Messages

811

The Green Room / Re: Funny definitions

« on: Aug 24, 2010, 03:05 pm »

For that matter: Tech, the day when everyone who has been rehearsing, making mistakes, trying things and otherwise learning the show expects the SM to be perfect on our first rehearsal/first try calling a show from a totally different angle, listening over a monitor system and interacting with board ops plus the added components of lights, sound, fly, SFX and QC.

Or, SM assumes all blame for late cues that ran behind cuz the LD/ SD/ etc were fixing and didn't complete by the standby/Go

812

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: First time with Equity

« on: Aug 21, 2010, 08:03 pm »

And w tech I get new crew members. So yes, I start w tech - and cast size is immaterial. The only time I didn't use a sign-in sheet was a one-man tour where we always knew where the other was.

It gets unwieldy, esp when not everyone is called every day, plus many of the theaters I am at don't have consistent rehearsal spaces from show to show or even from day to day. I like to start sign-in when everyone has to be there, but also when we are someplace they can get used to a specific place. It might be my traveling callboard, it might be the space's, but no matter what, it starts at tech when I don't have time (or desire) to chase down actors while adding in all the technical elements

813

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: First time with Equity

« on: Aug 21, 2010, 01:26 am »

actually, I always start signing in with tech -

814

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: CAST: Practical jokes on final performance?

« on: Aug 18, 2010, 02:51 am »

I am ok with things that keep the cast having fun with private entertainments that neither disrupt the flow nor detract from the story - I have tales from the road - (and clearly, Mr Shiner is a champion when it comes to practical jokes, given the creative and bizarre nature of his farewell from the Shakespeare Theater Company) but anything that affects how our audience sees the show, anything that challenges safety or changes cues or affects another actor's performance - that is unprofessional and unacceptable. As Matt said, these folks have paid good money to see the same show, and for the first/only time, on closing as they would see any other night.

815

The Green Room / Re: Funny definitions

« on: Aug 18, 2010, 02:45 am »

Reality panic: Euphoric, manic phase spurred by condensing grocery shopping, laundry, and all other domestic chores into Monday.

love this - and too true - all those people who don't get why my Mondays off aren't really, well, OFF

816

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: CAST: Practical jokes on final performance?

« on: Aug 17, 2010, 01:53 pm »

WOW - I have never heard of professional shows where practical jokes are seen/heard by the audience and/or in any way disrupt or alter the show!

817

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: CALLING: Watching 100% of the show.

« on: Aug 16, 2010, 07:56 pm »

Stage Rose - I see you are in high school so this may not yet be a part of your experience, but in face, watching the show is part of our job. In the professional world. we are responsible for maintaining the director's vision, seeing and procactively solving problems, making sure repairs and fixes happen, training understudies etc. It's not that we watch in the same way as audience members, but instead we are watching for the expected and the unexpected, for safety, and so forth. In fact, you might want to start teaching yourself this technique, of watching a show and, while focusing on one or two specific factors, still seeing the whole show, calling cues, listening to the people around you and staying centered. How is the stage picture? Did the fight go as planned or was someone too far away or too close? Who do you ask to pick up that prop that fell and no one has touched (or that character can't justify touching). It's a great exercise.

818

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: MUSICALS: NO-SCENE PROBLEM

« on: Aug 16, 2010, 01:34 am »

when I do my character breakdown (who appears on what page and when do they leave), I will divide things into clear shifts (lots of characters arrive or leave, a piece w only a handful of folks or there is a major thematic change, etc) to plan rehearsals - and then sit w the director to work on the calendar and, well, the director often wants to use my chart to label scenes and use for rehearsal shorthand (scene 1 is pp 1-13 up to Xs entrance, sc 2 is pp 13 from Xs entrance to p 15....etc translates to Wed 1-3 scene 1, 3-5 Scene 2 so people can do their own work as well as work on the go.

just read for beat shifts and character presence/absence.

819

The Green Room / Re: SMNetwork's Resident expert in...

« on: Aug 15, 2010, 10:55 pm »

ooh - can I be your official assistant/taster?

820

The Green Room / Re: SMNetwork's Resident expert in...

« on: Aug 13, 2010, 09:15 pm »

Me too - drives me crazy. Too many years proofing for a weekly newspaper and a monthly magazine means misplaced punctuation, bad grammar and misspelled words make my eyes hurt. 

...and desserts. I am a champion at desserts, especially banana bread.

821

The Green Room / Re: show us your booth!

« on: Aug 12, 2010, 09:35 pm »

The interns live above the lobby of the theatre

um - HUH???

how does that work! yikes!

822

The Green Room / Re: unusual rehearsal spaces

« on: Aug 12, 2010, 09:30 pm »

welcome to small theater.....

823

Tools of the Trade / Re: Non-binders for actors for a reading

« on: Aug 10, 2010, 12:34 pm »

rings?

two (top and bottom) keep paper together, maybe a cardboard back for one side to keep it from getting too too wacky?

824

The Hardline / Re: SETA and Tier contracts meeting

« on: Aug 09, 2010, 12:39 pm »

And, the pay is pretty darn good from my perspective and from the perspective of the smaller contracts like SPT, BAT, HAT and even LORT etc that many of us work a lot - all of which pay LESS than the smallest SETA contract. So I am very happy to work a SETA contract and make a decent living.

825

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: SHOWS: The Clean House - any traps?

« on: Aug 08, 2010, 10:56 am »

Turns out our Ana is - of all things - Brazilian, and is working with out Matilde (who is Latina)  - funny, eh? But such a lovely group of folks and such a beautiful play

Two key qqs:
The yellow powder that gets thrown and (hopefully) evaporates - what as anyone used that worked visually but didn't get all over the costumes and furniture and stain everything?
And, did your Charles sing? If so, what did you use for the Latin medieval love song/duet?

Nice to look forward to going to rehearsal again....