Author Topic: Just finished calling my first show!...  (Read 6936 times)

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zayit shachor

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Just finished calling my first show!...
« on: Mar 08, 2007, 11:30 pm »
...while on percocet for a bruised rib.

It. Was. Awesome.

Beatr79

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Re: Just finished calling my first show!...
« Reply #1 on: Mar 09, 2007, 10:20 am »
Congratulations!  (what happened?  I'm assuming you're OK?)

I called about 5 shows (plus all of tech) with about 8 stitches in my mouth and several on my lower lip.  I was officially still on painkillers, but had opted to do heavy doses of OTC medicine rather than the Tylenol with codeine that the doctor had given me. 

Other stories of silly stage managers doing their job, even when they probably shouldn't have?

LCook

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Re: Just finished calling my first show!...
« Reply #2 on: Mar 16, 2007, 01:17 am »
hmm I wasn't a stage manager at the time I was assistant directing--

Bear in mind I had hyperextended my shoulder two days before and should have been in a sling but I left it off for the day (bad idea) and on mild painkillers--

we were doing pippin and our set included 2 giant moving 16 ft high or so scaffold pieces. well one day we dedicated part of rehearsal to having the cast play on and get comfortable with the pieces

My family works in construction so I've been playing on scaffolding since I was a kid but the cast was kind of apprehensive (imagine a bunch of private school kids who don't do much tree climbing etc) so for some reason I thought it would be a good idea to show them how "safe" they were. So I said "watch I'm going to jump from the very top and if I don't get hurt then you know you'll be safe of them cause you wont do anything that crazy" I jumped and landed about 3 inches from the pit. Needless to say I spent the rest of the day sitting (I had twisted my knee). I wore a brace for the next week and a half but they didn't know that  ;) and they felt safe on the scaffold.

What makes it better is on the way up I said "I'll even do a trick or two for you on the way up." And then proceeded to use my bad shoulder to fling me into and twist myself up the scaffold.

*moderately embarassed*  ;D


jwl_868

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Re: Just finished calling my first show!...
« Reply #3 on: Mar 16, 2007, 05:00 pm »
Please excuse this diversion from the topic but:

 ??? A jump from 16 feet!   ??? Demonstrating a “trick” on scaffolding?    ??? Such disregard for basic safety is not what a stage manager should be conveying.  The message should have been “this is how you climb up and this is how to climb down.”  (1/4 of work place fatalities [excluding transportation and violence] are from falls.)

Joe

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Re: Just finished calling my first show!...
« Reply #4 on: Mar 17, 2007, 03:11 pm »
Wow, that's incredibly brave to jump so high in your condition. Stupid, but brave, lol. I have a bad fear of heights, so I'd have bluntly refused. Still, I hope you're feeling better :P

KMC

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Re: Just finished calling my first show!...
« Reply #5 on: Mar 25, 2007, 02:46 pm »
Talk about a complete disregard for safety, yikes to all of this.
Get action. Do things; be sane; don’t fritter away your time; create, act, take a place wherever you are and be somebody; get action. -T. Roosevelt

Mac Calder

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Re: Just finished calling my first show!...
« Reply #6 on: Mar 26, 2007, 02:39 am »
Well.... Lesson learnt I hope. EWP's of any type are not toys. If your cast were worried about the scaff, explain how it was errected by trained personal to be structurely sound, and has a number of safety elements - like cross struts etc. Don't say "Look, I'll do some stupid stuff, and if I don't get hurt, well obviously your non-stupid stuff won't hurt you." frankly, that's daft, and if you were in a venue I worked, you would find yourself outside pretty damn quickly.

Whilst I understand you are learning the ropes of stage management and I don't want to discourage you, pull your head in. Theatre is dangerous. EXTREAMLY dangerous. Actors tend not to realise just how dangerous it can be. You have high voltages, with high currents. You have heights, and you have bloody heavy things suspended at heights. You have bars which only stay up there because they are counterbalanced with weights and secured with a rather weak break leaver, you have trip hazards and low hanging stuff.

There are hundreds of ways a person can be seriously injured in a theatre, and part of the SM's job is making sure that those hundreds of risks are minimised, and their hazard reduced. Part of that is to lead by example. Another is to instruct people in the correct proceedures within the venue.

Let's do my favorite piece of analysis on your actions.

Action: Jumping off of Scaff tower.
Risk: Incorrect landing leading to injury.
Likelyhood: High
Hazard: Moderate
Method to reduce risk: Do not jump from the scaff.
Risk: Misjudging distance and landing in the pit, atop music stands etc
Likelyhood: Low/moderate
Hazard: High
Method to reduce risk: Do not jump from the scaff.
Risk: Feet getting cought on kick board, giving jumper spin, resulting in incorrect landing
Likelyhood: Low
Hazard: High
Method to reduce risk: Do not jump from the scaff

And you could keep going.
« Last Edit: Mar 26, 2007, 02:46 am by Mac Calder »

carebear3885q

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Re: Just finished calling my first show!...
« Reply #7 on: Mar 26, 2007, 10:39 am »
hahahahahaahahahah  :D
I'm sorry that's just hilarious!
Carrie