Messages

16

The Green Room / Re: What's next?

« on: Mar 22, 2012, 08:55 am »

Sigh...  If I could answer this question, I would be a lot less miserable right now.  I'm trying to transition back into stage management because I have found that neither retail nor banking are industries I desire to have any part of.

17

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Dear Abby: What classes would you look for in a BFA stage management program?

« on: Jan 24, 2012, 10:42 am »

I would leave the foreign language requirement to whatever the universitys Gen Ed requirements are.  Could be a 4th level language...  could be no language.  "(insert language here) for singers" could be a good elective if the school of music offers such classes, but having rigerous language requirements might detur some students from the program.

Drafting - I would require hand drafiting and make CAD an elective perhaps.  I'm a believer in learing the concepts behind something before throwing technology at it, and my memory of my CAD class was that it was not a class about learning how to draft, it was a class about learning how to use VectorWorks.  If I hadn't known how to draft by hand going into the class, I wouldn't have made it through.

Directing/Design/Acting classes are all useful.  That's how you learn to effectively communicate with your team.  Lighting/Sound classes are especially helpful since in many small theatres, the SM may end up being either the lighting or sound board op (or both).

Reading music is useful when stage managing musical theatre, opera and dance, but a traditional music theory course offered through the school of music probably is not going to teach someone that has no music experiance how to follow a score because even 1st level music theory courses are designed for freshman music majors who know how to read music (or if they don't know, they shouldn't have passed their audition).  See if they offer a music fundamentals course, or if not, develop one.  If that is not a possibility, see if you can work a brief lesson on reading music into another SM course.  As an undergrad, I taught a brief "how to read music" seminar for a class.  It was two lessons, 50 minutes each.  By the end of it, the students couldn't identity what key a piece was in or analyze the chord structure, but they could follow along in a piece with multiple time signatures and tempo changes.

Definitely some sort of seminar course that involves discussing the current productions.  This gives a chance for the SM's in the program to discuss their productions and get feeback and advice from their peers.  For me, it also always served as a place to vent and relieve stress with people that understood the frustrations.

18

The Green Room / Re: Picture Wars!

« on: Dec 30, 2011, 06:16 pm »

19

The Green Room / Re: ARTICLE: Confessions of a Serial Intern

« on: Dec 23, 2011, 07:17 pm »

I once SM'd a show for a VERY small stipend (I had my reasons for doing it), and during a production meeting found out that they were spending about 4 times my stipend on a wig.  I almost cried.  Ok, I'll admit it... I did cry a little later.  It hurt to feel so devalued.  The worst part in my opinion was that the wig looked an awful lot like the actresses natural hair.

20

College and Graduate Studies / Re: SM Certificate Programs?

« on: Dec 07, 2011, 08:44 am »

There are some universities and colleges out there that offer certificate programs in theatre.  For example, the community college in my area offers a certificate in "Theatre Arts Entertainment Technology."  It's about 27 credit hours (easy enough to do in one year).  I've seen other similar certificate programs or associate degrees from a few other institutions in my random web browsings over the years.

Whether or not pursuing a certificate like this would actually help your career or not, I can't say.

21

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: PROFESSIONALISM: Getting Angry

« on: Oct 26, 2011, 12:42 pm »

Ok..  so this was probably not the most professional way to handle the situation.  What I think is most important though is that you realize that it is not the way you should have handled it, try to think of a better way to handle similar situations in the future, and learn from the situation. 

I'm a big advocate of promoting that stage managers are only human.  Humans make mistakes.  Humans lose their temper (especially when other humans can't follow simple rules).  Don't beat yourself up about loosing your temper, but strive to find ways to keep calm in the future.

Just last night I lost my temper with my cast and crew.  During notes after our dress rehearsal I kept getting cut off by the director and actors everytime I tried giving notes.  Eventually I literally started jumping up and down and yelling "I'm not done yet."  Yes...   I feel very stupid about it now.  I felt disrespected that the director never "passed the ball" over to me for notes, and that everytime I started speaking I got cut off by either the director or an actor.  Finally when the director dismissed everyone for the night, and they all broke into conversation, that's when I lost it.

Just wanted to illustrate that you're not alone when it comes to handling things in a less than perfect way.  Being human doesn't make you a bad stage manager.

22

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Designer Cue Lists

« on: Oct 07, 2011, 02:56 pm »

This is true.  If the designer, the director and I meet at a seperate time, I'm certainly happy to write cues in then.  That's different than doing it at first tech, or 25 minutes before 1st tech.  If I'm going into a technical rehearsal where I have to incorporate lighting, sound, projection, deck and any other miscelanious cues, I don't think it's too much to ask to have a day to get all that together.

You always have the option to do this without the actors.

Depends on the type of tech process we're going into.  If the purpose of the tech if for the entire company to stand around while the designer builds cues, then sure, I will have plenty of time to put cues in my book neatly.  However, if the point of tech is to incorporate all of the technical elements into the show, then I generally have a lot of other things to take care of in the few hours before tech.  I should also point out that I do a lot of work in community theatres, and I find it very disrespectful to bring in all the unpaid volunteer actors to stand around while the paid designer does work he or she should have already done.

Really?  What if it's the Director's process to be part of the building, look, and placement of every cue? So, you can't have light cues in your book before Tech.?  There are a lot of Directors out here who work like that!

23

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Designer Cue Lists

« on: Oct 07, 2011, 02:11 pm »

Depends on the type of tech process we're going into.  If the purpose of the tech if for the entire company to stand around while the designer builds cues, then sure, I will have plenty of time to put cues in my book neatly.  However, if the point of tech is to incorporate all of the technical elements into the show, then I generally have a lot of other things to take care of in the few hours before tech.  I should also point out that I do a lot of work in community theatres, and I find it very disrespectful to bring in all the unpaid volunteer actors to stand around while the paid designer does work he or she should have already done.

Really?  What if it's the Director's process to be part of the building, look, and placement of every cue? So, you can't have light cues in your book before Tech.?  There are a lot of Directors out here who work like that!

24

The Green Room / Re: Weirdest Item In Your Kit

« on: Oct 07, 2011, 11:24 am »

C**K Ring.

It was gift.

It's in my kit for some reason.

Awesome!

Condoms...  but not the unlubricated kind for mics.  The lubricated kind for actors... 
No glove, No love!

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Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Designer Cue Lists

« on: Oct 07, 2011, 11:21 am »

I agree with Matthew.  Having it in a script makes it more accurate.  I remember plenty of times in college trying to decipher a designers notes on a list, simply because they were taught they had to provide a list.  I do request this info in advance though (preferably 24 hours minimum).  I hate going into 1st tech and either having the designer want to give me cues 25 minutes before we start, or even worse, as we tech the show.

26

The Green Room / Re: Happiness is...

« on: Sep 21, 2011, 10:09 am »

For me currently.  Happiness is...

Getting through an entire day without getting an "emergancy" text (they're never actually emergancies except for in his mind) from the director.

27

Tools of the Trade / Re: 1/4" Glow dots

« on: Aug 24, 2011, 09:40 am »

Are you adament about dots because of the shape or the size?  Once when I needed a very large supply of small squares of glow tape I quickly manufactured using one of those large paper cuters with the blade that swings down.  Start by cutting about a 10 inch strip lengthwise into 3 sections and then go back through and cut your squares.  Granted, this still leaves the issue of having to peel off the backing which is super annoying.    I bet if enough people wrote in to manufacturers with the suggestion to produce smaller glow dots, one of them would do it.

28

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Blocking

« on: Aug 09, 2011, 09:05 am »

I've done blocking a number of different ways.  My favorite way is to have a small groundplan at the top of every page.  I use this groundpland to notate where teh actors are standing at the begining of that page and then write my blocking from there.  This way, even if I miss some blocking on a page I have a clear picture every 2 minutes or so of where people are supposed to be.

While this is the system I prefer I have worked several shows where I didn't get the groundplan early enough to prepare my book in this way.  Also, if I think the director may move furniture around after the groundplan is complete, I don't do this.  There is nothing worse than preparing a fresh script with photocopied groundplans on every page only to have the director decide the couch needs to be on the other side of the room.

I've also used the numbers and blocking page method, and while this definitely keeps the script page the cleanest, I find I still end up writing notes in the margin of the script page, because it's quicker. 

29

The Green Room / Re: You know you're in tech when....

« on: Aug 03, 2011, 09:10 pm »

when you don't have time to read this thread.

30

The Green Room / Re: WWMD? - Merchandising...

« on: Jul 16, 2011, 09:18 am »

wow...  awesome....