Onstage > Tools of the Trade
[FAQ] What goes inside a SM Kit?
smejs:
Matthew, your answer TOTALLY cracks me up. And yet seems to be coming true regarding myself.
And I agree with the other comments I've seen so far...first off, do a search within this website, we've discussed this MANY times. And second, it truly is what you think you need.
I now travel around a lot and like Matthew have many things provided for me. I know of certain harder-to-find office supplies that it's usually easier for me to get myself than try to explain to a runner, so I bring those. I have a "run-belt" that was created for me by a prop guy in Milwaukee that I wear with my Leatherman, flashlights, pocket of sharpies, scissors, etc...and then my personal things, like a rubber chicken lollipop-holder than I bet you not many other people think is an essential thing to have. And then my plethora of light-up toys and Christmas toys (I'm usually on tour during Christmas). And most everything else is provided by the theatre.
Back in college, though, I was QUEEN of the stage management kit...well, a running competition between me and my fellow stage management roommate. Between the two of us we had 3 large kits, and when working together as ASMs would cart them around on a foldable set of wheels and got very good at lifting them together into the trunk of my car.
Make your own decisions. Make them wisely as well as spur-of-the moment. And then constantly change your mind over the next 5, 10, 30 years of your career! And definitely think MacGuyver(sp?)-like in your thinking....what few strange items could I use that can always fix THAT?
Erin
isha:
I'm also a highschool SM...yeah!!!But one thing you should know about this site and highschool theatre is that all the advice you get you really have to fit to highschool theatre, just because it's so different.
but as for a kit...I would say the most important thing (for highschool) is colored bandaids....you wouldn't believe how many of my actors cut themselves on things that shouldn't be able to cut them, and then they "can't function"...but whip out a bright pink bandaid and they stop complaining(especially if it's bright pink...) and the world is able to go back to normal...
another big thing I use it extra pencils..I finally made 2 stashes of pencils..one for my use (or the directors..) and a bundle of cheap actors pencils, since they never get back to me.
I also use a lot of masking tape, safety pins, a pencil sharpener, permeneant markers (I have a collection of mini sharpies that I use constantly), a label maker (it's actually the director's but he lets me use it), my swiss army knife (but I don't have that at the school *wink wink*), and a large collection of sticky notes and the flag sticky notes.....oh, and I have my yellow note pad that I rely on for everything...it stays in a plastic page cover in my binder so I have it at all times, in fact I'm almost through my first yellow pad...I'm going to need another one soon.
but really, just have whatever will help you do your job the best...^that helps me...but it's going to depend on what your job is in your highschool ( my director tends to let me have a lot of freedom in defining my job. He trusts me enough to know that whatever I do will help make his job better and easier....) Some highschools the job is totally defined for you and you have people who know what they are doing. (this isn't the case at my highschool, but it might be at yours.) Work with what you got.
hope that helps...
-isha
smejs:
--- Quote ---*POINTS AT SEARCH BUTTON* - There are a number of threads on them.
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Okay, I admit, I had this same knee-jerk reaction...this is a question we're asked a LOT, as well as others on grad schools, etc...why don't people do their research, etc, etc...but then I tried to do a search myself, and I couldn't find those posts! I put in the word "kit" thinking that would be very basic.
Do we only have search features for the last 6 months or a year or something? I couldn't find any way to adjust any parameters...seems a waste if we can't access those old posts. Not that this site isn't helpful, but it would be nice to keep those helpful answers around. Maybe I'm just being silly with my computer abilities right now....
Erin
Mac Calder:
--- Quote from: "isha" ---
but as for a kit...I would say the most important thing (for highschool) is colored bandaids....you wouldn't believe how many of my actors cut themselves on things that shouldn't be able to cut them, and then they "can't function"...but whip out a bright pink bandaid and they stop complaining(especially if it's bright pink...) and the world is able to go back to normal...
--- End quote ---
LOL... Over here I always and out bright flourescent blue bandaids - for one reason alone. Bandaids have a tendancy to fall off. And a lot of places I have worked have been extreamly up-tight about this, hence blue bandaids so that they are quickly seen and quickly removed. And since you never know where you will be working.... I fork out the extra $2 to go flourescent blue.
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I also use a lot of masking tape
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NOOOoooooo...... Masking tape is EVIL! Especially the cheap kind. So many people use it for marking up cases and desks etc. WHITE ELECTRICAL TAPE + PERM. MARKER. Others use it for marking sets - SPIKE TAPE PEOPLE. I can see no other use for masking tape - except for set painting (when you need to mask whilst painting... and then you are better off using the expensive stuff.
isha:
Iknow..it's a pain to take up.....but when I have no money..and when I have to order any other sort of tape (we live in po dunk town..we don't even have an official "building store".)...... I use masking tape...
I make the kids that are late peel up making tape anyways, so I never actually have to deal with it...it's the tardy punishment...
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