Messages

76

December Madness I: 2012 / Re: University, Round 1: 3-ring Binder vs. Digital Light Board

« on: Dec 01, 2012, 05:24 pm »

A digital light board is used to make every show

I use a binder to make my life easier.

Necessity over personal preference

I dunno. I've done shows without a Digital Light Board. They went fine. (Coming from the wee young thing that I am.) I have trouble imagining what the heck SMs did before binders were invented.


And how is this not sexy? I love these two-coloured ones from Staples (in a larger size than 1" of course!).


http://s7d5.scene7.com/is/image/Staples/s0461277_sc7?$splssku$

77

The Green Room / Re: Introducing the Unicorn Rainbow Sparkly Theatre Company!

« on: Dec 01, 2012, 12:07 am »

Craft Services will be responsible for all beverages and snacks in the green room during rehearsals.  Someone will hand deliver said beverages and snacks to the stage managers during all breaks.

No actor will eat/drink anything but water/smoke in costume for fear of being seen on the camera system.

No actor will eat/drink anything but water/smoke in costume because they know and respect the rules, and want to save their Stage Manager the trouble of repeating things over and over and over and over and over and...

78

The Green Room / Re: SMs as depicted on stage & in the movies

« on: Nov 20, 2012, 12:29 pm »

Slings & Arrows, anyone? It has been awhile since I watched the whole series, but I do recall the stage manager being pretty accurate, minus the meltdown at the cast party that I have no doubt we have all risked having at the craziest times.

I LOVED the meltdown at the cast party.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBOI7U3FDJA

79

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Production Stage Manager Versus Stage Manager

« on: Nov 19, 2012, 12:49 pm »

  Often a PSM, especially on larger productions may not be in the rehearsal room at all times.

...they may instead be on vacation, somewhere sunny.

80

The Green Room / Re: SMs as depicted on stage & in the movies

« on: Nov 19, 2012, 12:44 pm »

They need a device to build tension. If someone walks onstage and very calmly solves all the problems, you've just killed your play. Easy way to raise the stakes is to lessen the time available to the characters. And since we tell people the time anyways... ;-)

I guess I see it as fairly logical that, being backstage in one medium, we stay "backstage" when transferred to another medium. Not that I wouldn't appreciate a good portrayal of a stage manager. There's a book called Broken For You by Stephanie Kallos, and the main character is a stage manager. Until she becomes a...well, spoilers. But the book describes her job in a positive and knowledgeable manner.

81

The Green Room / Re: When the phone DOES ring...

« on: Nov 14, 2012, 01:53 pm »

I can do the whole day off without checking my e-mail, and not worry about it. Then, as soon as I lie down in bed, so much worry descends I can't get to sleep.


The worst is when I check my e-mail the next morning, and I've spant all that energy worrying, and there's nothing in my Inbox.


I keep my phone on my on my day off, because where I am right now, anything that's not super time sensitive goes through e-mail. So if I do pick up, it's unlikely to be unnecessary.

82

Self-Promotion / Re: Operation Porchlight

« on: Nov 02, 2012, 03:18 am »

Glad it was such a success! Well done.

83

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: ARTICLE: Stage Managers using a paperless process

« on: Oct 14, 2012, 08:33 pm »

I always us a paper blocking script, but my calling script is digital. I call the show from my laptop but I keep a hard copy in the booth in case I drop dead and can't make it in, or the computer dies.

I'm curious - if you have a paper copy printed and on hand, what's the advantage of calling off a laptop? The "green" aspect is negated, since you have a printed copy anyway.

84

The Green Room / Re: Hell in a Handbag (A Game for Stage Managers)

« on: Oct 09, 2012, 05:24 pm »

Will the tattoo be real or fake? Is the actor who plays Sam up for getting inked? If fake, how easily will it come off? Where will the tattoo be? In a part of his body that could be covered by a costume piece, so as not to show the tattoo prior to this scene? Will we have to worry about the tattoo rubbing off on his clothing? What about in the Act I Sc.3 milk fight? Is there, in fact, enough time between his entrance and previous exit to apply the tattoo, rendering the three previous questions redundant? Will it be somewhere where he has hair on his body? Will he need to shave off a patch of hair for the tattoo? Will it be somewhere the actor might be less inclined to expose? Is he comfortable with that? What is the design? Is it vulgar? Is the actor comfortable with that too? Is it a professional-style or gang-style tattoo? Who is designing the tattoo? Hair and Make-Up? Will Costumes have/want input?
 
NEW NOTE: In Act I Scene 3, Sam and Jude will unload the milk bags from the USL milk crates, and use them to have a waterbaloon fight.

85

The Green Room / Re: Toronto's Princess of Wales Theatre is to close

« on: Oct 03, 2012, 08:54 pm »

I remember going to see the "ill-fated 2006 Lord of the Rings musical." It was the first show of its size that I'd seen - and I distinctly remember that I learned about program inserts for replacement actors that night. Somehow, I'd managed to never come across them until then. Mind you, this was about the time I decided to go into theatre professionally, so about the time I started paying an extra amount of attention.

Pleased to see that Ghery is involved in the construction plans - should become an interesting space.

86

Self-Promotion / Re: Safety SM

« on: Sep 28, 2012, 04:18 pm »

"the parragon of safety"
 
Priceless!

87

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Blocking help

« on: Sep 23, 2012, 09:28 pm »

Would 3.5 fall between lines 3 and 4, or in the middle of line 3?

3.5 would fall between lines 3 and 4. For blocking at a specific point in the line, I'll jot down the word it occurs on.

88

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Blocking help

« on: Sep 23, 2012, 09:16 pm »

I number each line of text, and then use that to reference blocking notes on the opposite page. If the actions happen before or after a character speaks, I add a .5.

So my text page looks like:

1 MARC: You're very pretty, Linda.
2 LINDA: Don't say that.
3 MARC: Why not?
4 LINDA: I think I'm falling in love with you.
5 MARC: Is that such a bad thing?

Then on the facing page:

2 - LN X USR of MRC on "that"
3.5 - MRC sits
4 - "love" LN turns to MRC; MRC looks away

I find it more efficient for myself to mostly write, and to draw diagrams when necessary. Mostly, I use diagrams to show a grouping of characters. If there's a lot of action on one page, I'll put an image of where the characters all end up, so it's easy to clock where everyone is, if there's been a lot of movement. I find that it works well for me to use diagrams to mark out where the characters are at important/appropriate moments in the script, and written notes to describe how they got there. Written is quicker for me to get down and re-read later, and there's usually enough images for me to do an ultra-quick scan for approximate placement if the LD or someone else needs it.

89

The Green Room / Re: The Ring Cycle on PBS this week

« on: Sep 12, 2012, 10:27 pm »

If anyone knows a place to find Wagner's Dream online, let me know. I'm really looking forward to seeing it, but I'm pretty sure it's not out in Canada yet. Classic. :p

90

The Green Room / Re: Stuff people at a Shakespeare Festival say

« on: Aug 26, 2012, 07:06 pm »

Hah, I came across this the other day too. A bit embarassed that I've actually used the phrase "We're just like Slings and Arrows."