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Messages - SMfairy

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UPDATE:
After raising the issue with the director and cast, the contribution has gone down to £20. I am just about OK with this. I'd better get it back from ticket sales!!!  :o

Thanks for all of your advice.

Claire

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Thanks to you all for your contributions.
On_Headset I think I shall definitely speak to the theatre manager (also course leader for Technical Theatre) about this issue. Any yes, you presume correctly that we have access to the theatre's resources-so much so, that we will go in to a basic rig with the black box already set out in traverse (It's festival theatre  :) ). However, due to the vision of the director, he does not want to take advantage of the large resource of costumes (which I think is invaluable, and they ARE good) available to the university.
With reference to loebtmc'scomment, he is a drama student, so his mark will have nothing to do with the production side (or at most, a VERY small percentage of his mark will count towards it). I appreciate, that as the director and playwright he has his artistic 'vision', and it is his 'baby' of 2 years, but.....
missliz; I will try and promote the idea suggested by you, the model by which, as I understand, most other shows are working to. This is the way in which I would prefer to work, especially as the 'beg, borrow or steal' method seems to work rather effectively (yes, I did borrow a zimmer frame from an old people's home once-I thought they might be reluctant to lend one of those!).
Also, I must point out that I was asked to work on this show (not sure about the cast members) by the director. Plus, this show is only scheduled for ONE performance!!
OK, mini-rant over. Time to think about a solution, now I have wise opinions. Thank you!  :)

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Hello all,
I was wondering if anyone could offer any guidance on the following situation:

One of my final year modules is called 'Original Performance'. This entails each student being involved in an original piece of theatre, written, directed and produced by students, which is then performed in a festival-style season of performances. The piece I am working on has a large number of assessed students on it as performers, one of whom is the playwright/director. I am stage-managing this piece.
My issues lies in the fact that the director said the other day that he expects each of the assessed students to make a financial contribution of £40. Now, I feel that this amount is far too high (which I have said to him). Also, before the summer break, I seem to remember him saying that he was going to work throughout the summer in order to raise money for the piece, thus meaning that the rest of us would not have to contribute. With this in mind, I spent my summer doing a lot of unpaid stage-management work so I could gain experience. All of the other assessed students have agreed to this £40 contribution, so I feel bad that I am not willing to pay the £40. I have spoken to other students working on different shows, and they have not made such a significant financial contribution. Of course, I am willing to put my hand in my pocket, but if there is a pot of money (of an undisclosed amount) that exists for this show, I really don't think that we should contribute our money before the 'pot' is used.
At the end of the day, this is a student production in a festival season. There should not be large production costs, and I fear that the show is getting far too big for it's boots. Obviously, as the director has spent over 2 years writing this piece (don't ask!) I think I will find it very hard to tell him this. Of course, there are staff members who, in the production meeting 2 weeks before the show, will tell him this, but by then it will be too late.
If anyone could give any advice on how to deal with this situation, I would very much appreciate it!

Thanks you,
-Claire.

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The Green Room / Re: "15 minute call" (video)
« on: Sep 29, 2010, 04:40 pm »
Thanks for posting. It made me chuckle  :)

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Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: SCENERY: Video
« on: Sep 23, 2010, 03:56 pm »
I stage managed an original dance piece which used video projection on the floor as well as on a cyc which was very effective. They were images which the lighting designer had created. Some were of natural images, and other were of the dancers dancing certain excerpts of the piece which were then played at varying speeds. The floor projection, particularly, created some interesting effects. It was used more as a lighting tool rather than being a stand-alone entity. It informed the piece, but it wasn't essential to the understanding of it-it purely presented an interesting artistic dynamic to the piece.

On a side note, I have also seen the 25th Anniversary production of Les Miserables in England and also did a week of work experience with them, and I found the projection used in this production to add so much to the show. I loved it!

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The Green Room / Re: SMNetwork's Resident expert in...
« on: Aug 13, 2010, 06:49 pm »
I'm the grammar and apostrophe police.  I hate, hate, hate this seemingly common belief that every word with an "s" on the end needs an apostrophe....

Can I be your deputy? I have an almost unhealthy obsession with misplaced apostrophes and bad grammar-it makes me rage!

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I'd say to definitely steer away from artsy quotes! When I wrote my personal statement, I wrote about why I wanted to study the subject, what I wanted to do with the qualification and my ambitions. I also included a little about my experience, but don't go overboard-it's not a job application! It's also good to put in a little bit about other interest to show that you have a broad range of experiences, and will be able to contribute to university life and the course, but not solely in a subject specific way. Also, remember that you are applying for university, so use an appropriate style of writing-not too formal, but definitely not colloquial! Hope this helps.

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The Green Room / Re: What did you learn today?
« on: Aug 08, 2010, 03:27 pm »
To double check when picking my Leatherman up-using the knife the wrong way up has painful consequences.....

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The Green Room / Re: What did you learn today?
« on: Jul 24, 2010, 07:49 pm »
Today was the culmination of a week spent shadowing on a number one tour, where I learned that my desire TO MAKE STAGE MANAGEMENT MY CAREER has been well and truly cemented!

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The Green Room / Re: What did you learn today?
« on: Jul 18, 2010, 05:41 am »
Today I learnt (OK, well it was yesterday) that in the opera world a technical rehearsal is called a 'stage and piano', whilst a dress rehearsal is called a 'stage and orchestra'.

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OK, so I'm wondering if any of you lovely people could give me any advice.

Last week I got asked to stage manage for a staged concert performance of The Beggars Opera, with a second act of scenes from other various operas/operettas. The show is a one-off at a big opera festival on Saturday, with a second performance in a small community theatre in the town in which we have been rehearsing. I have been in rehearsals all this week, and we don't get into the space until the day of the performance. As I understand it, there will be a professional receiving production team, and their stage manager will call the show with me sitting beside. I have been preparing The Book as much as I can whilst also doing many many other jobs. My worry is that my Book isn't hugely detailed with relation to blocking, as I have not always been in rehearsal, and the actors sometimes vary their blocking anyway. How do you suggest I deal with going into the venue with quite a rough Book, and having to integrate with their in-house team of professionals (I am a student stage-manager doing unpaid work for a semi-professional company at a professional venue)?

Looking forward to reading your advice! :)

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The Green Room / Re: Summer projects
« on: Jun 25, 2010, 04:32 pm »
I'm spending a week with the touring company of Les Mis, shadowing various technical departments. I'm then ASMing a production of Seussical and also ASMing a production of The Wizard of Oz. Very excited!!!
Does anyone have any advice on how to get the most out of these experiences, especially shadowing a professional company?

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The Green Room / Re: Vacation Suggestions
« on: Jun 11, 2010, 08:23 pm »
Oman is a fantastic place, but I'm biased because I used to live there! There's so much to do, if you want to; dune bashing; wadi bashing; exploring the interior; visiting the Souq at Mutrah is a must; spending a day out on the Indian Ocean on a dhow; diving; snorkelling; or just lazing on a beautiful beach. It's one of the more traditional Arab nations, but it's quite moderate, and the people are some of the friendliest you will ever meet!
If you like snowsports, there's a lovely place in California at Big Bear-it's about 2 hours' drive from LA. It's relatively small and local compared to some other places, but there's two 'resorts'-Bear Mountain and Snow Summit. You can find accommodation in the town or opt to stay in either resort. I also think that a lift pass from one will let you ski/board at the other too. There are some great places to eat locally-a fantastic place for breakfast being The Grizzly Manor Cafe-though be warned, it is a little bit spit and sawdust, but the food is good and hearty to set you up for a full day's skiing!
For something rather novel, I would suggest holidaying in Ireland-I once spent a week in a hired gypsy caravan complete with horse (Susie) traveling around County Wexford (though I suppose December is probably not a good time to do this...).
Hmmm...Japan? Stay in Narita, which is where the international airport is. I'd say it was about 45 minutes out of central Tokyo on the train. You can get on a bus to a temple in the shape of a Buddah, set in beautiful gardens. There's also a wonderful temple in Narita itself-spending New Year there was memorable-the amount of people was incredible! It's also a great base for getting out to see other parts of the country, so I'm told! Oh, and the food! Yum! Go to this little Chilean restaurant called Papa's. Papa and his wife make excellent food. Oh and The Bon which is a tiny tiny place up some windy stairs, and you have to go to The Cage and do karaoke! Be warned-the stairs are practically VERTICAL!
If you're wanting culture and don't mind spending every last penny you have, Venice is lovely in the winter (not smelly at all!).
Hmmm.... I think that'll do for now!
Good luck with picking a destination!


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Employment / Re: Child Wrangling
« on: May 15, 2010, 07:08 pm »
I'd never heard of this term before! In England the much less amusing term is 'chaperone'. I however, much prefer the use of the world 'wrangler' for its more honest description of the job!

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As a student, I would disagree with banning of student projects. Let me explain the reason for this. Not only does this site yield the answers to pretty much anything one could with to know about stage management, but as a student (presumably studying a course where research is an integral part of the educational experience) of stage management, surely it is to the benefit of the student to research first, and then ask questions. After all, we are studying to enter an industry where initiative and the ability to make informed decisions without having to use others as a 'crutch' is an integral part of the job!
So, I am opposed to banning student projects, but in favour of stringently enforcing the regulations already in place, and putting into place some of the methods as suggested above.

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