Messages

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College and Graduate Studies / Re: Transitioning into community theatre

« on: Jul 27, 2009, 03:58 pm »

Hi there!  I have been in an opposite possition as you are in, so I think I can give you some good insight   I started ASMing and PSMing community theatre before I was involved in my college productions.  While thus far at college I have only ran a sound board, I have witnessed key differences.

A major, major difference I noticed was the role of the director.  Community theatre seems to be a good middle ground between academic theatre and something a tad more professional than community.  You will have more responsibility and not have someone looming over you as much in academic theatre and the actors have a different mentality.

In academic theatre it stood out to me that the director just stuck around and was involved TOO much and as a result, the SM didn't have much control in academic theatre.  If there was a problem everyone went to the director because they were the professor and the SM was just a student.

Community theatre though will have people there willing to help you, namely the producers.  If you are nervous, tell them and they can be your best friends.  Community theatre is people doing theatre for fun more-so than for learning or for a job.  And while we all have fun doing theatre, there is a unique vibe I have found to community.  I really found myself and my style as a PSM at community theatre.  Plus, having a base that you already have, you will do fine.  Enjoy

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Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Specialized program vs. state school?

« on: Feb 19, 2009, 02:49 pm »

ditto to bwoodbury - I had the same decision, Otterbein vs. State.  What I did was I went to one year at the community university and knocked out as many classes as I could and saved a LOT of money.  THEN I got a job for a major theatre company in New York as a receptionist and took a year off to acquire residency, in that year I did some small projects around and applied for CUNY Hunter.  My tuiton is $1600 a semmester.  It's a longer route, but I have made SO many connections between my job, the theatre community, and school that I feel I am getting as much training as I need.

To each their own, I think it is what you make of it.  I think when all is said and done I'll have gotten out of school for under $20k and still felt prepared as possible, which was my goal.  Just weigh things out and the answer will be clear to you.

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Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Blending a libretto with a score

« on: Feb 19, 2009, 02:43 pm »

WOW!  Thank you all for your suggestions!  I am definetly a little intimidated because I don't read music very well, but I think I can follow the beats well enough.  And the board opp and LD don't read well either so we should all be on the same page.  I think I am going to go in and have my score in one book and my libretto in another, have some basic blocking down in my score along with cues and the rest in the libretto and keep both books open.  I don't have a sound opp so there are that many less cues.  I just don't think I have the time to put together how tempest_gypsy suggested, but I will for next time!  This has definetly been the strongest learning experience yet!

There are no lines, so I think this will work best for the time being.  Again, thank you thank you all!

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Students and Novice Stage Managers / Blending a libretto with a score

« on: Feb 17, 2009, 11:17 am »

Hi everyone, I have a question:

I am PSMing an off-off Broadway revue and the lighting designer and I decided to use the libretto; so I did all of my blocking notes and set notes up in it for the past few weeks.  Now we come close to tech, he has decided to use the music.  My question: how should I go about "blending" this together?  When I am calling should I have the cues on music and blocking on libretto?  Do I need blocking in the run? I think so.... but I don't know.  I just feel at a total loss with this.  Should I have the music with cues and after it have a page of the libretto with blocking?

Any input and advice is super appreciated.  Thanks so much!

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Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Tech

« on: Jan 30, 2009, 01:23 pm »

Thanks so much!  I think I'm just going to wait it out and play it by ear, probably just see where he is going with it. The advice was awesome

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Students and Novice Stage Managers / Tech

« on: Jan 29, 2009, 11:52 am »

Hey everyone, I have been ASMing around NYC for about 3 years now and I am doing my first show as PSM.  Since I have ASMed so much, during tech I am always busy doing my own things and have not actually been next to the stage manager when the lighting designer is explaining where to call from.  How is this process? When we go in for tech, I just sit beside him and as he programs tells me where I write it down?