Messages

1

The Green Room / Re: Weird Dreams

« on: Mar 05, 2013, 09:28 am »

The weirdest dream I've had involved turning our only full-tech runthrough before opening into an invited dress. Lots of important people (and children, since this was TYA) were in the audience, and eveyrthing was just wrong: the upstage cyc wasn't finished so we had to do all cross-overs in sightlines, props that I had properly preset went missing, everyone forgot their lines, and because I didn't bring my show blacks since it was supposed to be just a runthrough, I had to run around backstage with no masking for a house full om important patrons in full sightlines... in my bright yellow footie pajamas.

2

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

« on: Feb 04, 2013, 08:15 am »

I recently closed a professional production of Legally Blonde, so my insight is tied directly to how we did it.
   - Elle had her own dresser, who would assist others when not needed
   - A few of Elle's changes were just piece changes (putting a jacket over her Harvard T-Shirt etc) to save time
   - Almost all costume changes happened in the wings as opposed to down in the dressing rooms, which technically defines a QC at my theatre, but the actual quick-quick ones for the chorus were Jamaican Me Crazy into Personal Essay, Personal Essay into First Day of Harvard, Bend and Snap into Second Courtroom, and Courtroom/Bathroom into Graduation.
   - That being said, we had three non-Elle dedicated dressers, and members of the stage crew would help the chorus with their changes whenever they were able to. Most cases Wardrobe preset everything out and the actors were left to their own devices, and everything went fine. Keeping in mind that your actors may not be used to changing entire outfits in <30 seconds, it may be useful to have some more dressers to assist.
   - I have my costume change plot from Legally Blonde; it is all tied to our blocking and costume design, but if you think it may be useful, you may PM me with your email and I'll send it over.

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The Green Room / Re: Live Animals Onstage.

« on: Jan 12, 2013, 04:42 pm »

All dogs are motivated by different things, the big trick is to find out what motivates your specific dog, and then practice about 17 million times. I've worked with a dog who was absolutely crazy for basketballs, so we incorporated a basketball into the play so the dog would always stay engaged. Another dog (puppy, really) would not stay onstage for the duration of the song that we needed him onstage for, so we added business where the actress fed the dog before singing - we mixed his kibble with peanut butter which slowed down how fast he could eat, so he stayed by his bowl the whole number. Find out what the dog absolutely loves, and incorporate that into the show.

For running across the stage from one wing to the other, whoever is catching the dog should be in the dog's sightlines and have either their favorite toy or treats the dog can see.

For running onstage and stopping, it is possible to "mark" train a dog,  but it is time consuming and not practical if you don't have a dedicated trainer. Much simpler to have the dog run to a specific person.

With all the being said, no matter how much you practice, the first week of performances the dog will never do what it is supposed to do, because OMG there's people out there let me smell them!!!

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Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: TERMS YOU NEVER HEARD OF BEFORE

« on: Dec 18, 2012, 10:59 pm »

My theatre made its first spike tape stick around the time Lady Gaga was just beginning to get popular, and since it was so colorful we began calling it the Disco Stick. I've since moved on and have gotten a lot of weird looks by asking for the Disco Stick during a spike call.

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Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Shout Check

« on: Nov 03, 2012, 01:06 am »

The ASM (who was trained in the UK) at my old theatre brought this in with her, and while I think the literal shouting is tacky and appears unprofessional (especially to our volunteer ushers who stuff programs in the house while we do preshow, who are very often donors), the theory - to have at least one other person double check our work, with documentation to ensure the double check is done properly - is incredibly useful.

6

Tools of the Trade / Re: Favorite Bag

« on: Oct 19, 2012, 11:42 am »

The only problem I've run into is that the bag gets pretty heavy and bulky after a few books and binders and with the one shoulder strap this could cause some back and shoulder problems.

This. I find myself walking at a serious angle to counter-balance the weight of the overly-stuffed bag of holding. Coupled with the fact that I walk/public transit EVERYWHERE, it can get pretty hefty. I'll carry either my laptop OR my prompt book in this, but if I need to travel with both (moving from rehearsal into the space, etc) I'll opt for a proper backpack, instead.

7

Tools of the Trade / Re: Backstage pants

« on: Oct 04, 2012, 09:03 pm »

I have a couple pairs of Dickie's Women's Relaxed Cargo Pant, which get the job done. They don't do me any favors in the fit department, but since I'm only wearing them when I'm running shows backstage or repping sets, I don't mind. They do sit higher on my waist than I'm used to, with the button almost on top of my belly button, but once I got used to that they were fine. The cargo pockets perfectly fit a run sheet folded into quarters, a writing utensil, and a flashlight. The smaller side pocket is great for a multi-tool. And they hold up really well; I've had the same two pairs in rotation for over three years! Sizes run small in the waist.
http://www.dickies.com/womens-clothing/womens-pants/Womens-Relaxed-Cargo-Pant-FP777.jsp

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The Green Room / Re: SM: WORST THINGS

« on: Apr 23, 2012, 11:27 am »

Reaching the end of a roll of spike tape when you only have 10 more inches of wall to tape out.

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Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Special Skills on a Resume

« on: Apr 13, 2012, 09:48 am »

You can also group like skills together under the same bullet point, such as "basic carpentry, sewing, and stage craft" and "reading music, piano, can call from score" (if applicable). This allows you to include more information without lengthening the footprint of your special skills section.

I've always been taught that there should be one "conversation starter" special skill, that will set your resume apart from all the others AND work as a real-world example of your stellar SM abilities (because let's face it, every resume is going to say they know Word and Excel). Mine is "cosmetic typewriter restoration" - a weird skill that will warrant a double-take and most likely a question when they interview me. The story behind the skill illustrates my attention to detail, stick-to-it-iveness, ability and willingness to learn new skills, and satisfaction in doing my job well. Having a story to prove those attributes goes much farther than just saying I am all of the above.

10

The Green Room / Re: Thread to vent about / Actors behaving badly / As haiku only

« on: Mar 13, 2012, 10:00 pm »

Not an actor but
This is still my venting place
So bear with me please

A playwright's job is
Creation of a full world
Others bring alive

You don't sit front row
During last 10 out of 12
Directing actors

Subtext needs to come
From within the script you've wrought
Not 'cause you tell us

If it is not there
And you say we don't "get it"
That's your problem, man.

11

The Green Room / Re: Hell in a Handbag (A Game for Stage Managers)

« on: Mar 13, 2012, 09:51 pm »

What size cowbell? Will Props or Sound provide it? Can we have a rehearsal bell? Will she have a drumstick with which she hits the cowbell? Does the actress playing Chloe already have percussion experience, or do we need to bring in a specialist to train her? If so, can we afford a pro pr should we look for a volunteer? Will the musical director be in charge of setting the beat that is struck, or can it change each performance? Will copies of any cowbell sheet music need to be made? Most importantly, does anyone in the cast or crew have a known medical condition that is treated with cowbell?

Here is the new ending, including the re-worked Finale. The melody notes don't change, but the order of the medley and the harmonies have been rearranged. Please have it ready for final dress tomorrow.

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The Green Room / Re: Favorite Playwright

« on: Mar 08, 2012, 03:55 pm »

I have a love/hate relationship with Shakespeare. Well-directed productions of his works are my favorite plays, bar none. But I get very little out of reading the plays myself, and even less out of poorly done productions. I'm a big fan of Pinter, Beckett, Brecht, Ibsen, Miller and O'Neill, for mastering the "wrought"ing of plays - so well structured.

Christopher Durang is probably my favorite comedic playwright, followed closely by Ives. Favorite more contemporary authors include Ruhl, LaBute, McDonagh, Shanley... I'm not a huge fan of absurdity of absurdity's sake, and I also feel that a lot of new playwrights never learned the rules properly before trying to break them, resulting in some out-there-in-a-bad-way new works.

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Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: POLICIES: Responsibility breakdown

« on: Feb 19, 2012, 05:58 pm »

In college I was AD of a student-run theatre company for 2 years, and we had a handbook very similar to what you mentioned. The theatre company was run by a seven-person board who split the day-to-day, show-to-show, and season-long responsibilities between them. It was rare for anyone to serve on the board in the same capacity for over a year, so the handbook was incredibly valuable given the high turn-over. Each position's responsibilities were clearly outlined, sample forms were included, procedures specified, etc. It was a great resource to have. I highly recommend every company with a high turn-over to have a similar book.

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Articles from the Old Site / Re: So...do ya think you're theatre is haunted?

« on: Jan 20, 2012, 01:34 pm »

The founder and original Artistic Director would haunt the Mainstage theatre, appearing in his favorite balcony seat in his signature white tux every opening night performance. Several actors reported seeing him from the stage. The performance space had major renovations done in the 90s (gutted and entirely redone), and once the renovations were complete, the current Artistic Director took a portrait of the founder through the new theatre, showing him every nook and cranny that had been changed. The ghost hasn't been seen since - we like to think he's pleased with what we're doing.

On a darker note, the building our theatre is in was built in the 1830s, and during the Civil War was a church. The hotel across the street was being used as a hospital. Because churches and hospitals could not be entered by combatant soldiers, they were safe houses. The confederate soldiers in charge of the buildings took advantage of this by stockpiling supplies, weapons, and ammunition in the top floors of the hospitals. An underground tunnel connected the hospital to the church, so soldiers could smuggle guns from the hospital through the tunnel and out the church. When the Union soldiers figured out what was going on, they invaded the church, found the tunnel, and shot dead the two soldiers they found in the tunnel. The two soldiers still haunt that tunnel.

Since the theatre has been in existence, people have known about the tunnel ghosts. Ernst Borgnine and Gregory Peck both had ghostly encounters while working at the theatre, and countless technicians working overnight change-overs have reported hearing screams and thumps coming from the room with the tunnel. In the 90s the city did road work on the road above the tunnel, causing the middle of the tunnel to cave in, separating the ghosts (we believe), making them even more pissed off (we know). When we were having the remodeling overhaul, three construction workers were taking their meal break at 3am in the room with the mouth of the tunnel. All at the same time, without saying anything or looking at each other, all three men ran from the room as fast as they could. Our Artistic Director had to come to the theatre in his pajamas, go fetch the men's lunch boxes, and give them their severance pay on the spot, as all three men refused to ever set foot in our theatre again. The hotel has sealed off their side of the tunnel, but ours is still open - we use it to store extra cyc lights and lamps.

15

The Green Room / Re: Things Stage Managers Say

« on: Jan 20, 2012, 01:18 pm »

"We're on a five, please!"

"Wait for my G-O."

"Can you check your rulebook on that one?"

"No, you can't have any. That candy is for the tech table."