Messages

1

Tools of the Trade / Re: Useful iPhone apps?

« on: Jun 27, 2012, 07:57 pm »

I find anything that lets me use my phone/ipad/laptop/random computer interchangeably is what makes my life easier.  So I give a big thumbs-up to Drop-box and Docs-to-Go as well as Evernote, which is like a fully organisable notebook that never runs out of pages and you can attach photos, files etc to it.  All of these are cloud, so what you access on your phone one day you can access from anywhere with an internet connection the next.  I also really like Out of Milk as a list tool; technically for shopping lists, but can use it for anything task related.

2

The Green Room / Re: What do we do?

« on: May 28, 2012, 10:40 pm »

I've found a great, simple answer. "You know what a project manager does? Like that, but for a show." I'd say 90% of the people I talk to know what that entails, though your mileage may vary.

And then follow that up with 'And then during the show, I'm like the conductor.  But instead of instruments I'm making sure actors, lights, sound and everything else are all playing beautifully together'.

3

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

« on: May 28, 2012, 10:37 pm »

5. The rehearsal room will be exactly the same size as the stage.

But not exactly the same size as the stage.  Because I worked in a theatre once where they had done exactly that.  Which was great for the actors... but there was nowhere for directors, stage management or anyone else to sit!  Unless they, you know, used some of the 'stage' area which totally defeated the point.  So... full stage plus a bit extra on all sides would be my vote

And you don't have to use the same sink for coffee and cleaning up paintbrushes and laundry.  A totally separate, well-designed kitchen AND laundry AND wet area would be great.

4

Tools of the Trade / Re: Prop: Throwable Real Eggs

« on: May 28, 2012, 10:25 pm »

You can buy a range of fake eggs that bird breeders use to promote laying in chickens etc that have gone off the lay.  They're usually called 'nesting eggs' or something like that.  Some are just hollow plastic shells like ping-pongs that you could fill with silicon or something to give them a bit of weight.  Others are rubber.  You should be able to get the for 1 or 2 each and they should be pretty robust.  Try either a poultry supply store or online.

5

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: TOURS: Tips for Packing?

« on: May 19, 2012, 12:53 am »

Having just spent two weeks on the go with nary a break for anything apart from work, my life saver was a very small bottle of liquid laundry detergent (with a VERY reliable lid) that I packed in a zip-loc bag combined with a fantastic travel clothesline that is basically two elastic threads twisted together with a hook on each end.  You didn't need pegs - you just tucked a corner of the laundered item inbetween the elastic threads.  I didn't even have time to find a laundromat, let alone hang around waiting for something to dry, so this was fantastic.  I strung it up in the shower, between the bed lamp and the curtain rail, the drawer handles and the door knob; I found something suitable in every hotel room I was in.  I would either wash in the sink, or just put the plug in the shower and do my laundry while I had my shower.  And if you have clothes that you shouldn't wring dry, just squeeze as much as you can out, then lay them out on a towel and roll them up as tightly as you can in the towel to get excess water out before you hang them out to dry.

Or you could pay $4 to the hotel for each pair of socks you want washed...

6

Tools of the Trade / Re: How to best use Dropbox?

« on: May 09, 2012, 08:45 pm »

I agree with all of the above, but I'd like to add two other features which work really well. One thing I love about Dropbox is that you can set up RSS feeds for each folder so that you get emailed updates of who has changed what and when. This is particularly handy for me as I have Dropbox folders with a few different companies simultaneously so I can easily see if it's a change I need to pay attention to.  It's more detailed than the little pop-ups you can set up to appear at the bottom of your screen each time somebody makes a change to the folder you're sharing with them.

The other thing which I don't think has been mentioned is that you can have Dropbox on your phone or tablet.  So if you get one of those calls or emails while you're away from your computer and you need get hold of that information pronto, you can.

And finally, Dropbox (or any of the other file-sharing systems) is a life-saver for touring shows.  It makes it so much easier for the staff on the road to get the info they need from back home and vice versa without having to worry about a thousand different versions of each document getting emailed back and forth.