directors load, as opposed to a personal assitant of director - and suggest that maybe instead of the Asst. D. taking over the majority of your job, that the Asst. D. be allowed to learn, and even do some one on one and small group directing, directing understudies and the like.

Then again, it is high school and your director is a teacher, with an AD who is a student (the type drawn to AD possitions tend to be slight brown noses in my experiance) - chances are the director will be quite set in his/her decision. You may want to prepare to accept a sub-standard SM role, just think of it as experiance in "Non standard Stage Managment methods"