Messages

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Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: ESCRIPTS: Post your requests for electronic scripts here!

« on: Jun 11, 2014, 12:37 pm »

Does anyone have the score to Cabaret? Looking for original version not revival. Would gladly accept any electronic format (pdf, word, etc). We were recently sent the wrong copy and auditions are soon. I need the music director to start looking at it for auditions.
Please email or message me.

Thanks!

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Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: CALLING: calling cues

« on: Jun 11, 2014, 12:28 pm »

After having done my 1st HUGE Professional production this past winter I changed some of my calling cues.
In the past, I used the following:
LQ 1 - Lights Cue 1
SQ 1- Sound  Cue 1
FQ 1- Fly Cue 1

For this past production my running crew for the show came in 4 weeks before opening.  We had a large Rail System, Turntable (rotating set and stage), and tons of Sound Effects, Special Effects and Lights.
The Rail Operator gave me a quick tour of how he does what he does (it was a 3 story rail system, depending on what he was bringing in or out depended on what level or deck he needed to be on and would have to climb a large spiral staircase to get to each deck). This helped me understand exactly how long I needed to give him for the standby and the Go. Together we determined that saying "Standby Fly- Small Bridge" was best for him. Then, just say "Fly Go". I have always had my crew repeat Standbys to me so I can make sure that they heard them.
The Sound Operator flew in off a tour during a break between mountings of the tour. Because he came in for a few days of tech before the run started I had to mark his script up for him in advance & email it to him so he can familiarize himself with it in advance (Thank Goodness my Hubby is a Sound guy and was able to do this easily enough). With him, I had to only call certain sound effects and I used SFX- Rain in my script and then I'd just call "Standby Sound Effects- Rain". Then it was just a quick "Sound Effects GO".
Turntable- this was much trickier as we had a separate computer and operator for this. I wrote out Turntable 1 in my book. During rehearsals I had to keep a separate list for the programmer of how many degrees it needed to rotate and what direction for each cue. For instance, Turntable 1 = Clockwise 90 degrees. My ASM's however had a different list backstage for setting up set pieces on the turntable. They had to know what part of the "clock" they were loading in on or taking off. So Turntable 1= Dinning Room Table & 2 chairs @1 o'clock, Large & Small crates off @ 9 o'clock.  Standbys were ... "Standby Turntable 1". Once I received the all clear of the set pieces by the ASM's I can call a GO
Lights were just LQ1 "Lights Cue 1", I had Lights in Standby the 1st 20 minutes of the show as there was over 70 cues to call in a short time frame and was strictly ..... "Standby Lights 1-78 on my GO, Quiet Please!" Then Lights.... Go, Go, Go, Go.....Go, Go, Go....Go... etc.

This was the most technical show I've ever called to this point and yet it was the most fun!

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Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: ASMS: ASM supervising backstage

« on: Jun 11, 2014, 11:39 am »

I agree completely and do the same thing with my team. I usually work with 2 ASM's. I assign each a side of the stage and they are fully responsible for everything on their side (Props, quick changes, set changes, etc.) I usually let one be the lead ASM and tell the cast to go to that person 1st, before coming to me. This A) helps me focus on the actual production and calling of the show & B) helps the cast know that someone is still there to answer questions or deal with problems.
Every ASM I work with I sit and discuss responsibilities prior to tech starting so they know that as soon as tech starts...They're on!
I've had great feedback from the ASM's as they've all said it's helped them and they've actually learned a bit. They always know I have their back and I am just a headset click away!

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Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: COMMUNICATION: Posting contact sheets on the call board?

« on: Jun 11, 2014, 11:10 am »

I'm a huge fan of NOT giving out anyone's personal contact information. I get requests from cast members whenever we start a new show for the cast contact sheet. I always hand out the production contact information (which is always discussed with the production staff prior to this point). If they all want to swap contact info, they are welcome to do so on their own but I do not make that information public at all.
Our Production Staff has copies of the cast contact sheets if they need them and the SM always has a copy in her bag or book and all the info on their phone, laptop, or tablet.

The reason I personally feel so strongly about this is due to privacy issues. My niece is a child actress who for 18 months was a very publicly recognized celebrity. After her contract was over she went to work in a local theatre for a show and immediately the SM handing out the cast contact sheet. Within days the amount of texts, phone calls, and emails she received from all of the other kids in the cast was crazy! They all kept asking for autographs, or for her to say her signature line in the character's voice, etc. Some would just call her to impress friends that yes it was really her number. Since then, I firmly believe that if an actor wants their information given out they are free to do so, but I would not do that for them.

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Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: ESCRIPTS: Post your requests for electronic scripts here!

« on: Aug 18, 2013, 01:11 pm »

Hi, I'm looking for Les Miserables script in Word or other editable platform.
Just PM me if you're able to provide.

Thanks in advance!

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Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: ESCRIPTS: Post your requests for electronic scripts here!

« on: Mar 14, 2013, 10:50 am »

Hi!
I'm looking for How to Succeed & 42nd Street. Word version preferred but any editable copy will do. Please PM me.
Thanks in advance.

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Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: COSTUMES: Legally Blonde

« on: Feb 13, 2013, 09:52 am »

We recently did Legally Blonde as well and the most challenging part was all the costume changes. We had a 2 dressers backstage for the ensemble quick changes and 1 dresser dedicated to Elle. Some changes we actually moved onstage behind a dressing screen (in her dorm room), in the shopping mall, etc. This worked better cause she could keep going with lines while she was changing. Some full changes we scrapped and just made small adjustments because of time contraints (we would add a jacket, take of t-shirt to reveal a glittered tank top, throw sweater over dress to look like shirt and skirt, etc.). One helpful thing we did was call everyone involved in the quick changes early to a rehearsal just to go over quick changes. They practiced over and over till they figured out the easiest, fastest way to do it.

Good luck!

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Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: PROPS- Cooked Goose

« on: Jan 14, 2013, 05:20 pm »

We just finished Drood in October. We carved a giant one out of foam and spray painted it brown. It worked really well except for the time the actor got a little carried away pulling the knife out and slice off the Goose's butt! But the audience laughed hysterically. We had to glue it back together. Foam is definitely the best way to go on this one. We researched dozens of props before deciding to carve one ourselves.

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Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: SCHEDULING: Making a rehearsal schedule for a musical

« on: Nov 02, 2012, 11:55 am »

I don't really think there is a standard other than to say that it just makes sense to have Vocal rehearsals first. But I'd be happy to tell you how we do things.
Read through of script and cast meeting 1st rehearsal.
Vocal Director gets the next 1 or 2 weeks of rehearsals to teach the music (check with them to see how they want to schedule it). We do a few company rehearsals and some with just certain people called.
Next is Choreography- Choreographer gets a few weeks for teaching and running through numbers. We add in a few vocal/choreography rehearsals together so they can sing and dance they way it's supposed to go and the Vocal Director & Choreographer can see how everything fits and make any necessary changes.
Lastly we do Blocking- a few rehearsals of learning blocking. We add in some rehearsals with the choreography and vocals to make sure it all works together.
Then we do runthroughs, runthroughs, runthroughs, and a Designer Run for all of the designers to come in and see the show (without lights, costumes, etc.). So they can see if there's any concerns.

Good luck!

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Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: NOTING A PERFORMANCE: How do you maintain a show?

« on: Nov 02, 2012, 11:42 am »

I'm with you Matthew...

I have a few different ways of dealing with my shows. As the Assistant Production Manager, the SM, ASM's, and Tech Crew report to me. However, I am very involved with all aspects of the show. During Tech I let the actors know to come to me 1st for any problems, I build the rapport with them then. During the run, the SM goes backstage and does the first time check (House Open). They know to have eye contact with each actor and recieve the customary reply (Thank You House Open) from everyone. The cast knows to bring any concerns or questions to the SM at this time. After that they have to go to the ASM. The notes I take for every show (missed light cue, speed up scene, missed scene change, missed line, etc.) we give to them at call time the next day. They know when they sign in to take a note sheet and read them. Anything we don't want everyone to read I give to the actor, or crew personally. My tech crew reports to me at the end of the night for any notes they need addressed (prop broken, costume repair, etc.). I can then have the person resonsible for that handle them when I send out the Production Report that night.

I treat each show differently in knowing that since we don't have the same actors or crew for every run, I know there are multiple personalities to deal with.
This season we are trying something a bit different. I will be working with the SM's during the rehearsals and handling all of the reports. Since I work well with the designers and know what they need and we always have different SM's for each show, this should allow a smoother transition to Tech Week than before. We tried it out on the current show and we were amazed at how "easy" tech went!

I got the suggestion from a previous thread of yours Matthew! Thanks!   

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Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: ARTICLE: Stage Managers using a paperless process

« on: Nov 02, 2012, 11:08 am »

I am proud to say we use both sources at our theatre. I switched to electronic scripts last season. We upload electronic copies of the scripts and scores to DropBox & allow the cast and crew to print as they need. This way they can mark them up however they want and the original scripts/scores aren't damaged. Most of our Stage Managers don't record blocking as the director normally have their blocking notes separate and each actor is responsible for taking down their own blocking. In an actor's absence from a rehearsal we usually assign someone to notate the missing actor's blocking for them. I haven't had much luck in putting blocking directly on the electronic scripts (it's very time consuming & makes for sloppy or cramped scripts). However, the director we are working with for our next show is working on an electronic blocking copy of the script himself.
I am a list person myself so I spend a lot of time during rehearsals typing up notes for Lights, Set, Costumes, Props, Sound, etc. as well as our normal rehearsal reports. I upload the lists to Dropbox and the rehearsal reports are emailed out to the production staff. When we get to 2 weeks before tech week, I take all of my electronic lists and keep copies in my book, I usually then spend a good deal of time with the Production staff going over all of the lists and making sure they have everything they need. A fresh clean copy of the script is printed for the SM to use for writing in their calling cues.

I would love to integrate more digital technology but am still afraid of losing something, or computer freezing, so having the backup is a life saver for me. I also have a back up flashdrive of all the lists, reports, etc. in case one doesn't work or I need to reprint something on the fly.

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Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: PEOPLE: How to keep kids *quietly* busy at rehearsal?

« on: Jul 31, 2012, 12:07 pm »

We have a rule at our theatre that for any show with more than 4 kids requires a Parent "Child Wrangler". The parents picked are chosen by the SM and ASM's since we are the ones having to deal with them directly. Some of their duties and functions are as follows:

Arriving early to rehearsals and performances (30 mins before actor's call time) to prepare the area the kids will be housed at.
Checking in each child upon arrival.
Handing out "quiet time" games, books, and such (we have a box full of old books, magazines, puzzle books, coloring books, crayons, cards, etc.)
Getting them to/from stage when called.
Taking them to/from bathrooms.
Sending out Parent Info Emails.
Signing kids out to a parent at the end of the night.

During our recent production of Annie, we had all of the kids make cards, letters, pictures, etc. for the Memory book. We even allowed them to bring in cameras and take pictures for the book. At the end of the run all the cards, letters and pictures were put in a scrapbook for the Director as a Thank You from the kids.
They loved being creative and making something for someone.

We did tell all of the parents (in a nice email) that they have to have something quiet and productive for their child to do during rehearsals and performances. Some allowed them to have a handheld video game, others sent in items for all of the kids to do and share.
We also informed the parents via email after rehearsals on how well their child behaved or didn't behave. Since most of the parents constantly beg us for their child to be used in our yearly production involving kids, they understand that if we don't like working with your child....we won't cast them again.
In our case, sending those email updates allowed the parents to be more involved with making sure their kids are quiet, and busy during down time.

My ASM's are too busy to handle all of the individual issues with each child, therefore having the Child Wranglers there helps us greatly. Having more than 1 is ideal because there is always someone with the kids if 1 child needs to use the bathroom or something.

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Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Actor better when he's high

« on: Jul 31, 2012, 11:18 am »

Thanks for the advice. We are now at 2 weeks of performances left, while his personal performance in each show has improved, we still have had some issues with him in other areas. But now we know what type of actor we are dealing with for future casting consideration at least.

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Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / PEOPLE: Actor better when he's high

« on: Jul 17, 2012, 11:35 am »

ok I have a situation and am just looking for other opinions and ideas on how to handle it.
We just opened a show that will be running for 6 weeks. We had a relatively short audition-rehearsal-show process (2 months). There was an actor that blew us all away at auditions due to his incredible voice. He was very soft-spoken and played the role unlike any other actor audtioning. He informed us he was an opera singer by nature and needs to do more musical theatre to help with his acting. He read well and we cast him on the spot. During rehearsals we were very disappointed in his portrayal of the role, it seemed he never grew in character when everyone else did. He was immediately picked out as the weakest link in an unbelievably strong cast of 30. During tech week one evening we sat him down and tried to get him to go back to what he did during auditions. Preview came and he was everything we remembered and more! Afterwards, I headed backstage to congratulate the cast and was informed by some cast members that he reaked of Marijuana. Some of the adults were concerned since we also have a cast of 8 minors. I pulled him aside and asked him straight up if he was high to which he said yes. I reminded him the contract he signed strictly forbids him to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol while at the theatre. He told me that it helped him relax and get over the nerves of performing in front of an audience for the 1st time and he only does it before the 1st performances.
The next night for opening night he was awful again! Dropping lines, speaking so fast you couldn't understand him. His character came across a pompous jerk and not a well-educated love interest for one of the leads. Our Producer wanted to know what the problem is with him since she has some really important people coming to see the show this week and wants him to play it the way he was on Preview night.
I informed her he was high at preview and unfortunately it seems the only way to get him to perform is to allow him to play it high?
Not what we want at all. We have a male swing but if I put him into the role than I lose my best dancer for the 3 big dance numbers.

Anyone have any other ideas of getting him to recreate the feeling of being high without allowing him to light up?

Edit to subject line-Rebbe

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Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: ESCRIPTS: Post your requests for electronic scripts here!

« on: Jul 17, 2012, 11:06 am »

Hi I'm looking for Guys & Dolls escript in Word or PDF (editable).
Thanks in advance!

email: omaira17@aol.com or PM me.