Author Topic: CAST: Emergency Put-In Question  (Read 3095 times)

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ErgoCue

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CAST: Emergency Put-In Question
« on: Sep 01, 2017, 12:54 pm »
I'd love some advice for an incident that happened over the weekend.

I had an actor get injured during a matinee performance.  He got accidentally elbowed in the face by another actor.  I gave him ice and checked for a concussion (his eyes seemed fine).  He went on for another scene, but then complained of a bad headache.  I took him out for the rest of the performance for him to recover and redistributed his track with the rest of the ensemble.

After the matinee and he said he wanted to go on for the evening show, but needed some rest.  I checked in with him at 6:30 (an hour before half hour) and he confided that he wasn't in any shape to go on.  I then called everyone in for an emergency put-in to redistribute his track (we don't have any swings for the ensemble).

My question is: did I make the right call to wait to take him out for the evening show when I did, or should I have planned to have him out from the end of the matinee?  I wanted to give him an opportunity to go on, but I felt bad that I had to call the rest of the cast in so last-minute.  Any thoughts on this are appreciated.

Edited to add topic tag- Maribeth
« Last Edit: Oct 02, 2017, 07:58 pm by Maribeth »

Maggie K

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Re: Emergency Put-In Question
« Reply #1 on: Sep 01, 2017, 03:39 pm »
I don't think you did anything wrong.  One of the more difficult aspects of this job is that you have to trust an actor or crew member to know their own bodies and inform you if they can't go on.  There may be times when it's blatantly apparent but usually it is the more subtle physical ailments that occur.  Does "I'm a little nauseated" mean that they're feeling a little off or does it mean they're going to vomit into the pit half way through their number?  No way for us to know for sure.

The only potential change I might have made would be to set a decision deadline with the actor (checking the AEA contract, if any, to see if there are any rules regarding an emergency.)  "Hey, I need to know at X time if you're up to going on tonight."  Then inform the rest of the cast that you are all in a stand-by to know what will be happening that evening and that you will inform them at X time.  People are usually fairly understanding when it comes to illness and injuries.  But overall, I think you handled the situation to the best of your ability with the knowledge you had.

I hope your actor makes a full recovery!
I like the ephemeral thing about theatre, every performance is like a ghost - it's there and then it's gone. -Maggie Smith

ErgoCue

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Re: Emergency Put-In Question
« Reply #2 on: Sep 04, 2017, 12:03 am »
The only potential change I might have made would be to set a decision deadline with the actor (checking the AEA contract, if any, to see if there are any rules regarding an emergency.)  "Hey, I need to know at X time if you're up to going on tonight."  Then inform the rest of the cast that you are all in a stand-by to know what will be happening that evening and that you will inform them at X time.

That's a great idea, thank you!

 

riotous