PROMPT BOOK: Question from an newbie! (Merging Libretto and Score)

[cordeliano]

Hi everyone. I just got on this thing so I am not sure if this is ok but I have a huge question. I am stage managing a musical (MY FIRST EVER) and I was hoping for some help with setting up my book. I have two copies of the libretto and two copies of the score. I use one set for blocking and the other set for cueing. I was wondering on how to merge the libretto and the score. My director uses the music sometimes to delegate blocking but other times it is lines. Do you have any suggestions on how to merge the two cohesivly?

Edit: Fixed title for easy scanning from topic index - PSMK

[J]

Stick the music in where it goes in the script. Draw lines through the music text in the libretto. Example below as best I could do:

Page 1:
libretto Text Text Text
Song #1 libretto Text

Page 2:
Song #1 score

Page 3:
libretto Text text text
song #2 libretto text
libretto text text text

Page 4:
Song #2 score

Page 5:
another copy of the previous libretto text page since there was text after the music so....
libretto Text text text
song #2 libretto
libretto text text text


That's the way I've done it. Unless you want to get really crazy and complicated with scizzors and tape and a copy machine, but I find that unnecessary.  Just find a way that works for you so that you can follow along. There's no "way". The best way for you is "your way".  It's all about making it work for you.

Another method is to not be so particular with the blocking. Put it next to the music line that it goes to in the libretto.  That shoudl be sufficient for blocking. As for calling the show, you can use the libretto if you make notes such as:

Text text text
                           LQ 7 (on chord)
text text text

That would be for if there was a chord in teh music between the two lines of text.

[killerdana]

I usually call musicals from the libretto, not the score.  Just make sure that any songs have all the verses in the libretto (oddly, I've often found that words are missing).  I just write notes like Justin if the Q falls on music instead of lines.  I find that when I'm trying to read my Qs a score is just too cluttered.

[kiwitechgirl]

I usually call musicals from the libretto, not the score.  Just make sure that any songs have all the verses in the libretto (oddly, I've often found that words are missing).  I just write notes like Justin if the Q falls on music instead of lines.  I find that when I'm trying to read my Qs a score is just too cluttered.

I'm completely the opposite - I always merge score and libretto for a calling script; as a trained musician, I find it so much easier to call from score.  My blocking script doesn't include the score, that just gets silly, but I can be far more exact in my calling if I have the score in front of me.  In the past I've used the old-fashioned copier, scissors, glue and tape method, but this year I got organised early and typed my script up, then inserted the score as pictures (I scanned them in).  I didn't include complete score pages - I just photocopied them and inserted them at the right place - but scanned in the beginnings and ends of songs - I put in as much as I needed to get the page breaks in the right place, by slightly reducing the size of the score so that four or five lines would fit on a page where in the original only 3 lines fitted.  It took a while - and the resulting Word file is about 135 megabytes - but it was so worth it.  If you want, I can save a small chunk of it (so the file isn't so huge!) and send it to you if you want to see how I did it (it's hard to explain!).

[Jessie_K]

 If you want, I can save a small chunk of it (so the file isn't so huge!) and send it to you if you want to see how I did it (it's hard to explain!).

I'd love to see a page or two.

[nmno]

So far, none of the B'way PSM's I've worked with have called from a score (admittedly, so far).  Instead they add dance counts to the script.  So it might look like:

OH WHAT FUN IT IS TO RIDE IN A
ONE HORSE OPEN SLEIGH - 6 - 7 - 8                LQ 123
Dance Break   1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8                        Fly 22
                    2 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
                    3 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Key Change    1 2 3 4 5 6 & 7 8                      LQ 124


However, this requires having or creating an electronic version of the script. 

[J]

Looking over the responses so far, it becomes clear, in my opinion, that there are multiple ways to do this, so CORDELIANO, you should feel free to experiment and do what works for you.

That's one of my biggest philosophies of stage management, that you need to do what works for you.  There's no one set way to do something, and (for the most part) no one set standard for paperwork or forms. You do what is best for you and the production.

I've done the musical prompt scripts different for different musicals, depending on the need of the show and my needs in calling the show, from putting the score into the libretto, to calling from the libretto, to adding in counts....it all was dependant on what i needed.

We all work by trial and error, even the experienced stage managers do.  I learn new things about my job and how I can be a better stage manager almost every day...and i've found that to be the case for years! I hope it's always true for me!

[kiwitechgirl]

I've had a go at attaching the file to this post, but unfortunately because I scanned the music in at a really high resolution, even a single page is more than 300kb which is all I can attach to the post.  Sorry to those who wanted to see it!

[avkid]

Send it to me in an e-mail
philip@audioguys.net

[TechGal]

Send it to me in an e-mail
philip@audioguys.net

I would love to see a copy too, if you don't mind. bemanning@att.net

[jspeaker]

If you read music calling from the score is easier and more exact.  It also makes it easier for someone who might be taking over the show.  I also like to make mine as clean as possible.  All of my books are done electronically using PDFs of the score that I usually get from the composer.

I find it just makes for a cleaner call.  I have taken over shows where people did not use music and it is just rough until you learn the music.

[MarcieA]

All of my books are done electronically using PDFs of the score that I usually get from the composer.

How lucky!!

For the show I'm currently working on there was a massive computer storage crisis and all copies and backups of the score and breakdowns were destroyed. The only thing that remains is a reduced conductor's score.

It's been fun...

[smejs]

OH WHAT FUN IT IS TO RIDE IN A
ONE HORSE OPEN SLEIGH - 6 - 7 - 8                LQ 123
Dance Break   1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8                        Fly 22
                    2 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
                    3 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Key Change    1 2 3 4 5 6 & 7 8                      LQ 124


However, this requires having or creating an electronic version of the script.

You don't HAVE to have an electronic version of the full script.  If it's simply the final notes of a song you want to have a specific beat to call a cue on, you can write in the appropriate numbers as above.  Or if you have 1 or 2 pages you can specifically do that in your own Word document for a dance break (which ultimately takes up less pages in your script than the full music).  Do whatever's comfortable for you, but sometimes you get into a rehearsal, and you just know which ones will need what.  I'm a big fan of using less paper if I don't need it, but expanding pages if I need it for complex cueing.

I have also had full scripts done this way, but only on a long-running show.

Opera folks strictly call from the score, but I find that often times you're turning too many pages and it's harder to keep up with than, say, a musical theatre libretto.  Most shows I've done I've simply written in some extra numbers near the libretto words.  (I also use this technique of "dance counts" if I'm calling off a musical sound cue in a straight play.)

Erin