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Messages - dramabrit58

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Hi everyone,  It has been a while since I have logged on because I have been busy in rehearsal and performance for The Little Scottish Play.  We are doing it in three quarter thrust and at Friday's performance we had two high schoolers in the audience texting on their cell phones.  I was none to happy because the light from the phone was annoying me from the booth and definitely annoying the actors who were doing their stuff very close by.  At intermission I went and gave them a piece of my mind.....  I am usually so quiet :):) Fortunately they were with a parent who subsequently removed the phones from them.  Act II.... continued in peace and quiet.  SM'ing this production has been challenging with the different personalities and ages from 10 to 70. 

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Tools of the Trade / Re: Fake animals and blood
« on: Sep 25, 2007, 08:20 pm »
Thank you all.  I will get to it tomorrow when I have recouped some energy.

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Tools of the Trade / Fake animals and blood
« on: Sep 25, 2007, 01:24 am »
I am hoping someone on this site has some good ideas about making fake animals.  I am doing props (usually I stage manage) for Bat Boy the Musical.  I have to make a goose that has it's neck torn off with blood.  Also a rat and rabbit and a severed cow's head.  I have theories on how to make these items but in practice my theories never seem to work.  Thankfully we are not going for too much realism with the cow's head and the director has requested that we use red ribbons coming out of the neck.  But..... how does one make a cow's head when I have no artistic ability.  My thoughts are to make a frame out of chicken wire and paper mache it.  Thoughts and suggestions other than telling me I am crazy to have signed up for props before even reading the script.....  Oh yes another thing and please don't laugh...... I have a $75 budget.  Thanks for any and all help. 

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Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Stopwatch Use
« on: Sep 01, 2007, 09:58 am »
I am from England and now live in the US.   Noises Off is such a farce anyway I am not sure the audience would even notice what time of timing device was being used.  If done right the audience will be rolling on the floor laughing over the sardines.........  And I have actually stage managed Noises Off.  Writing the blocking down for that was extremely interesting.

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Tools of the Trade / Re: SM Software
« on: Aug 07, 2007, 09:59 pm »
Has anybody tried using Access?  That is a relationship data base and might work for some people.  It is also compatible with Excel and Word due to the fact that it is Microsoft. You can also create forms and such with Access.  I know enough about Access to be dangerous but probably not enough to be useful, at least at this point.

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The Hardline / Re: Equity "half-hour"
« on: Aug 03, 2007, 09:49 pm »
I do mainly community theatre but would like to run rehearsals and the show in an equity manner.  How can I get a copy of the Rule Book without being an equity SM?

Thanks in advance for any advice.  I find this "half-hour" topic very interesting.

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Tools of the Trade / Re: [FAQ] Electronic Prompt Copies
« on: May 27, 2007, 10:18 am »
Thank you Mac, that makes perfect sense.  I would have to purchase that myself and unless I could find one under $100 it's out of the question at the moment.  Thanks for all the advice I have been getting on this site.

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Tools of the Trade / Re: [FAQ] Electronic Prompt Copies
« on: May 26, 2007, 04:04 pm »
I've always thought it would take just as long to proofread and format the script once it's scanned into a word document as it would to type it in yourself (depending on your typing skills).  And when you type it yourself, you've got the benefit of learning the show inside out.

OK, so I tried to scan in a page of a script using the Microsoft Office tools for OCR it did a gret job until I tried to open it in Word.  All I got was symbols and unrecognizable characters.  I think you may be right about typing it oneself.  I am a fast typist so it wouldn't be a problem.  Yes I also agree that it would benefit me in as much I would know the show.  So I am thinking in the long run scanning is not optimum.  Thank you all for your various tips and advice.  I may have to go the old route of handwriting.  Luckily my handwriting is legible.

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Tools of the Trade / Re: [FAQ] Electronic Prompt Copies
« on: May 25, 2007, 10:11 am »
Thank you, thank you, thank you.  I discovered that there is already an OCR program within the Microsoft Office Suite at least in the XP edition.  I have yet to install it bubt when I do I will let you know how it works.  I am really excited by this system cos it will mean I don't have to photocopy, cut the script, glue it onto cardstock and place it in a ring binder    times two because I do one for blocking and one for calling the show.

I am all for streamlining work if I can but I still want to be efficient.


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Tools of the Trade / Re: [FAQ] Electronic Prompt Copies
« on: May 24, 2007, 03:04 pm »
Please refresh my memory, I know what scanning is but what is OCR.  I am still in the learning mode here and would like to streamline the way I do things. 

I am calling a show at the moment but there is the possibility I might have to drop everything and go and attend to a sick relative.  I would like to be able to give my replacement an easy transition.  By the way, I really enjoy the information everyone shares on this web site.  Keep up the good work everyone.

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Tools of the Trade / Re: [FAQ] Electronic Prompt Copies
« on: May 23, 2007, 09:34 pm »
OK so I am a little confused.  Do you retype the entire script in Word or do you scan the pages in to a specific program?  When I have scanned in text into word I am unable to do any editing at all.  Unless you can just add the comment points etc.  I would be very interested in learning how you guys do all this.  I have stage managed quite a few shows and I general photo copy the script and then write in the cues and blocking by hand.  Doing it so it is legible for anyone to read would be wonderful.  Any advice will be accepted.

Thanks

Dramabrit58 otherwise known as Tamara

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I know how annoying actors can be but you can get mini cartons of milk from McDonalds.  I would imagine that would get a little costly after a while.  Of course I don't know if the milk is skimmed milk.  Good luck.

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Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Noises Off
« on: Mar 30, 2007, 09:24 pm »
I did Noises Off last semester.  I used different color spike tape to differentiate the front and back.  Good luck.  It wasn't taping out that I found hard it was keeping up with the blocking.......

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Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Smudgy Card stock
« on: Mar 22, 2007, 05:31 pm »
I actually enlarge and photocopy the script two pages to one then cut it down the center and paste one page on a piece of card stock.   It is a little time consuming but I also give myself a nice wide margin to the right of the page for writing cues.  Unless I have a separate script for blocking I use a number system for each page of dialogue using the characters name in a circle and then various symbols for blocking. 
Good luck finding the right way for you to do your prompt book.


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Employment / Re: Too Old
« on: Mar 20, 2007, 07:32 pm »
Firstly, 28 is not too old....  And, you are as young as you feel.... (that's cos I am 48 and depending on the day I feel 28 and other days I feel 128.....  I am at College learning all I can about Stage Managing although I do have a lot of experience in the real world.  I love being with the "youngsters".  They include me in almost everything.... treat me the same as their peers and I treat them like adults..... I have also been an ASM with the SM being just 18.  Now that was interesting but it worked.  Being asked how old you are is totally illegal and your interviewer is setting himself up for a future lawsuit which seems inevitable at this point.  You are better off without this job and when one door closes another one (usually better) opens.  I too have been told on more than one occasion that I am "too experienced" which equates to being too old.   Good luck in your endeavors.

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