Messages

1

SMNetwork Archives / Re: I could have kissed them!

« on: Mar 25, 2009, 01:17 am »

. . . when I spent a good 45 minutes freaking out about Q2Q (beforehand, with the director) and feeling totally unprepared.  And the cast of 26 college students, at least 10 of whom were music majors who had never done theater before, hit every cue change, didn't wander off, listened to what we were asking for (even when the mic went out), and all in all made it the smoothest, easiest Q2Q I've ever been involved in. 

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Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Headset Etiquette

« on: Mar 25, 2009, 01:04 am »

While on headset, he would eat, continuously, throughout the entire show.  AND THE MIC ON HIS HEADSET WAS ON!

I've run into a problem with people humming along to the Nutcracker and leaving their mics on.  GYARGH.

Also, I just finished a run of "Anything Goes," and my SL ASM had a broken headset -- her light didn't work, so she couldn't tell if her mic was left on unless someone told her.  One night, Act 2 begins, and she starts singing along to "Public Enemy"!!  I was NOT happy -- first of all, that she was singing backstage (and had been doing so every night), and secondly that she was doing it so loud she couldn't hear me or anyone else telling her to stop!  Even the mic kill button didn't help.

3

Employment / Post-graduation time off?

« on: Mar 24, 2009, 11:50 pm »

I am about to graduate college and am currently looking for work in theater (and completely freaking out about this fact).  But, I'm also looking at alternative options, such as teaching abroad for the next year or so.

Would it be harder for me to get jobs if I don't immediately jump into the professional theater world right out of college?  Or would most employers understand a gap in my resume, especially considering the current economic situation? (Let's play the sweeping generalizations game!)

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College and Graduate Studies / Re: BA or BFA

« on: Apr 09, 2007, 04:04 am »

I'm really enjoying my BA program, because it means I get to flip through the course catalog and take pretty much any class that appeals to me, for whatever reason!  The downside is I have to pass two science courses (blaugh), but being able to dabble in everything makes it totally worth it.

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SMNetwork Archives / Re: Stress and Eating Right

« on: Mar 24, 2007, 06:47 pm »

I've been running into the same problems.  One thing that my friends and I have started doing is a sort of buddy system:  Mary goes into tech in two weeks, so her roommate walks with her to lunch and I go grab her a sandwich or wrap from an on-campus store when she can't get away for dinner.  When I was stressing over two shows at once a few weeks back, Amanda would make sure I got lunch and Jacci would remind me to take a dinner break.  Times when we're all busy, the system pretty much falls apart, so it doesn't solve all problems, but it helps out tremendously.  We rely pretty heavily on the campus stores that offer quick sandwiches and such, so the lack of variety is sometimes boring, but they all have fresh veggies and fruit.

Also, when you do get a chance to go to the store, grab a pack of Gatorade instead of soda.  I tend to get dehydrated quickly, so Gatorade helps out a great deal without tasting bland.  You can also buy the powder to mix up your own, which is usually cheaper but only comes in one or two flavors.

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Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: First SM position and first Challenge

« on: Mar 22, 2007, 12:42 am »

Play around with a few different notations and find a way that works for you:  is quick to write down, easy to change, and won't confuse you when you go back to it.  Play around with it.  I usually draw a short vertical line in the text of the script where an action takes place, then write out the action to the right side of the page.  X for cross, ext and ent for exit and enter, dr1 for a door, stuff like that.  And you'll probably want to have an abbreviation for each character, with a key onhand.   L = left, (La) = Larry, (Lu) = Lucy, to take an example from a recent play.

Hope that's helpful.

7

College and Graduate Studies / Re: NC School of the Arts

« on: Mar 22, 2007, 12:07 am »

I attended their summer program for theater in 2004, and it was amazing.  I can't speak on the courses, and I think most of the professors were guests, but the campus itself was beautiful.  I wish I could go back for the library alone, sometimes!

A few students from my middle school were accepted to NCSA's high school dance program.  One of them I kept in touch with, and he left a year before graduating to work with a dance company in Houston.

As for the jello, well, the cafeteria was up two flights of stairs from the dorms, so we worked for our food! 

8

SMNetwork Archives / Re: Printers

« on: Mar 03, 2007, 08:56 pm »

I'm waiting on the new Kodak printers to come out.

Me too!  I hate my current printer -- it's a Dell that I got with my laptop, but it's awful.  Always SOMETHING acting up with it, the ink is expensive, and the ink cartridges can only be bought through Dell.  Yuck.  I heard about the Kodak printers on NPR and cannot wait!

9

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Well, if you can't admit it here, where can you?

« on: Feb 27, 2007, 06:44 pm »

I'm thinking for future shows im gonna start asking them to give me a $1 deposit to borrow a pencil just to train them to return what they borrow. 

I had a teacher who would 'trade' you for a pencil.  Shoe was the most common, but driver's license, hair tie, wallet, book, whatever.  I'm not sure I would ask for a shoe during rehearsal, but probably would a license.  You can bet the actor would remember to get it back!

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Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Warm-up/ Games

« on: Feb 26, 2007, 02:30 pm »

I'm a pleasant mother pheasant plucker.  I pluck mother pheasants.  I'm the fastest pleasant mother pheasant plucker ever plucked a mother pheasant in the whole wide world.

What is the cadence you say this to? I can't figure out the beats for it!  (Though I'm having fun trying, my suitemate thinks I'm insane. ^_^)

11

The Green Room / Re: Things You'll Never Hear a Stage Manager Say

« on: Feb 26, 2007, 01:52 pm »

Sure you can sit your milkshake on the light board!  Naw, don't worry about a lid, I'm sure it will be fine.

12

College and Graduate Studies / Class SM Problems

« on: Feb 26, 2007, 01:42 pm »

This semester I'm taking a class that's a new experiment being done by one of the theater professors and a foreign language professor.  As a class, we are to put on a production of Bertolt Brecht's "The Caucasian Chalk Circle" that incorporates some sections in German, as well as incorporating 16 high school students into both tech and performance aspects.  The class meets twice a week, from 9:30-10:45, and we're supposed to be ready to perform at local high schools by April 3.  However, the whole thing has been nothing but problems.

The high school we are supposed to be working with has been mostly cut out of the loop by the professors, and is ready to drop out entirely.  (The HS actors were also promised major acting roles and to work with the theater professor -- instead they were all assigned bit parts, most of them without any lines at all, and the professor has not been back since auditions.) We were supposed to go as a class to the HS for a couple of rehearsals, but the professors did not leave any time for that in the schedule until the week before we perform.  I was assigned the role of stage manager, but as it is a class I have no idea how much room I have to act -- can I tell the professors that they need to stop chit-chatting and start rehearsal?  can I ask the actors to get together outside of class?  do I get to give tasks to my ASMs, or is that up to the professors?  do I have to get all outside rehearsals approved by the professor, or can we hold one under the assistant directors?  And instead of answering me, they've been giving me the run-around.

Obviously, I'm partly posting this to just vent my frustrations.  But I'm also wondering if anyone else has encountered a class with a similar structure, with the purpose of co-operating with an outside group to put on performances for the community?  If any of you do, have you got any advice for me?  Right now I'm just trying to bolster communication, which has been a serious problem thusfar, and keep my ASM from breaking down.  (She's been the main go-between for the HS and our class, and has somehow become the whipping girl for the theater professor to focus on.)  Any advice would be EXTREMELY welcome.

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The Green Room / Re: Food, Tech Dinners, etc (Merged Topics)

« on: Feb 24, 2007, 01:52 pm »

The container says sell by June 2007, so I think I'm good.  Opened it, looks fine, tastes normal.  Thanks for the advice!

(Ha!  That table!  Cheese Wiz never goes bad, it's true!  Of course, it's never good, either ...)

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The Green Room / Re: Food, Tech Dinners, etc (Merged Topics)

« on: Feb 22, 2007, 01:58 pm »

This thread was great . . . I'm still in university housing, so I only have access to a fridge and microwave at home (although I'm considering getting a crock pot), PLUS I'm a vegatarian, so most fast food is just not an option for me. The past couple of weeks, I've been so busy with multiple show openings that I've gotten to the place where I forget to eat, because searching out food is just such a hassle that I haven't the time for.  I saw quite a few people mention hummus - YUM!  Does anyone know how long an unopened container will last, though?  I bought a small container 2-3 weeks ago, haven't opened it yet, just sitting in my fridge.  It should still be good, right?

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SMNetwork Archives / Re: Astrology for Stage Managers

« on: Feb 22, 2007, 01:42 pm »

"You become extremely attached to productions you’re working on, and are most likely to suffer from Post-Dramatic Stress Disorder after closing."
Ahaha.  PDSD - never heard that one before!  Pretty true though -- I'm always blue for a week or so afterwards.

"Measuring ground plans and making run sheets are definitely not your favorite activities – you’ll delegate these to your ASMs whenever possible."
My current run sheet is pencil on notebook paper that I keep meaning to type up, but never get around to it, somehow.
 
"Most likely to get involved in a show romance."
Well, I haven't for the last two shows!  That's something, right?

Very funny post!