PROFESSIONALISM: Plan B for everything?

[planetmike]

I'm stage managing the musical Pippin, for a community theatre, in a rented space. Yesterday I discovered a problem with our overhead projector, which was used in several scenes as a supplement to the action onstage. But for one scene, the photo was mostly relevant to the song, the map in War Is A Science. So without the map overhead, the song and blocking makes a little bit less sense, but it wasn't a show stopper. An orchestra member had brought in a "map" printed on a plotter or some other large format printer. The prop person suggested we have the two actors who carry in the screen for the projections could simply stand on stage and hold that printout. The director decided to pin the paper map to our screen (made of a large white sheet). I wasn't thrilled with that idea, since the map could rip off of the safety pins; the lighting wasn't set for the map to be seen (since it was originally a backlit projection); the screen couldn't be stored in the wings as easily. But the map was pinned up by the director, the scene came off fine, and the audience wasn't any the wiser.

So, should I have a plan B for every prop, costume, etc... in the show? If I should, that's fine, I'll start thinking about options now. But it seems that some things need to be classified as "non-essential" and if something comes up, that thing is dropped. Your thoughts, please?

[loebtmc]

always smart to have a plan B for anything that breaks. We always ask for back-up CDs for music, computer programs etc, right? Anything electric can come unplugged, blow a fuse etc, computers can fry, props break, there are lamp burn-outs and so forth. You may never need them, but having thought about it ahead of time gives you options if they DO happen and it's a great brain exercise (see PSMKay's series of SM challenges, for example).

[kiwitechgirl]

If a "mission-critical" prop is breakable, then I always have spares on hand.  Crockery is one which is particularly prone to being broken onstage or off, so I always get Props to get more than we need.  If it's not "mission-critical" I'll still try to make sure spares are on hand, but it's not top of the priority list.

In terms of costume, there are always spares of things like pantyhose up in wardrobe, which I have a key for.  Anything else, not so much.  I've mended my fair share of costumes with safety pins and stuck up an awful lot of hems using gaffer tape!  If you're fairly handy with a needle and thread, it can be useful as well - that way you can sew up a rip roughly, but enough so that the actor can get on stage; get the wardrobe department to make you up an emergency repair kit - needles, different colours of thread and safety pins.  One of the funniest sights I've ever seen was a couple of years ago when I came backstage after finishing the interval reset on stage, to find one of the chorus girls standing in her (50s-style) underwear while the sound operator sewed up a hole in her dress (she'd trodden on it coming down the stairs, and torn the bodice away from the skirt), while the lighting operator assisted him by using his Maglite to light up the rip!  I've pinned and Nash taped up a cast member's fly when the zip broke (I would have sewn him into his trousers, but he had a quick change!), and gaffer taped people's shoes on when the buckles have broken.  Patch it up well enough to survive the show, and then get wardrobe to fix it properly the next day is the way I tend to work, and it hasn't let me down yet!

[SMrose]

always smart to have a plan B for anything that breaks. We always ask for back-up CDs for music, computer programs etc, right? Anything electric can come unplugged, blow a fuse etc, computers can fry, props break, there are lamp burn-outs and so forth. You may never need them, but having thought about it ahead of time gives you options if they DO happen and it's a great brain exercise (see PSMKay's series of SM challenges, for example).

I second this--if it can break, have a back up.  You can only back up only so much, however and then, it's come up with an alternative--as you and the director/props/and orchestra member did. Were there follow spots on this show?  If a critical light burns out or something is reblocked to solve an emergency and there is no lighting there--follow spots are my back up to cover a stage area and light the actor/prop

[LCSM]

Obviously, it is a bit rediculous to have a back up plan for each and every possible situation that might happen (there are millions of them, each one unique), but as we are coming up to tech week I always read through the show and look at all the spots where things might go wrong, then plan for those things. For the rest, I keep basics on hand but, as others have said, they are not top priority.

[kokobear]

Best bet is to plan for what you can, and plan on improvising everything else!

Our best asset is our ability to think on the fly!

[loebtmc]

exactly - plan for what you can

but always fun to think of what you would do if... as in Kay's SM exercises. I remember once having to use the works mid-play when an idiot on another show next door flipped the wrong fuses and blacked out our lights. (Amusingly, I have had to do that more than once.) If nothing else, the practice of flexing the mind is a good one, kinda like that acting exercise where you have to use an object as anything except what it actually is.

[damjamkato]

I agree with everyone else:  Be prepared for the most obvious problems, and for everything else, think on the fly.

For example, since the booth is the only good place to call from in my theater, I always make sure everything that might be needed during the show (extra mic, batteries, mic tape, gaff tape, etc.) is there and the ASM knows where it is.

[kre_on_stage]

This might not be the answer you were looking for, but I just finished doing Pippin with my theatre company and we didn't even use a map for that.. We were going for a more 'minimal' thing..
If it's something like this, then I don't think that it is absolutely necessary to have a plan B..
If it was something major, then a plan B is a good idea..

=]

[geoffsm]

Obviously, it is a bit rediculous to have a back up plan for each and every possible situation that might happen (there are millions of them, each one unique), but as we are coming up to tech week I always read through the show and look at all the spots where things might go wrong, then plan for those things. For the rest, I keep basics on hand but, as others have said, they are not top priority.

Absolutely.  The elements that are the most crucial to the show always seems to be the first to break or disappear, so they should be your priority.
I find that as I grow as a Stage Manager and get more experience under my belt that I can fairly easily determine the problems spots in a show.
The best case scenario is that you have experience with a situation similar and can plan based on a previous show.  But in the end nothing can beat preparation and quick thinking.

[bethanyb5]

This is one of the things I love about Stage Managing. I am a quick thinker and a problem solver and work really well in the moment when I have seconds to think of a quick fix. But I definately recomend that you have back ups of sound, and other computerized or electrical type things because things like that usually need a bigger fix. As much stuff as you have a plan B for I can promise you that it will be something that you don't have a plan B for that breaks. It's just one of Murphy's laws. That's why being knowlagable in all areas of the theater is important.

[Tigerrr]

Not much to add, except a (now) humorous story.

Was on a school tour in Southern Ontario. Hit a massive rainstorm on our way to the school the night before. Okay - had a plan B for if the set got damaged (lots of gaffer tape, screws, drill, and enough time to let a thin layer of paint dry between set-up and showtime). The lead actress then just saw her new pants for the first time and hated them so much she couldn't stop crying. Plan B - already cleared it with the director that she could wear her jeans if she really hated the pants. Got the lighting trees set up and levels done. Let lights run at full for 20 min in case there was dirty power or circuits with not enough power. Plan B - find other circuits, had TONS of extra extension. Everything was fine. Lunch. Get ready, let the kids come in. 10 min before showtime, lights start flickering. My technician checks EVERYTHING including opening up the board to see if there was some weird wiring. No go. Plan B - do the show without lights, already cleared. We were in a cafetorium, so there was enough light. Plan B - call home, arrange to get another lighting board in our next town for the next show. Actors were a little thrown from being able to see the audience, but they got through it. Until 5 min before the end. Choreography got wonky and the actress got hit in the face with the gun, near her eye. I saw she had a bit of a reaction, but then she continued on, so I did too. Went behind the set after the show and there she was, on her knees sobbing uncontrollably. Mostly out of fear. A teacher, who was also a paramedic, came to check her out. She was fine. Decide she doesn't need to help with the tear down and we can do it ourselves (Plan B). 10 min later, she has a panic attack. I decide to take her to the hospital. Now I'm running out of Plan B's. Then she got really bad and didn't know where or who she was. Decided to call an ambulance.

This is where it gets funny, albeit in retrospect. We were on a military base and the message that went out over the radio was that "a student hit a teacher in the face with a gun at the school". Of course, I didn't realize this until 6 firefighters, 4 paramedics and 3 military police officers showed up. I had to show the (fake) gun to each officer individually and show them how it DIDN'T work and wasn't real and didn't even really LOOK real close up. But we still had a trigger lock and lock box for the thing.

Ultimately, everything and everyone was fine. She was just a little freaked out a bit, but laughing again after a couple hours. I had done a ton of "what if" thinking, but there was no way I could have anticipated THAT!!!

Oh...paper props. Always have backups of paper props. And writing implements. They always get lost!