Messages

1

The Green Room / Re: Exercises & Warm-Ups That Don't Suck

« on: Mar 10, 2011, 06:05 pm »

A couple of good vocal ones are;

"Saturday matinee Saturday matinee Saturday matinee Saturday matinee Saturday matinee Saaatttt..." going down the scale,

"I'd like aaaa" (on whatever your starting note is) then "gin and tonic, gin and tonic...." etc up or down the scale. If they need a laugh, or it's just one of those days, "gin and tonic" can be replaced with "F**king coffee" or the less fun "flipping coffee".

Or (better in a large-ish group)

Have everyone sitting on a chair and sing "The Grand Old Duke of York" once through. Sing it a second time and have everyone stand up on "up" and sit down on "down". Sing it through a third time and have everyone sit down on "up" and stand up on "down". Split the group into two (boys and girls, etc) and have one group sit on the "up"s and the other sit on the "down"s etc (make sure you swap so they both get 'a turn at the easy one'!... then feel free to speed up as appropriate. Enjoy!

2

The Green Room / Re: 10 things actors can do to get off to a good start with a stage manager

« on: Nov 09, 2010, 10:51 am »

#10a If I'm looking for someone and you actually know where they are, tell me.
#10b If I'm looking for someone and you have no idea where they are, don't guess.

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The Green Room / Re: Best one-liner from a performance report

« on: Oct 16, 2010, 03:47 pm »

"[name], we could see your face in the spot when you'd finished vibrating the bed in Act 1. Please keep it hidden or you will be wearing a balaclava."

and from a different show

"[actress] got distracted by a very naked sex scene in the background DVD that was used on the DS TV. She covered it well."

4

The Green Room / Re: unusual rehearsal spaces

« on: Sep 03, 2010, 10:16 am »

I spent a good 3 months of rehersals in a psychiatric hospital that is now used as part of the university campus. Not too bad in the main rehersal space as it had been made into a lecture theatre, but if we used any of the smaller rooms, they were creeeeepy! And considering rehersals started in January, I spent a lot of time arriving/leaving in the dark, usually on my own! We're there again this year, I'll be bringing my nightlight....

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The Green Room / Re: Funny definitions

« on: Sep 01, 2010, 01:04 pm »

Convolution Creep: The gradual stacking-up of idiosyncrasies in your rehearsal or performance space. ("...and the lightswitch only works if you press it from the top left, and the booth doesn't have a floor, so we'll need you to wear a harness and be flown into position, and the alarm only works on alternating Tuesdays, and the coms will suddenly drop out if you end a sentence with a preposition...")

Brilliant! I'm so glad I now know the name for this

6

The Green Room / Re: What did you learn today?

« on: Aug 08, 2010, 10:08 am »

Today I learnt (and this is a direct quote) that "I think the key is a sharpened stick".

7

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

« on: Aug 07, 2010, 07:01 am »

Ahh, now, I'm pretty lucky in this respect - I'm at uni so although our shows are a very short run, they always get filmed! So technically I do eventually get to see the entire show! Although it does tend to make me just slightly uncomfortable..."how is that happening when I haven't called it!?"

Also I tend to find the only thing I miss/ am not able to watch is the thing an actor asks about...