Author Topic: Dear Abby: Seeking advice on teching with a difficult director...  (Read 4792 times)

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PSMKay

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Our members sometimes have questions that they wish to pose to the group anonymously. They have the option of submitting their questions to members of the staff, who in turn post the questions on their behalf. This is one such situation.

Quote from: Besieged in the Booth
Dear Abby,
I am in tech with a director who becomes wildly frustrated with the tiniest of cueing errors (example- my GO is a beat off because an actor reversed the order of the cue line, and I get dirty looks and disgusted noises directed at me & banging fists on the tech table).  I am also having a bit of a learning curve with running the light board while calling silent sound cues to an op who's never run sound before and likes to jump my GO's, and a lighting designer who changed the cue numbers for about a third of the cues halfway through tech (and keeps adding/cutting cues without telling me). Suffice it to say that this is not an easy show to call, and I was actually pretty proud of how few cueing errors we had in our first preview.  The director, on the other hand, was pretty upset. Disproportionately so, in my opinion, for how small/few the errors were.  We're not talking about going to black in the middle of a scene here- more like the wind effect went out a fraction of a second later than desired.  His reactions to other problems (like actors changing blocking or forgetting important props) are nowhere near as extreme.
 How would you react to this? I'm trying to stay calm & rational, but his frustration is starting to get me really flustered, which makes it even more difficult to run the show. Any advice?
-- Besieged in the Booth

BayAreaSM

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Besieged,

I understand how you feel. While I've had moments of absolutely ridiculous LD's (building/changing cues and placements during a preview while I'm calling the show...) and directors who don't seem to understand that I just need a moment to get the sequence right in my head, and I've had to take some personal time post show to vent/cry to get over it. The main thing to remember - this is not the end of the world. I know that sounds over dramatic, but think about it.

I've had a choreographer I worked with for years that was just as outrageous as your director. During tech, if he heard me call a Rail Cue he just knew I was calling it too early and nothing I did was ever right. Finally, on a particularly trying tech, I took a breath and asked him to tell me where he wanted the cue to go. So we did that. Then he complained that the Rail was too late. He did the same thing to when I called the deck shifts. So we tried his cue placement. Then those were too late. We took a break and when we came back, I offered this, "Let me call this sequence in it's entirety, then please give me notes afterward." I got through the sequence (being as quiet as possible so he wouldn't hear my Go's) and he said it was perfect. Now, it was the same way I called everything the first time - but I needed to just step back from the situation, take a breath, let him get all of his crazy out, and start over fresh. 

Truth be told, no one is going to die as the result of your sound cue or lighting cue placement being a half second off in the director's mind, the world will keep spinning, (the audience will never know), this show will close and another will open. I know it's hard to try to be Zen in techs like the one you're in, but you've got to do the best you can, apologize honestly for the cue not being exactly where the director wanted it and say you'll work harder to get it right next time. It is our job to uphold the director and designer's visions - and those people don't want to hear excuses because you aren't able to do things the way they want them. What you can do, after taking a breath and calming yourself is to say, "I'm not used to running the board and giving silent sound cues before, so this new style is taking some getting used to." You're not apologizing and you're not calling anyone out - you're stating a non-emotional fact. And, in the case of the actor flubbing a line, you could ask the director, "For this particular cue, what is more important - having the cue at the end of the line, or following this specific cue word?" Granted, that question could cause more frustration than it's worth - but if you feel it's wrong to step on an actor's line with a sound cue because the actor moved the cue word to the middle of the line instead of keeping it at the end,  then you may need to discuss this with the director. That may help the director see that the actors are also a part of the technical success of the show and his help is needed to facilitate.

Chin up, do the very best you can given your circumstances, breathe often and take nothing personally. 9 times out of 10, when opening comes, directors say the show was beautiful and everything was wonderful, even though you may have a laundry list of notes for yourself and the cast.

nick_tochelli

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Sorry for your troubles besieged.

Be proactive while working on your calls. If the sound op jumps your G-O, ask them what will help them not do that. Maybe it means changing the way you signal them. Maybe they just have an itchy trigger and nothing can ever be done about it. That show back in November where I had been asking the forum about what to call my projections cues had 3 really inexperienced board ops and I had conversations with all of them when we had cuing issues. Sometimes it was as simple as they couldn't hear me over a sound cue, "ok man, eyes on me, and I'll cue you visually." some cases they couldn't hear the department call in a huge standby sequence. "I'll switch the order and put you first so it won't get lost." flexibility is thy friend.

I have encountered directors like this in the past. The worst thing to do is accept numerous small mistakes as ok. to them, this is akin to killing their work. They'd just prefer you not do it wrong in the first place. They of course forget that youve only had two cracks at this sequence vs the month and a half of rehearsal hes had with th cast. But just like any actor, you have to take the note. If they didn't like your call, start a conversation with them as to what they want different. The worst thing you can do is fight them on it or give an excuse. I'm sure you've seen an actor fight their note before and how annoyed directors get at that. What you can request during a conversation with the director (like bayareasm is talking about) is say something to the effect of "slamming your fists and huffing and puffing won't make the cue that just passed go any differently and it's distracting when you do that. If you take notes, we can talk them through after."

don't pass blame to others. You can only control yourself and your actions. Don't dwell on the blown call, focus on the tomorrow. In your notes session afterwards, Seek clarity from the director as to what about the sequence needs to change. He may come to find its actually an acting note not a stage manager note.

As for the LD: you'll never get them to stop making changes on the board until the show is open and frozen. The only thing you can do is talk it out with them. Before your next run, say you want to walk through their book and yours to keep everything up to date. If there's a discrepancy, you can catch it here vs a run.

So the overall key: Communication. As long as you keep it open and flowing, you should have an easier time. If he's not receptive to it, then it's his own fault and there's nothing you can do except breathe and remain as calm as possible.

Rebbe

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This is one of those not-so-fun parts of being SM.  His reactions to you may be more extreme than they are to the cast because he thinks you can take it, whereas he feels he needs to be more diplomatic with the actors.  It’s not fair, but maybe thinking of that will help it feel less personal for you.  It wouldn't hurt to advocate for show-conditions, so you would not be able to see the director's reactions.

I had a show were the director was getting irritated with me during tech, and like you I was running the light board and calling sound (plus fog!).  In my case, the LD was helpful in expressing that issues are more likely to occur when we are double dipping with SM/board opping.  You mentioned having some issues with your LD, but what about the Sound Designer?  Could the SD mediate with the director at all, or give you or the sound op any advice to run that element more smoothly?  Sometimes having a cooler head sit in the booth and observe what's happening can help you problem-solve.
"...allow me to explain about the theatre business. The natural condition is one of insurmountable obstacles on the road to imminent disaster."  (Philip Henslowe, Shakespeare In Love)

PSMKay

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Speaking as myself here, I think one thing that we are forgetting is the change in dynamic between director and SM that happens during tech. Nick alluded to it - the director has had six weeks with the cast. During that whole time, the relationship between SM & director is largely treated as a diumvirate with each party having equal power. It is very rare for a director to openly critique the SM in the rehearsal hall. Tech may be the first time in the whole process where you're on the receiving end of the director's direct critiques.

It isn't only that the actors have had six weeks to get their work right, but they've also had six weeks to build up a critique-based relationship with the director and establish boundaries. Actors spend their entire lives taking notes from directors. (Well, they do if they're good.) SM's, on the other hand, are only on the receiving end of critiques for the shortest and most stressful phase of the process. For the rest of the time we're taking notes, yes, but they're to pass on to other people. I think in some ways that is what makes tech so challenging - the long hours and rapid learning requirements are part of it, but we also lose that 100% mutual advocacy with the director that exists in the rehearsal room and instead can wind up, as Besieged has, surprised at how quickly a supposed alliance has gone sour. We are accustomed to running the joint. To spend a whole tech basically holding the room together and then receive your first critiques from someone that you thought was your friend? It's all to easy to take personally or get us reacting defensively.

Just as learning the script & the cues is important for a stage manager, a good director picks up on the psychology and best learning styles for each actor. For all you know, the director may have learned exactly what trigger words get the performances he wants out of his talent. He can be as sweet as pie while saying the right words and have the right effect after an entire rehearsal period to learn their psychology. You only have 1-2 days to learn the cues? The director only has 1-2 days to shift focus from knowing his actors' minds only to knowing that of his designers, crew and stage manager in order to effect the vision she's got in her mind. And while you spend a huge amount of time in rehearsal getting ready for tech, the director has spent probably months before rehearsals even started parsing the script and hashing out the design. It's easy for the transition to tech to catch them by surprise and make them more brusque than they ought to be.

I'm not saying that this director isn't out of line, but I do think we need to keep a little perspective. He is stressed and a stage manager is supposed to be a safe landing place for that stress. He cannot show that he's stressed in front of the actors or the designers. In some ways I would be complimented if a director put enough trust in me to show that he is anxious or angry about my work, because that means I am a trusted outlet for his internal tsuris.

MatthewShiner

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That's a good point Kay - the working relationship between stage management and director does evolve throughout the process, and we do go very quickly from being somewhat equals into the room, to getting very nit picky notes from the other – and a smart director will establish that relationship during rehearsal.  (I find part of my job when working with a new director, is figure out how he deals with challenges and frustrations, how he gives notes, what he cares about visually, etc . . . )

When I first read this Dear Abby post, I wanted to just write "To solve the issue, just call the show right".  And leave it at that, which would solve the issue, right?

But there is a relationship issue here, and really, how the original poster needs to move forward really is based on their management style.   And they should pick and chose from these responses what would work for them.   

The best way to handle situations like this is to avoid them in the future.  One of the things I would point out, when the SM came down proud of the show, and the director was upset, there is obviously a difference in opinion and priority and threshold for mistakes.  Remember, a director sitting in the house has no idea WHY the cue is off - they may not know where you a call, if you called the cue correctly, or you miscalled, if the operator was late, if something mechanical went wrong, etc, etc, etc . . . so, they are completely helpless in something that can throw the show off.  End of the day, so many directors hate tech because it is something they don't understand or can't control. 

If we had a really rough show on the deck, and the ASM comes to me after the show and says, without any sarcasm, “Well, that was almost perfect backstage”, you have to understand that I would be a bit upset the ASM doesn't really have the whole picture.

I have taken coming down from the booth during previews and give my calling notes to the designers/directors – not waiting for them to give them to me. 
"Lx 12, called late actor transposed lines, LX 14 - called a beat early (SM ERROR), QL for the Actor's entrance was thrown at the right time, Actors ignored and came on later. QUICK CHANGE got snagged up . . . "  Everything that went wrong, I want them to know I noticed, I care and have a reason.  It shows that I know that what you wanted was not executed.  It takes some of the pressure of the director if I come down and go, "You know, this is where we are rough . . . "

If there are things that went wrong, that I didn't notice, then we know where, for example, I am not watching the light cues SR because of the automation Upstage Left I have to watch.  It helps the director learn how I call the show.

This also does something interesting.  What is LX 14, which I think was called early, everyone likes in the new position.  During notes, you wouldn't get a note about it's placement, but you know you need to fix it, and call it correctly the next time, but the designer would be upset.

Perhaps, more tech time needs to be taken.  I think a lot of the time I have trouble calling a sequence is because I didn't tech it correctly.  If I continue to have trouble, then I will schedule time to retech.

The other issue is that there is crew who are not taking cues correctly, and the fact you are doing more then just calling the show complicates everything.  These may be a bigger issues that you need to get producers on board with.  Is this the right operator?  Do you have too much to do?  How can we re-tech this so the show can be run 100% correctly, eight times a week.

Like lighting designers, stage managers have to learn and execute their work in the room, live, quickly and with an amazing amount accuracy.   And you have to learn how to do that, with a level detail that will allow you to work at the level you want to work, with the style you want to work with.

 :P
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Anything posted here as in my own personal opinion, and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of my employer - whomever they be at a given moment in time.